Most coaches and GMs avoid getting personally involved with players, due to the idea that it inhibits their ability to make the tough decisions that must be made to find success as a team. As I recall, Tom Landry was never a proponent of getting personally involved w/players for that specific reason. You can always say what you will but in the end, there's no denying that the results have a way of speaking for themselves.
Jerry always acts like he's a major risk-taker and wildcatter and always points back to firing legend Tom Landry and trading Herschel. But both of those decisions were made so easily because he had no attachment to the former regime or players. I've long said that trade never would've happen had Walker been drafted during the Jerry era. Those first couple of years we were able to make some hard decisions because they involved personnel and players from prior to Jerry buying the team. Fast-forward a few years and Jerry is giving ridiculous extensions to marginal and aging players, mainly because he overvalued those acquired during his tenure and he was personally involved and attached to him.
Just like with Landry, he had no ties to him and was easily able to fire him. I didn't like the way it happened but it was necessary it brought us Jimmy who ultimately was the one who built the team and the reason we won 3 championships in the '90's. And yes, Jerry gets credit for hiring Jimmy. But why was he on the list, because Jerry had ties to him from his days at Arkansas. The other names being mentioned were Switzer and Lou Holtz, both who had ties to Jerry because they coached at Arkansas.
We're just lucky that Jerry knew Jimmy and he was the one who was hired over Jerry's other buddies, Switzer and Holtz or else we'd still be looking back to the late 70's when talking about our last Super Bowl.