CFZ The pressure is on the wrong people

[DallasEast]

The Cowboys have done this HC on a final year “motivation” 3 times before. Once with Wade Phillips in 2010. They started the season 1-7 and fired Phillips.

It was comical just how bad the players purposefully performed against Green Bay in Phillips' last game as Dallas' head coach. However, that was during the regular season. There was nothing funny about how the players performed against the Packers last January 14, whether on purpose or not.

It is directly or indirectly crazy how things have progressively grown for Dallas playing Green Bay in the post-Jimmy Johnson era. I mean, there is the old saying of someone having your number. In this case, the number includes roman numerals and decimal points.

 

[DenCWBY]

The pressure is on the wrong people in the Cowboys organization. Healthy organizations hold the people at the top accountable for results. If they don’t get the results desired they are replaced. Not in Big D.

Here the owner holds mid and low-level people accountable for mistakes made at the top. It’s completely dysfunctional. Here’s the undeniable truth of all healthy organizations: If the people at the top are not held accountable, you can have no accountability anywhere else in that organization. This the foundational flaw that makes all of this 28 year playoff drought so maddening.

I‘m all for putting pressure on coaches and players to perform at the highest level with focus, discipline and execution. Those men are professionals. Good leaders hold everyone accountable for results. But if they themselves are not accountable while the mid and lower level people are, it creates an organizational cancer that left unaddressed just festers.

As a lifelong Cowboys fan I want this team to win every game every year including this year. But I also have to be honest when I look at this organization and think, “Will this year be any different?” I just can’t say “yes” until something changes. I will happily be wrong if a miracle happens.

Spot on as always. Sadly, we are handicapped with a demented, egotistical has been GM who will hold this once proud franchise down to his last breath, while holding lifelong fans hostage of any potential championships.

 

[Bobhaze]

It was comical just how bad the players purposefully performed against Green Bay in Phillips' last game as Dallas' head coach. However, that was during the regular season. There was nothing funny about how the players performed against the Packers last January 14, whether on purpose or not.

It directly or indirectly crazy how things have progressively grown for Dallas playing Green Bay in the post-Jimmy Johnson era. I mean, there is the old saying of someone having your number. In this case, the number includes roman numerals and decimal points.

As poorly as the entire Cowboys team played vs the pack last January … the worst playoff performance in team history…if I were GM I would have fired McCarthy. History shows when a team gets humiliated like that it’s extremely hard for the HC and/or the team to recover from that. We will see.

Here’s the bottom line of all that: If you as the GM think your HC is worth keeping, extend his contract. If you aren’t sure he’s worth it you’ve already made your decision. You should move on.

This is bad GM practice.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It was comical just how bad the players purposefully performed against Green Bay in Phillips' last game as Dallas' head coach. However, that was during the regular season. There was nothing funny about how the players performed against the Packers last January 14, whether on purpose or not.

It is directly or indirectly crazy how things have progressively grown for Dallas playing Green Bay in the post-Jimmy Johnson era. I mean, there is the old saying of someone having your number. In this case, the number includes roman numerals and decimal points.

The worst Cowboys defensive performance I have ever seen was that 2013 GB game. Worst front 7 play I have ever seen.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Wait. I am inserting myself into a question you have posed to @Bobhaze but I was interested in clarification. Does not possibly blaming Jerry Jones on the morning of January 14 earlier this year hold some specific significance?

I ask because some people (including myself) have blamed Jones, for poor football management oversight before that particular point in time, for the talking points BobHaze mentioned in his post. Would previous criticism on the topic somehow be mitigated or disregarded simply because it was not re-stated on the morning of that particular wild card game?

But you didnt expect the loss. Blaming Jerry's part of Cowboy's culture. But the point being made in the thread is that the fault shouldnt pass to players and coaching......I disagree, they are just as much to blame as the Jones. I just find some of these threads are termed in such a way as to deflect from certain aspects, and try and focus on a silver bullet.

 

[DallasEast]

As poorly as the entire Cowboys team played vs the pack last January … the worst playoff performance in team history…if I were GM I would have fired McCarthy. History shows when a team gets humiliated like that it’s extremely hard for the HC and/or the team to recover from that. We will see.

Here’s the bottom line of all that: If you as the GM think your HC is worth keeping, extend his contract. If you aren’t sure he’s worth it you’ve already made your decision. You should move on.

This is bad GM practice.

Bold> It is hard for me playing Devil's Advocate on behalf of Jerry Jones as a general manager. On one hand, there have been few general managers' with arguably great track records with head coaching choices in National Football League history. On the other hand, we have 35 years of Jones' decisions for head coaches:

• Jimmy Johnson - eventual Hall of Famer-caliber. Relationship deteriorates into one of the most notorious owner|GM/head coaching splits the NFL has ever witnessed
• Barry Switzer - the 500 coaches replacement. Could not keep the Johnson bus rolling
• Chan Gailey - a good coaching hire. Not a great coaching hire. Fired after only two years of trying to remake a Super Bowl worthy souffle without eggs, milk, flour...
• Dave Campo - actually (in my opinion) the best example of his narcissism as it pertains to head coaching choices, even over Jason Garrett/allowed to remain head coach an extra year longer than Gailey, who oversaw better seasonal results than him/Mr. De-Pants Guy
• Bill Parcells - Hall of Famer/Super Bowl caliber/did what he could with what he could get or was saddled with
• Wade Phillips -the laid back coach defensive players respected until they lost respect when he could not engineer a consistent competitive offense without Tony Romo
• Jason Garrett - "FIGHT!" "HAH!" "WE DO!"/semi-great motivating head coach without the head coaching worthy experience and resume to back it up/exactly the type of person a narcissist would consider above all others
• Mike McCarthy - out of work ex-Super Bowl winning head coach/very good offensive mind but somewhat inflexible during games, which Aaron Rodgers inferred from time-to-time was a tendency during McCarthy's Green Bay days

All of the above, including Johnson, were never involved in an extensive head coaching search. Most were picked from an abbreviated list of candidates prior to each hiring. Two were old friends, which he needed more to pull from in hindsight. One had already established a reputation big enough to help secure a new stadium.

All-in-all, Jones enjoyed early luck just winging it with head coaches. Most of his GM career has been sporadic success with head coaches he simply thought were good enough to work under him. The man had decades in which to mold himself into a highly capable GM for evaluating and picking the best available head coaches candidates and squandered most of it. Why?

Well, he has already told everyone in his own words multiple times (link) why.

 

[Rockport]

True. And as all the organizational research shows, nepotism is cancerous in larger organizations. The mid and lower level employees are painfully aware that they will be held accountable for the mistakes of those at the top which fosters a lack of accountability everywhere and depresses motivation.

And throughout the organization it is painfully obvious that unlike everyone else, if you are a family member of the owner, you don’t have to be qualified to get to your position and don’t have to perform at high levels to keep your job.

We know the players know their head coach is NOT who they ultimately answer to. Which is also why having a HC in the last year of his contract as “motivation” is actually a bad idea because the players know if things go south early this season, they may abandon that ship.

The Cowboys have done this HC on a final year “motivation” 3 times before. Once with Wade Phillips in 2010. They started the season 1-7 and fired Phillips. They did with Garrett in 2014 and he had a good year going 12-4 but they lost in the divisional round at GB. And they did it again with Garrett in 2019, and did not make the playoffs.

So the whole “let’s motivate the head coach by hanging him over a cliff“ thing has a .333 success rate in the recent past.

I work in corporate America and am currently experiencing something similar although it doesn’t involve nepotism. Last year we had a ransomware attack and the company paid the ransom. But the FTC fined my company millions of dollars as well as forcing draconian security measures down our throats. We’ve been doing nothing since but addressing any and all security issues. Lots of extra work just because the senior leadership mismanaged how the ransomware attack was handled. Point is that unless you own the company, you’re going to get crapped on. As an employee, there’s ways to combat that but it’s for a different time and forum.

 

[Bobhaze]

Both> It is hard for me playing Devil's Advocate on behalf of Jerry Jones as a general manager. On one hand, there have been few general managers' with arguably great track records with head coaching choices in National Football League history. On the other hand, we have 35 years of Jones' decisions for head coaches:

• Jimmy Johnson - eventual Hall of Famer-caliber. Relationship deteriorates into one of the most notorious owner|GM/head coaching splits the NFL has ever witnessed
• Barry Switzer - the 500 coaches replacement. Could not keep the Johnson bus rolling
• Chan Gailey - a good coaching hire. Not a great coaching hire. Fired after only two years of trying to remake a Super Bowl worthy souffle without eggs, milk, flour...
• Dave Campo - actually (in my opinion) the best example of his narcissism as it pertains to head coaching choices, even over Jason Garrett/allowed to remain head coach an extra year longer than Gailey, who oversaw better seasonal results than him/Mr. De-Pants Guy
• Bill Parcells - Hall of Famer/Super Bowl caliber/did what he could with what he could get or was saddled with
• Wade Phillips -the laid back coach defensive players respected until they lost respect when he could not engineer a consistent competitive offense without Tony Romo
• Jason Garrett - "FIGHT!" "HAH!" "WE DO!"/semi-great motivating head coach without the head coaching worthy experience and resume to back it up/exactly the type of person a narcissist would consider above all others
• Mike McCarthy - out of work ex-Super Bowl winning head coach/very good offensive mind but somewhat inflexible during games, which Aaron Rodgers inferred from time-to-time was a tendency during McCarthy's Green Bay days

All of the above, including Johnson, were never involved in an extensive head coaching search. Most were picked from an abbreviated list of candidates prior to each hiring. Two were old friends, which he needed more to pull from in hindsight. One had already established a reputation big enough to help secure a new stadium.

All-in-all, Jones enjoyed early luck just winging it with head coaches. Most of his GM career has been sporadic success with head coaches he simply thought were good enough to work under him. The man had decades in which to mold himself into a highly capable GM for evaluating and picking the best available head coaches candidates and squandered most of it. Why?

Well, he has already told everyone in his own words multiple times (link) why.

Excellent post.

 

[DallasEast]

Last Christmas Day:

I hope they finally develop the mindset of the 2010 Green Bay Packers. That season they reached and played the number one seed Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round, AT Atlanta, and destroyed the Falcons 48-21.

Like Dallas, Green Bay struggled on the road during the regular season. Lost 20-17 to the Bears, 16-13 to Washington, 20-17 to the Falcons, 7-3 to the Lions and 31-27 to the Patriots. However, they opened the season with a 27-20 win against the Eagles and gutted out a 9-0 win over the 5-2 Jets. Plus, demolished the 2-4 Vikings 31-3.

There are similarities between that Packers' team and this season's Cowboys. It is understandable Mike McCarthy pointed them out to maintain morale but the two teams are not the same. Five of Green Bay's road losses were by four or less points. Dallas lost to Arizona by 12, San Francisco by 32 and Buffalo by 21. They lost to Philadelphia by five. The teams 'best' comparative road loss was by only two yesterday.

Dallas must improve more in TWO weeks time before McCarthy's analogy can be truly prophetic. Again, time is running out. And quickly.

The final paragraph above is particularly relevant...

But you didnt expect the loss.

...in dismissing the notion I did not have doubts whether Dallas would beat the Packers--a team who should have been beaten. And that is just one post out of a number I posted through the regular season watching the team inconsistency game after game.

Blaming Jerry's part of Cowboy's culture.

A significant part in my opinion.

But the point being made in the thread is that the fault shouldnt pass to players and coaching......I disagree, they are just as much to blame as the Jones. I just find some of these threads are termed in such a way as to deflect from certain aspects, and try and focus on a silver bullet.

Wait.

What..?

The OP clearly stated "I‘m all for putting pressure on coaches and players to perform at the highest level with focus, discipline and execution. Those men are professionals. Good leaders hold everyone accountable for results. But if they themselves are not accountable while the mid and lower level people are, it creates an organizational cancer that left unaddressed just festers."

Could you explain how fault is not being passed down to players and coaching? Applying applicable fault to one part of the organization (or any organization for that matter) is not the same as removing all blame from another segment of it. Again, the thread's emphasis is on the unchecked responsibility and accountability of those making the ultimate decisions--which translates to what can be and has been produced on the field. For decades.

There is a disconnect between differing viewpoints. I will not speak for others. In my opinion, the football management of the Dallas Cowboys should not be any more or less relevant than that of any other form of management. Throughout all aspects of life. Throughout history. On this planet.

I can call Jerry Jones to the stand and ask whether he has previously stated he or one of his peers would have replaced him as GM based on the team's accomplishments during the past few decades. Of course, he could perjure himself by saying no but his likely answer would be yes--as he has said in the past. It does not matter to him in telling the truth unless he is pressed to explain why he does not act upon that truth.

Jones tenure as GM does not exist within a vacuum. It is exposed to everyone. It is examinable by everyone. It can be judged by everyone--just like any other management or manager in any observable organization. He is not that special as a GM. He never has been.

 

[Bobhaze]

But you didnt expect the loss. Blaming Jerry's part of Cowboy's culture. But the point being made in the thread is that the fault shouldnt pass to players and coaching......I disagree, they are just as much to blame as the Jones. I just find some of these threads are termed in such a way as to deflect from certain aspects, and try and focus on a silver bullet.

Pressure needs to be applied to coaches and players too. They should be held accountable and I mentioned that in the OP. But who is more responsible for this team’s problems over the last 3 decades?

Players and coaches who were not even here? Or the guy who has overseen everything? If only the players and coaches were responsible for that horrible playoff performance, why are all but one other NFL teams holding the GM responsible first?

 

[CowboyoWales]

Pressure needs to be applied to coaches and players too. They should be held accountable and I mentioned that in the OP. But who is more responsible for this team’s problems over the last 3 decades?

Players and coaches who were not even here? Or the guy who has overseen everything? If only the players and coaches were responsible for that horrible playoff performance, why are all but one other NFL teams holding the GM responsible first?

But your point was ....... "Here the owner holds mid and low-level people accountable for mistakes made at the top", I dont think Jerry actually blames anyone, his fault is that he places his trust in the wrong places (usually when dealing with star players), he's easily manipulated, but egotistical enough to think he's got this footballing ability to succeed.

Yes we all want to blame Jerry, but when it came down to it the GB game was on the players and coaching staff. If we had won that game and Detroit the week after i'm sure attitudes wouldnt be as frayed, and Dak probably would have already been extended.

 

[CowboyFrog]

But you didnt expect the loss. Blaming Jerry's part of Cowboy's culture. But the point being made in the thread is that the fault shouldnt pass to players and coaching......I disagree, they are just as much to blame as the Jones. I just find some of these threads are termed in such a way as to deflect from certain aspects, and try and focus on a silver bullet.

For me its not so much dont blame the players as dont be shocked when changing the players doesnt work...again...the FO's way of building a team doesnt work, if that doesnt change then changing players will change nothing.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Last Christmas Day:

The final paragraph above is particularly relevant...

...in dismissing the notion I did not have doubts whether Dallas would beat the Packers--a team who should have been beaten. And that is just one post out of a number I posted through the regular season watching the team inconsistency game after game.

Congratulations on being right to be cautious of GB, but you were pretty much a lone figure,

Jones tenure as GM does not exist within a vacuum. It is exposed to everyone. It is examinable by everyone. It can be judged by everyone--just like any other management or manager in any observable organization. He is not that special as a GM. He never has been.

Nobody thinks Jerry's even a decent GM, out of his depth and obsessed with relevancy over success, my whole point is that sometimes his coaching staff and senior players let him down.....indeed, the fact he does nothing about that just confirms his weakness as a manager.

 

[dagreat1_87]

That’s an interesting point. The last time we changed regimes in 1989, it took a great HC and a couple of seasons to get really good. Things usually doesn’t change immediately.

True but I'd be looking at the actions, not results. If they hire a GM or sign a big name DT in free agency but still lose 12 games, at least I know they're trying something different

 

[Diehardblues]

True. And as all the organizational research shows, nepotism is cancerous in larger organizations. The mid and lower level employees are painfully aware that they will be held accountable for the mistakes of those at the top which fosters a lack of accountability everywhere and depresses motivation.

And throughout the organization it is painfully obvious that unlike everyone else, if you are a family member of the owner, you don’t have to be qualified to get to your position and don’t have to perform at high levels to keep your job.

We know the players know their head coach is NOT who they ultimately answer to. Which is also why having a HC in the last year of his contract as “motivation” is actually a bad idea because the players know if things go south early this season, they may abandon that ship.

The Cowboys have done this HC on a final year “motivation” 3 times before. Once with Wade Phillips in 2010. They started the season 1-7 and fired Phillips. They did with Garrett in 2014 and he had a good year going 12-4 but they lost in the divisional round at GB. And they did it again with Garrett in 2019, and did not make the playoffs.

So the whole “let’s motivate the head coach by hanging him over a cliff“ thing has a .333 success rate in the recent past.

And if I was MM I’d be looking for another city.

If he’s interested could be the 1st Cowboys HC to go to another team as HC as soon as he wanted after his tenure here since Jimmy.

The only other Cowboys HC this era who was offered a HC again was Gailey but it took 10 years.

Wouldn’t it be fitting for our buffoon ownership to lose their HC and QB after finally breaking thru to a championship game. Lol

 

[Diehardblues]

Congratulations on being right to be cautious of GB, but you were pretty much a lone figure,

Nobody thinks Jerry's even a decent GM, out of his depth and obsessed with relevancy over success, my whole point is that sometimes his coaching staff and senior players let him down.....indeed, the fact he does nothing about that just confirms his weakness as a manager.

No, there were several of us who warned Packers were playing their best ball down the stretch while we weren’t .

I certainly didn’t expect a blowout but not at all surprised they won. And the way they took SF to the brink it wasn’t a fluke . They were definitely the better team in January.

 

[Diehardblues]

It was comical just how bad the players purposefully performed against Green Bay in Phillips' last game as Dallas' head coach. However, that was during the regular season. There was nothing funny about how the players performed against the Packers last January 14, whether on purpose or not.

It is directly or indirectly crazy how things have progressively grown for Dallas playing Green Bay in the post-Jimmy Johnson era. I mean, there is the old saying of someone having your number. In this case, the number includes roman numerals and decimal points.

Yep. 2014 was heartbreaking with Dez catch that wasn’t which I thought was our best or seasoned team in last 10 years. 2016 with Rodgers miraculous 3rd and 20. And the blowout in 2023. GB has been a spoiler.

I’d argue the only 2 teams this era which probably should have gone or best opportunity to NFCG was 2007 and 2014. 2016 we had an opportunity but was difficult to expect our 2 Rookie sensations. Dak certainly played well enough.

Imagine how different the Dak era would have been if he broke thru.in 1st season . Kinda reminds me of missed opportunity Romo in 2007. Both of their careers would have been so much different if had broke thru in their first full season.

 

[DallasEast]

Congratulations on being right to be cautious of GB, but you were pretty much a lone figure,

In a way, that is flattering for you to say but I am not an outlier in this instance.

Nobody thinks Jerry's even a decent GM, out of his depth and obsessed with relevancy over success, my whole point is that sometimes his coaching staff and senior players let him down.....indeed, the fact he does nothing about that just confirms his weakness as a manager.

I do not have exact numbers but there are those who repeatedly emphasize Dallas' early success in the 1990's as indicative of Jones' competence as a general manager. And I recognize and respect your point about coaches and players (senior or otherwise) letting him down. You are correct in stating that but only partially in my opinion.

Any general manager's success is not unlike any manager of any form of organization. Any manager must be attuned to the intricacies of the field they work in. Any manager must use their experience and education associated with their field to guide their decision-making. Employee hiring is one area of management decision-making.

Any manager must properly evaluate all candidates for all positions beneath them that are associated within their organizational hierarchy. Any manager must examine each candidate's qualifications for doing the job or task they are assigned. Any manager must also weed out those candidates who are not stronger fits within the hierarchy. Most importantly, any manager must assemble the best combination of candidates in order to maximize expected or projected results.

Finally, any manager is a cog within the same organization. Their success or failure to meet specific goals are evaluated and examine also. Any manager is subject to promotion or termination based on results.

In summary, Jones has not assembled the right combination of coaches, players, etc., to fulfill his own championship goals. His substandard results have become commonplace and expected by not only his employees but those observing how he manages his football team outside of it.

There is a simple solution for attempting to meet goals and expectations for anyone examining any manager's non-satisfying track record. First, the manager is replaced with another qualified candidate. Second, the new replacement is evaluated on whether they can assemble employees who can collectively perform optimally. To accomplish what is expected. To not let their manager and company down.

Jones has never tried this common, alternative management option. He is both the franchise's owner and president. Jones has absolute control over implementing this action. He has refused to do so for nearly 30 years.

Jones has not assembled the coaches and players who will not let him down. Year after year. Literally, decade after decade, Jones has trial, errored and failed in putting together the right combination of coaches and players who will not let him down.

This willful mismanagement is what Jones does not hold himself accountable. It is not wrong to question or illustrate why he does not.

 

[JW82]

The pressure is on the wrong people in the Cowboys organization. Healthy organizations hold the people at the top accountable for results. If they don’t get the results desired they are replaced. Not in Big D.

Here the owner holds mid and low-level people accountable for mistakes made at the top. It’s completely dysfunctional. Here’s the undeniable truth of all healthy organizations: If the people at the top are not held accountable, you can have no accountability anywhere else in that organization. This the foundational flaw that makes all of this 28 year playoff drought so maddening.

I‘m all for putting pressure on coaches and players to perform at the highest level with focus, discipline and execution. Those men are professionals. Good leaders hold everyone accountable for results. But if they themselves are not accountable while the mid and lower level people are, it creates an organizational cancer that left unaddressed just festers.

As a lifelong Cowboys fan I want this team to win every game every year including this year. But I also have to be honest when I look at this organization and think, “Will this year be any different?” I just can’t say “yes” until something changes. I will happily be wrong if a miracle happens.

Of course. The GM would have been fired 20 times by now.

 

[DallasEast]

Imagine how different the Dak era would have been if he broke thru.in 1st season . Kinda reminds me of missed opportunity Romo in 2007. Both of their careers would have been so much different if had broke thru in their first full season.

I cannot imagine it. That is the rub. Tony Romo was initially sheltered on the roster. He had an opportunity to learn. Years later, he gained an opportunity to start. He helped guide the team to a playoff opportunity as a 1 1/2 year starter at the position.

Romo's situation does not match Dak Prescott's. Prescott fell almost immediately into the starting position as a circumstance of multiple injuries to those ahead of him in the depth chart. He accomplished much but Prescott was thrown into a situation identical to any true rookie. In contrast, Romo was a veteran.

Then his team's owner (and head coach) were confident enough to keep him as the starter despite having a veteran behind him--who happened to be the previous franchise quarterback only a few months prior. Jones and Garrett both thought a rookie quarterback team could accomplish what no other team had ever done in the Super Bowl. Or since. It was an error in judgment which Prescott was totally blameless.

Romo and Prescott's first years are only identical in final results--no championship. I can imagine a Romo led team possibly going all the way, even if that possibility was tiny. Never did I believe a Prescott led team would do that which has never played out to this day.

Before any members (not you necessarily) jump onto my statement with false assumptions, my belief concerning Prescott-led team is not hindsight. It was foresight. My posts confirming my documented belief can be found between September 2016 and January 2017. And before any members can falsely claim I have commented only about rookie Prescott-led team not going all the way, I have said the same of other rookie non-Dallas starting quarterbacks as well--most recently of the C.J. Stroud-led Houston Texans team last year.