News: ST: Stephen Jones: JFF is about the “it” factor, wouldn’t have been patient on bench; we made...

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The Cowboys decision to pass on former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be brought as long as he plays in the NFL, similar to the situation with Randy Moss in 1998.

Even though other teams passed on Manziel just like they did with Moss, they are the team he will be forever linked with.

The Cowboys know that and understand as much.

And while they are confident Manziel, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, will eventually become a star in the NFL, vice-president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys did the right thing for the franchise.

Jones reiterated in a conference call with season ticket holders on Tuesday that they remain committed to Tony Romo and believe they have a better chance of making a Super Bowl run with him.

“I’m sure Johnny Manziel is going to have a great career,” Jones said. “We wish him nothing but the best, but there’s no doubt in my mind, we made the very best decision we could for the Cowboys in terms of what is going to help us get to a Super Bowl the soonest.”

According to Jones, the decision was not just about Romo but also about distractions of Manziel’s presence and the potential deterrent to winning because of the attention he garners and the possibly of a quarterback controversy. They also didn’t think Manziel had the patience to sit on the bench behind Romo at Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay behind Brett Favre.

“We all felt he was a great football player season, one of the most entertaining college football players we ever watched,” Jones said. “At the same time a lot about what Johnny is is the ‘it’ factor. It would be hard for him to sit on the bench and watch. That was factored in our decision. I don’t think he is like Aaron Rodgers who was very patient and waited his turn. And Jerry (Jones) compared him to Elvis. The minute he walked in there was going to be controversy.”

“We just felt like at the end of the day, as talented as he was, and we had him high on our board in the first round, but we have a quarterback, a great one, in place in Tony Romo,” Jones added. “We had enough confidence to guarantee him almost $50 million on an almost $20 million extension. And that extension starts this year. We really made the ultimate decision, Jerry [Jones] did, that it was in our best interest to put players around Tony to make him even better and give him a shot to go win a Super Bowl, which is what everybody’s goal is in this organization.”

Clarence Hill

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