History is repeating itself

[atlantacowboy]

1980 TO 1987 DRAFTS WORST IN COWBOY HISTORY

Only 1983 with Jim Jeffcoat selected did they hit on a first rounder.
There were rumors that Landry could not control the team well. Danny White did not have "it," the 1970's superstars got old and were not replaced, as the draft busts were monumental in the 1980's. Gil Brandt and Landry lost their sharp skills as talent evaluators.

The OL became subpar after two Pro Bowl types in T Pat Donovan and G Herb Scott had injuries which forced the two into early retirement. Impact TE Doug Cosbie's knees went on him prematurely, leaving a gaping hole until Plan B free agent Jay Novacek was signed.

The current team is stuck with bad salary cap management for three decades. Also, no QB drafted high since 1989. Isn't that insane?

If Landry and Gil Brandt were over the hill and no longer able to properly evaluate and develop talent, can anyone deny the Jones Family is also over the hill and new football management is required?

They took Jeffcoat over Marino who was higher on their draft board. So, it wasn't the hit they needed.

Danny White got robbed by "the catch". He lead the team to 3 straight NFC title games. People would be on here celebrating Dak's contract if he even lead us to one. There was a different standard back then. IMO, he is still the 3rd best QB in franchise history.

 

[Flamma]

Jerry is never going to sell. His whole family works in the business. It will just get passed on to family just like the Raiders. No hope at all!

This is true. The only hope is things are done differently when it changes hands. But I'm pretty sure Jerry's son is even more conservative (taking risks) than Jerry has become.

 

[john van brocklin]

Today's Dallas Cowboys are very much a parallel to the 1980s Dallas Cowboys

After the Packers playoff blowout, I pretty much knew it was way past time for a rebuild. And it was way past time for the Jerry Jones era to come to an end. This past season was tough to watch. There were definitely moments where, out of habit, I wanted to buy in. I wanted to believe that Mike McCarthy was a better coach than advertised, that Zimmer would be a better DC and got psyched about drafting OL and defense. But it became evident very early in the offseason that none of those cosmetic changes were going to overcome the bigger reality.

And that reality for me is that we are getting closer to the end of the Jerry Jones era day by day. And I am not one of those who feels the need to claim that Jerry and his boy Stephen suck at everything. What they are good or bad at doesn't really matter to me. To me it's really more about eerily similar the Cowboys organization of today mirrors the Cowboys organization of the late 1980s.

You can read books or watch YouTube videos about the 1980s Landry era and listen/watch Jimmy Johnson biographies about the mess of an organization he inherited. The star players of the time like Randy White, Ed Too Tall Jones, Danny White, Everson Walls, etc. were old and slow. The offseason programs were a joke. Through most of the 1980s, the team managed to ride the coattails of their previous legacy and delude themselves that they were going to turn things around when they were really just rotting within. And they got away with it for a few years until bottom fell out in 1988.

It took an outsider like Jimmy Johnson who wasn't going to sugarcoat anything and understood what had to be done. For those first few years, Jerry Jones was forced to focus on the financial well being of the organization, which gave Jimmy Johnson the free reign he needed to rebuild the football team into the dynasty they became in the early 1990s.

Fast forward to today....my true wish for the Cowboys is for Jerry Jones to have a Bum Bright moment and realize that a new revolution is needed and that the idea of turning things over to Stephen or whatever isn't going to work. It's long past time to sell the team, Jerry Jones!! The Dallas Cowboys desperately need a new regime to come in and blow the place up, just as Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson did back in 1989. Anything short of that is a waste of money and time! Dallas Cowboys fans deserve it!

Until Jerry steps down, we ain't winning squat....

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

History has repeated itself for the last 29 years.

 

[atlantacowboy]

This is true. The only hope is things are done differently when it changes hands. But I'm pretty sure Jerry's son is even more conservative (taking risks) than Jerry has become.

I don't think Stephen fancies himself a "football man" nor does he have the " I didn't get enough credit for those Super Bowl teams". chip on his shoulder. So, what's his motivation? He's been very comfortable living his life in his dad's shadow. I think he'll still be involved but he's going to need a GM.

 

[gimmesix]

Very good comparison. But the problem is Bum Bright had to sell because of non-Dallas Cowboys financial problems. Realistically, the only way Jerry sells this cash cow is if an Eddie DeBartolo, Jerry Richardson, or Daniel Snyder situation arises. And it probably takes more than those; none of them produced the revenue that all owners share in that Jerry does.

Yep, and that's the only difference that matters. The Jones family isn't going to give up on the most valuable sports franchise unless something forces their hand. Dreaming of a time when someone not named Jones will own our team is a fruitless endeavor.

 

[SFloridaCowboy]

Yep, and that's the only difference that matters. The Jones family isn't going to give up on the most valuable sports franchise unless something forces their hand. Dreaming of a time when someone not named Jones will own our team is a fruitless endeavor.

George Steinbrenner was a maverick when he was younger. When he got older, he allowed his baseball people to have full control and he did not intervene any more. I will never trust any 82 years old to make major decisions. I will listen to what he says out of respect, but I will never allow someone that old, usually with diminished "instincts," and declined intellect to be in control.

 

[fifaguy]

History doesn’t repeat, it rhymes.
And JJ isn’t going anywhere. So don’t expect much of anything to change.

 

[Einstein]

Is there a more pointless thread topic?

Yes. Most of the ones about our QB, and the bashing of the team in general.

 

[Whirlwin]

Which Jones are you?

The one with the brains

 

[gimmesix]

George Steinbrenner was a maverick when he was younger. When he got older, he allowed his baseball people to have full control and he did not intervene any more. I will never trust any 82 years old to make major decisions. I will listen to what he says out of respect, but I will never allow someone that old, usually with diminished "instincts," and declined intellect to be in control.

That's all well and good, but we have no say over who is in control of the Cowboys.

I don't completely agree with you. I do think there is some merit to what you say, but not everyone shows their age mentally at the same time. My father-in-law until the last couple of years was as sharp as could be and he's 87. Of course, there are some things that he held fast to that were outdated, and we mostly ignored those things. I think everyone needs to be tempered by wise counsel, whether they are in their 20s or in their 80s. Anyone surrounded by a bunch of yes men is going to make some poor decisions.

Again, though, we cannot do anything about who is control in Dallas. I know fans like to vent, but it's an exercise in futility.