I like Jerry "the Owner" Jones. I think we are lucky to have an owner that cares as much as he does about the Cowboys. What I have not been a fan of is Jerry "the GM" Jones. I understand some people cannot separate the two roles, and that's fine, Jerry's had that same problem for 25+ years, but I have and continue to appreciate Jerry "the Owner" Jones.
That said, i think it is rather obvious that the GM position has been a group-based position the last 3 or so years. Sure, he may say things in the media that fans cringe over (paging Dr. Jerry!), but let's face it, Jerry is and will always be a soundbite waiting to happen for the media so they are going to do everything they can to set him up to say something the homers and haters will react over. That's not an excuse as you would think after 20 years, he would know this by now, but if the fans (homers and haters) were not reacting over it, the media would not keep asking him for it.
Jerry had to fail 3 times and suffer bitter, humiliating disappointment before he took the GM role 'group-based' [as you put it] by giving Stephen and Jason & like some others increased input in personnel moves.
He failed the first time when he either fired Jimmy Johnson or provoked him into resigning [depends on who's story you believe]. Won that '95 Super Bowl with The Team Jimmy Built and then hit the wall in the draft from '95 to 2002. Those drafts weren't just bad, they were EPICALLY bad.
Years of Dave Campo and Chan Gailey futility finally forced Jerry to bring in an old pro - Bill Parcells. Bill righted the ship, did some good drafts, got the team back in the playoffs twice and then Jerry made his second mistake, figuring he'd learned enough that he could dispense with Parcells and go back to coaches he could control.
Parcells left and Wade Phillips took over. The shoddy drafting returned, and while The Team Bill Built was good enough to log a 13-3 record in 2007, the talent pool wasn't being built.
After some playoff success in 2009, the bottom fell out in 2010 with an epic collapse. This was the 3rd time Jerry faced a humbling realization. 3 times he really believed he had this team built for lasting success and contention - 1996, 2006, and 2010. And each time after it all came apart and the losses mounted he was forced to realize the drafting was bad, the talent and the depth just was not there.
Watching this unfold 3 times made me take a 'wait and see' attitude in 2010 when Garrett took over. But Jerry really does seem to have learned his lesson. Taking 3 offensive linemen in the first round of the draft showed me Jerry is getting great advice, he's seeking it out and he's listening to it. It's not just 1 guy flying by the seat of his pants any more. Stephen really seems to have spent over a decade learning the ins and outs of the GM trade. At first i figured this was just sycophancy, Stephen won't know what he's doing any more than Jerry does, but I've been proven wrong.
