In a recent interview with Jon Machota, the Cowboys beat writer from the newspaper we cannot mention here, Jerry Jones said one of the more revealingly stupid comments (even for him!) he’s ever said about why his team hasn’t been in a Super Bowl in 23 years:
“I got involved (with the Cowboys) to win. I must tell you, I didn’t know it was going to be this tough..... It is just absolutely a stunning thing to me to think of why we’re not there (playing in Super Bowls) with what we commit and what we do to win Super Bowls.”
What is stunning to me is not that the Cowboys haven’t been in a Super Bowl in 23 years. What’s stunning is what is obvious to anyone who pays attention to how pro sports organizations who win consistently run their organization, is somehow not apparent to this 76 year old billionaire.
It’s actually easy to explain why this team hasn’t been to a SB in so long. It’s amazingly simple- in today’s NFL, having a kind hearted owner who also serves as its primary decision maker is inherently detrimental to winning. If you don’t have a steely eyed decision maker who does not allow sentimentality to influence decisions to run the team, you’re behind the 8 ball.
Below are the things most responsible for the last 23 years:
1. Excuses made and accepted at the top of the organization- Remember JJs famous quote calling a loss to Denver in 2013 “a moral victory”. Or excusing his HCs failures after 2015 and 2017 being tied to injuries and suspensions? An organization whose top executive makes and accepts excuses is killing itself. Our HC has 2 wild card wins in 8 seasons and our owner GM dreams of that guy being his “Tom Landry”. It’s delusional.
2. Nepotism and favoritism blinds the organization- when your organization has no one at the top who can question the leader, it’s deadly to success. And when the leader hires his children and favorite friends for sentimental reasons, it makes objectivity very difficult. There is a reason NEPOTISM is illegal in many workplace situations- it doesn’t work well. Who tells Jerry he’s wrong and is hurting this team?
3. A complete lack of real accountability at the top- Name another pro sports General Manager with 23 years of mediocrity who still has a job. Which NFL Head Coach could still have a job after winning two wild card games in 8 seasons? In fact, the only accountability in the organization is with assist coaches and mid- bottom level players.
So in order to get back to the glory days of the past, this organization just needs do the opposite of the above 3 disasters:
1. Never make nor allow excuses...ever.
2. Stop being sentimental and allowing yourself, family and select friends to have “special privileges” without proving they are capable or without the ability to help us win.
3. Hold people at the top accountable for failure. A lack of results must be dealt with or failure will continue. People in key jobs, like HC, cannot be given special treatment.
I know Jerry probably won’t take proper action to right his failures as a leader but he shouldn’t act surprised when the ship sinks every year either. He needs to look in the mirror. The emperor is naked.
You forgot grandiose, but it's part of the deal with egotistical.
