The Dallas Cowboys are 3-9.
Yes, the franchise that wears the moniker “America’s Team” is 3-9.
There is no question that changes need to be made in the offseason.
And they need to start with the top.
That’s right, with Jerry Jones.
He should definitely fire himself as GM and stick to ownership.
Here’s why.
1. Record
In Jones’ 32 years with the Cowboys, the team has gone 273-235 in the regular season.
The Cowboys have gone 15-12 in post season play.
A closer look at his record shows that he could have fired himself about 20 years ago.
From 1989-1999, his record was 102-74.
Two seasons, 1989 and 1997, represent 25 of those losses.
No one can hold the 1989 1-15 season against him; that was clearly the start of the rebuilding.
Rebuilding set up by one of the best trades in professional sports history; the Herschel Walker trade.
Asked about that blockbuster October 12, 1989 trade on the 25th anniversary of it in 2014, Jones was surprisingly brief but prophetic.
“It changed destiny for us.”
On the 25th anniversary, Walker himself commented on the trade that sent him to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players, a 1992 first-round draft pick and multiple conditional picks.
“I think the legacy of the trade is it was the beginning of the dynasty the Cowboys had at that time…This 25-year anniversary thing has become so big, it’s crazy. I’ve been asked if I have hard feelings. I don’t have hard feelings against anyone.”
From 2000-2020, his record is 171-161.
In the early 2000s, the triplets, Aikman, Smith, and Irvin, retired or moved on.
The franchise lagged; the memories of Super Bowl Champion teams of 1992, 1993, and 1995 had faded.
In the middle of that period, Jerry was instrumental in building the Cowboys new home in Arlington, Texas.
AT&T Stadium opened in 2009.
While the stadium is nothing short of spectacular, it was during the planning and construction of it that Jerry should have gracefully abdicated his GM duties.
The Cowboys were not flourishing on the field so while he was building the new field, he could let someone else manage the on-the-field decision making.
Jerry jones thinking he’s Al Davis trying too coach the coach https://t.co/yYx1u2ua79
— Rich Hignojos (@Rich23XX) December 12, 2020
2. Questionable Decisions
Letting Jimmy Johnson Go
We could go as far back as the 90s when Jerry Jones somehow let Jimmy Johnson leave during a period where Johnson would have led them to more Super Bowls.
Yes, Barry Switzer led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl win post Jimmy Johnson, but that team was largely Jimmy’s.
Letting Jason Garrett Stay
Then, there was the decision to keep Jason Garrett on for as many years as he did, from 2010 when he was named interim head coach until 2019.
This is not a judgement on Garrett’s abilities as a coach, but the Cowboys were not getting results so Jerry’s decision to stick with Garrett remains a perplexing one.
Contracts with Zeek and Dak
It remains to be seen if Ezekiel Elliott will be worth the huge contract he got.
And it is confusing why the Cowboys strung their QB Dak Prescott along without a contract.
Of the two, Dak appears to be more valuable to the team which is especially noticeable right now in his absence.
Jerry needs to fire himself as soon as possible so the Cowboys can once again build themselves up and return to their winning ways.
Despite all of this, it is highly unlikely Jerry will fire himself.
Jerry Jones says he can and will change as Cowboys owner and general managerhttps://t.co/0tgtvKZYmh
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) December 11, 2020
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