Jerry Jones becoming the new Al Davis?
Dec 31, 2008 | 2:04PM |
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones likes to be known as a maverick. He's not afraid to go out and sign questionable character players in hopes of bettering his team. He also has no use for a general manager when he thinks he can get the job done himself.
Those qualities are definitely reminiscent of another National Football League owner.
Al Davis, I'm looking in your direction. Maybe Davis didn't hear me. Perhaps I should post it on a projection unit to better make myself clear.
Regardless of whether or not the Raiders owner understands anything anymore, the real problem is that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is quickly heading down the same road as Davis.
For the last several seasons, the Raiders have operated without anything resembling a true football-knowledgeable general manager. And since their Super Bowl appearance in 2003, the Raiders haven't won more than five games in a single season. Their lack of true direction has failed to give them neither any significant draftees nor any significant free agent signings. (Draft picks JaMarcus Russell, 2007, and Darren McFadden, 2008, are still up in the air.)
Likewise, Jerry Jones is serving as his own general manager and has made moves such as signing Terrell Owens and Adam 'Don't call me Pac-Man' Jones.
The Raiders used to be known as the team where trouble-makers would find a welcome home. Jones is changing that theory, even welcoming Adam Jones back after the Cowboys defensive back/kick returner fought one of the bodyguards his boss assigned to keep the DB in line. Jerry Jones looked past Adam Jones' history and Terrell Owens' on-field history of badmouthing quarterbacks to welcome them. And what's happened? The Cowboys missed the playoffs despite having one of the most talented teams in the league.
Both Davis and Jones share a passion for their team many fans could only dream of from their teams. Neither sees their respective teams as merely cash cows. They know they'll make money, but they also want to win. Unfortunately, neither realizes that in order to do so, you need better leadership at top. They both need solid, football-oriented GMs.
They need to let those GMs do what they think needs to be done. Neither owner is afraid to open his pocketbook. The Raiders and Al Davis spent more than $150 million in the offseason on free agents. Jerry Jones showed his propensity for spending when he opened his checkbook and signed Terrell Owens to a $34 million contract. All Owens did this season was whine when tight end Jason Whitten helped the Cowboys get first downs. In fact, Owens had more receptions, more targets and more drops than Whitten, but apparently none of that mattered in T.O.'s eyes. So he let it be known he was unhappy. Well, I'm betting all the Cowboys are unhappy now that they will watch the playoffs from the comfort of their Lazy-boys.
A good GM wouldn't put up with an unhappy, ungrateful malcontent. Instead, he'd ship him off somewhere else (probably to a sucker team like the Raiders who see stats and ignore character).
While Al Davis is closer to his way out than his way up, Jerry Jones has plenty of seasons left in him. (At least he looks like it thanks to that facelift.) Jerry Jones is at a crossroads. He can take the path Al Davis took and travel down Crazy Coot Lane. Or, he can opt for his own path and put the Cowboys back on the right track.Link
Calendar
