Zooming out, I hated a Cowboys organization where Jerry Jones was clearly trying to distinguish himself as a football mastermind, when he was/is not that.
And now, I've come to believe that he's mellowed on that front. I think it began with his decision to hire Parcells, and bring into the organization someone who explicitly would demand to drive the cart in the grocery store; but the metamorphosis by no means was completed then. It only sprouted this idea that Jerry should start listening to others who have stronger football pedigrees than him and who have amassed some history of success as scouts or coaches.
My perception now, accurate or not, is that he has reached a place where he makes the final decision, sure, but more than ever, he's rubberstamping whatever he perceives to be the consensus between coaches (Garrett, and to a lesser degree, Linehan and Marinelli), scouts (mainly McClay, but perhaps others), and... maybe as importantly as anything, his salary cap guru... Stephen. In fact, we know it's been reported that CEO-in-waiting has been fairly aggressive at times in telling his dad what to do.
So, I for one, have went from a very negative opinion of Jerry Jones and how he runs the team to a very positive one. Easy for me to say that after we win 13, right? But truly, I was saying this a year ago. I really was. I have come to agree with Jerry that there is something highly advantageous to the GM and the owner being the same person... with two caveats: (a) that the GM/owner have gathered around him credible people who he clearly respects and listens to before reaching a decision, and (b) that the GM/owner has to be indisputably driven to put a winning product on the field. (Reference the guy in Cincy who largely sees his franchise as a family business, focused primarily on profiting financially).
