Mesaholic
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Dear Mr. Jones -
By way of introduction, I am 50 years old. I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan since 1966. I started watching games with my father. My 10 year old son now watches games with me. We are three generations of Cowboys fans. On game days, every member of my family wears the jersey of their favorite player. Even our dog has a jersey. When my brother and his son come over for a game, they wear their jerseys. You see, he and his son are also lifetime fans. We have boughts tickets, merchandise and spent countless hours of our life watching games because we love all that WAS the Dallas Cowboys.
This brings me to the point of my letter. I have no doubt that you are the best owner in pro football, if not all of professional sports. Your enthusiasm and commitment to winning, backed with your money, cannot be denied. I am truly thankful that you, not Bill Bidwell or the Ford family or even your friend Al Davis, own my team.
You notice I said "my" team. Yes, you legally own the Cowboys. But the beneficial owners of the team are the the tens of thousands of us who have patronized and paid our dues with our time and heard-earned dollars both well before and after you became the legal owner of the franchise.
As the beneficial owners of this team, we have the right and the expectation to demand better from you, the legal owner, the coaches and the players. You know this is a proud and storied franchise. This team won Super Bowls before you. It had twenty consecutive winning seasons. It was built by a truly legendary and innovative general manager, one of the greatest and most innovative coaches of any sport, and many legendary players. Mr. Jones, the team you fielded this year was disgraceful. All season there has been nothing but turmoil, selfishness, laziness, poor workmanship and attention to craft, lack of heart, lack of character (I could go on and on but you get the point). This team and the general state of the organization is a disgrace to its history and the many men who served it over the past four decades, not to mention we fans who love it dearly. Yes, we have had several "characters" on this team, even during the Landry/Schramm years. But, as a team, these are not the Dallas Cowboys I grew up with. But for a handful of these players, do they even care that they wear the star? Do they understand what it means, or are they here to collect a paycheck? I think about Emmitt's tearful retirement, when he talked about the organization and what it meant to him. Where are the men who care?
Even during the wasteland years of the mid to late 80's, I always carried hope that things would turn around. Now, I despair because I see no hope. Your comments last night affirm that. You see, while you are the greatest owner we could ask for, (for all the turnover in coaches, players and front office staff) the one constant since 1996 has been you as the GM of this club. As the GM, YOU are the problem. I hear the Browns want to talk to Scott Pioli. I ask, why aren't we wanting to talk to him? Is it because you will not allow yourself to see what everyone sees, which is you do not have the ability to manage the day-to-day football operations without help from an insider. While I never cared for Bill Parcels as a person, the man ate, slept and lived football. He truly understood it in all its facets. It is no coincidence the culture changed when he came here. It is no coincidence who he took with him and what they have accomplished in one year in Miami. It is no coincidence that two years after he left, we are back to where he started - poor play, poor attention to detail and prima donnas who are above the team.
So, Mr. Jones, on behalf of myself and my family who have supported this team for three generations, on behalf of other fans who feel the same way, I ask you to look deep within yourself and realize that this thing is simply too complicated and too screwed up for even a man of your talents to fix. I am not saying hire Scott Pioli. But there has to be the next Pioli out there. Find him. You have the contacts and the respect in the league. That is your job. Then, do what all successful executives do, and delegate. I will always support the Dallas Cowboys because I am a lifelong fan. But, until I see you make meaningful changes to restore this organization to the one I remember (a winning tradition and players with character), I intend to exercise the only control I really have. I will not buy a single ticket, jersey, shirt, jacket, beer koozie, decal or any other item that will put a nickel in your pocket, and I will do my best to see that my family and friends do not. I will not renew my True Blue memberships for myself or my family. If others do as I do, perhaps you will get the message that we do not want this team to be the Oakland Raiders of the east. Please consider this carefully. Only you have the power to change.
Thank you.
By way of introduction, I am 50 years old. I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan since 1966. I started watching games with my father. My 10 year old son now watches games with me. We are three generations of Cowboys fans. On game days, every member of my family wears the jersey of their favorite player. Even our dog has a jersey. When my brother and his son come over for a game, they wear their jerseys. You see, he and his son are also lifetime fans. We have boughts tickets, merchandise and spent countless hours of our life watching games because we love all that WAS the Dallas Cowboys.
This brings me to the point of my letter. I have no doubt that you are the best owner in pro football, if not all of professional sports. Your enthusiasm and commitment to winning, backed with your money, cannot be denied. I am truly thankful that you, not Bill Bidwell or the Ford family or even your friend Al Davis, own my team.
You notice I said "my" team. Yes, you legally own the Cowboys. But the beneficial owners of the team are the the tens of thousands of us who have patronized and paid our dues with our time and heard-earned dollars both well before and after you became the legal owner of the franchise.
As the beneficial owners of this team, we have the right and the expectation to demand better from you, the legal owner, the coaches and the players. You know this is a proud and storied franchise. This team won Super Bowls before you. It had twenty consecutive winning seasons. It was built by a truly legendary and innovative general manager, one of the greatest and most innovative coaches of any sport, and many legendary players. Mr. Jones, the team you fielded this year was disgraceful. All season there has been nothing but turmoil, selfishness, laziness, poor workmanship and attention to craft, lack of heart, lack of character (I could go on and on but you get the point). This team and the general state of the organization is a disgrace to its history and the many men who served it over the past four decades, not to mention we fans who love it dearly. Yes, we have had several "characters" on this team, even during the Landry/Schramm years. But, as a team, these are not the Dallas Cowboys I grew up with. But for a handful of these players, do they even care that they wear the star? Do they understand what it means, or are they here to collect a paycheck? I think about Emmitt's tearful retirement, when he talked about the organization and what it meant to him. Where are the men who care?
Even during the wasteland years of the mid to late 80's, I always carried hope that things would turn around. Now, I despair because I see no hope. Your comments last night affirm that. You see, while you are the greatest owner we could ask for, (for all the turnover in coaches, players and front office staff) the one constant since 1996 has been you as the GM of this club. As the GM, YOU are the problem. I hear the Browns want to talk to Scott Pioli. I ask, why aren't we wanting to talk to him? Is it because you will not allow yourself to see what everyone sees, which is you do not have the ability to manage the day-to-day football operations without help from an insider. While I never cared for Bill Parcels as a person, the man ate, slept and lived football. He truly understood it in all its facets. It is no coincidence the culture changed when he came here. It is no coincidence who he took with him and what they have accomplished in one year in Miami. It is no coincidence that two years after he left, we are back to where he started - poor play, poor attention to detail and prima donnas who are above the team.
So, Mr. Jones, on behalf of myself and my family who have supported this team for three generations, on behalf of other fans who feel the same way, I ask you to look deep within yourself and realize that this thing is simply too complicated and too screwed up for even a man of your talents to fix. I am not saying hire Scott Pioli. But there has to be the next Pioli out there. Find him. You have the contacts and the respect in the league. That is your job. Then, do what all successful executives do, and delegate. I will always support the Dallas Cowboys because I am a lifelong fan. But, until I see you make meaningful changes to restore this organization to the one I remember (a winning tradition and players with character), I intend to exercise the only control I really have. I will not buy a single ticket, jersey, shirt, jacket, beer koozie, decal or any other item that will put a nickel in your pocket, and I will do my best to see that my family and friends do not. I will not renew my True Blue memberships for myself or my family. If others do as I do, perhaps you will get the message that we do not want this team to be the Oakland Raiders of the east. Please consider this carefully. Only you have the power to change.
Thank you.
to The Zone.
