Al Davis actually knew the game of football.
Al Davis is the only person in the history of professional football to be a Head Coach, General Manager, owner, and league commissioner. He was successful in every facet.
And no, he did not make himself the Head Coach and GM. Al Davis did not own the team until after he had been hired as a coach and GM. He became their head coach in 1963 and stepped down after becoming a part owner in 1966. In 1971 he assumed full ownership.
Prior to 1963, Al Davis was a scout for the Baltimore Colts and an assistant coach for USC.
Al Davis was the AFL commissioner in 1966, their last one as he helped orchestrate the AFL's merger into the NFL.
Al Davis had an ego, just like Jerry Jones. What he also had, that Jerry didn't have, was credentials and experience at every level of NFL management before becoming an owner.
Jerry Jones does not compare to Al Davis, a pioneer in the history of professional football.
Every single one of us knows far more about the Dallas Cowboys than Colin Cowerd. Cowerd has an "on the surface" knowledge when it comes to each team in the NFL. His observations and perspectives are often simplistic and a reflection of whatever stories about the team happen to be circulating.
For instance, the myth that the Cowboys are a sloppy team that consistently get to many penalties that costs them games.
First of all, last season was a fluke in terms of the number of penalties and let me present the relevant facts:
Although the Cowboys led in penalties last season, their "penalties margin", which is the difference in number of penalties with opponents, was only six more for the entire season. This means that, not only were the Cowboys penalized often, but their opponents were also penalized at practically the same rate. It means that the Cowboys had an average of one third of a penalty higher per game than their opponents
The Cowboys penalties margin to their opponents for the season is ranked 15th among the NFL. This means they are in the middle of the ranking when it comes to their number of penalties compared to their opponents.
In fact, if you want to know who is really getting picked on, last season it was the Raiders and Texans. They each had 25 more penalties last season then their opponents, an average of a penalty and a half more each game.
Furthermore, one season does not establish a trend. When you examine penalties over the past decade, in terms of quantity, the Cowboys are ranked 12th. The teams with the actual high numbers of penalties over the past decade is the Raiders and Seahawks. The team with the least penalties over the past decade is, of course, the Patriots.