Over at my blog a visitor who always checks in named Soothsayer made a great point in the comments section of one my entries about Jerry and the stadium stuff.
Here it is ----------------------------
Can I honestly say I know what the formula is to determine what types of players to go after and make up the roster in Dallas right now?
Yes. It's whoever Jerry wants.
But you're right, the man is obviously losing it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Jones is in full desperation mode.
Did you read that article over at DMN on the proposed development surrounding the new stadium not materializing? It was an interesting read. Tentatively named Glorypark, the development was supposed to include parking garages and convention centers, along with luxury hotels, fine restaurants, upscale bars, and high-end boutiques. Well, it's dead now. The developer backed out before the deal could be made.
Some blame it on the economy, and there is some validity to that. The financial markets are in a free fall, commercial real estate development has tanked, credit is tight, and the entire globe is entering into a severe protracted recession. That is all true, but it misses the point.
Who in their right mind would take out billions in loans to build garages, hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops that will only approach full occupancy ten weekends a year? It's not economically feasible.
Did I say ten? Sorry, that assumes the Cowboys would actually win in December and advance in the playoffs, host a divisional round and a conference championship. The odds of that happening are so remote as to be nonexistent at this point. So really it's only eight weekends a year.
Well, there's always the Super Bowl, you know the one Dallas will host but not play in. Right, in 2011, which is beginning to look more and more like a strike season. The Scab Bowl? Lot of interest in that.
You see my point. Jones spent hundred of millions locking in underachieving players into long term contracts which he can't afford to cut. He spent tens of millions on incompetent coaches whom he can't afford to buy out. Then he spent over a billion on a new stadium, without adequate parking, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by highway construction, a pizza joint, a couple of burger places and small eateries, oh and a Wal-Mart.
Are you up for a tailgate party in a Wal-Mart parking lot? Followed by a two mile hike over road construction to go to a football game, which the Cowboys will most likely lose.
The whole thing is imploding. The biggest stadium in the world for the most underachieving team in the world. No parking, no hotels, no restaurants, no bars, no shops in sight. And Jerry sold that to the city of Arlington?
No wonder he's losing it. The media certainly isn't going to stop reminding him of the mess he's created. So his natural impulse is to shut down all contact with the media except through him. Smart move that.
The Cowboys will now sink or swim on the word of Jerry Jones. If you can wrap your mind around that, you'll know how bad things have gotten.
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Soothsayer. Anyone know if he's a poster here or any other message boards? He's written some great stuff in the comments section at my blog.
His comments are dead on. Jerry has a lot on his plate right now. He has never been in this situation right now.
Think about it. He built this team thinking they would be coming into the new stadium riding a big wave by at least being known as one of the better teams in the league with championship hopes.
Instead they are coming in all discombobulated with a fan base that is just annoyed at how things are playing out and he has stadium troubles like the one mentioned above.
What human being wouldn't be stressed out right now?
Jerry has done a lot more in his life than most can ever even think about doing, but he is just a one man. He just wants to get 'things right' or at least have things moving in the 'right direction' ASAP and it seems that whatever is going on right now with this team has a bad taste to it.
And I know Jerry did this to himself because he's in charge of his life and all of the decisions being made that are maybe stressing him out. But I hope the man has some people in his life that he can just vent to every now and again.
I would think even the big bad Jerry Jones needs a shoulder to cry on when things are going haywire.
