Was the 2024 season essentially a Jerry temper tantrum for the GB playoff loss?

Bobhaze

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express his frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
 

Tabascocat

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I think that is giving him too much credit. What you posed takes a lot of thought and planning…….things we rarely see from Jerry. I will stick with football incompetence with no discernible direction for the building of the roster. They have no idea what they are doing, there is three decades that prove it.
 

HabsCowboysOwn

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It's possible, yes. He was already incompetent and prone to make stupid decisions but his declining mental health will probably make things even worse from now on.

I think he'll be having more and more of those ''tantrums'', his brain is literally rotting away and no one in his yes man entourage has the courage to do something about it because they're afraid the old man will disown them.
 

fivetwos

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express his frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
Something very similar crossed my mind months ago as I tried to make sense of what exactly was happening.

Its probably at least partly something like this, but I also think last year was their idea of ‘going for it’ so it speak with the Cooks and Gilmore deals (WR/CB), and that they would advance much further and have more leeway in taking a step back to get the cap in order. Long range planning/outsmarting the league. Didn’t quite work out that way with their typical build from the outside in approach, yet leave gaping holes in the middle of the defense.

Could very well be the case considering how petty he is…like an immature child. Hey, we start out in diapers and end up back there eventually, so….
 

Blackrain

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When you have one guy with that much money and power anything is possible.
I believe he wanted to make them all uncomfortable especially McCarthy forcing him to coach no contract extension no security no participation in free agency to fill any of the holes in the team.

He drug his feet signing Dak and CD
Basically went very much out of his way to give this team nothing to work with to be successful this year.
I never underestimate the sort of twisted mindset people with that kind of money and power can have.
I think he assigned blame to McCarthy and was bound and determined he was going to fulfill his contract and make him Coach with no resources but Jerry was getting his money's worth out of McCarthy one way or another he wasn't going to pay him for doing nothing I think that's what it really came down to the season a point of principle.

We fans paid for Jerry Spite trick and everyone pretty much wasted a year of their career to satisfy the vindictive side of Jerry.

Can't wait to see what's next in The saga of what used to be America's team that has turned into Jerry sideshow
 

Chocolate Lab

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Might have been. Jerry has worked hard on his media image the last many years but he's still the same sorry SOB he was when he got here.

Even if last year wasn't done out of anger, it might have been a statement that 2023 was the real "all in" year (with such modest additions as Cooks and Gilmore), he wasn't going to do that again, and you guys can just try to win with what you have. Because like you say, I've never seen an offseason where Jerry didn't even try to win like that one.

It's one reason I still doubt Mike is back. Jerry may have changed his mind lately like he can do - especially if Mike will work cheap enough - but last offseason looked all along like Mike was planned to be the scapegoat for the do-nothing offseason. The expiring contract was too obvious.
 

CowboyoWales

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Something very similar crossed my mind months ago as I tried to make sense of what exactly was happening.

Its probably at least partly something like this, but I also think last year was their idea of ‘going for it’ so it speak with the Cooks and Gilmore deals (WR/CB), and that they would advance much further and have more leeway in taking a step back to get the cap in order. Long range planning/outsmarting the league. Didn’t quite work out that way with their typical build from the outside in approach, yet leave gaping holes in the middle of the defense.

Could very well be the case considering how petty he is…like an immature child. Hey, we start out in diapers and end up back there eventually, so….
Id guess that on the morning of the GB game, Jerry think's we'll win this, can beat Detroit home and we'll get to a Championship Game and see if we can get the 9er's monkey off our back (after all we are a better team than the previous two years). Win or lose the Championship game: we've got deeper, more relevant ......and he can see the idea that this is the starting point for an ALL-IN attempt, based around a career ending contract to Dak, which he can heavily restructure into 2028/29 and infinity.

Evening comes and the reality hits that our recent play-off woes isnt just the 49ers Factor and we have fundamental holes throughout the roster and coaching staff.

Is it childish to break-up the band, well yeah, but that performance, the pending FA's and a need to build: both Lines, running game and a Secondary and with the negotiations with Dak stalling (length of contract was always the issue), then it could be argued that Jerry did something different and tried to reset.....the issue it wasnt planned, it was reactionary.
 

CowboyoWales

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Might have been. Jerry has worked hard on his media image the last many years but he's still the same sorry SOB he was when he got here.

Even if last year wasn't done out of anger, it might have been a statement that 2023 was the real "all in" year (with such modest additions as Cooks and Gilmore), he wasn't going to do that again, and you guys can just try to win with what you have. Because like you say, I've never seen an offseason where Jerry didn't even try to win like that one.

It's one reason I still doubt Mike is back. Jerry may have changed his mind lately like he can do - especially if Mike will work cheap enough - but last offseason looked all along like Mike was planned to be the scapegoat for the do-nothing offseason. The expiring contract was too obvious.
2023 was the ALL-IN, and in hindsight the Henry trade wasnt getting us over the hump. The question is whether it was going to be a launching point if we'd of progressed to a the Championship Game....or whether the 2023 was a false dawn and GB exposed the true level of that roster. Either way Jerry lost it.....that would of been the ideal starting point for a new GM as he would have the fork in the road ......but Jerry failed again.
 

Runwildboys

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express his frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
I've done some pretty self destructive things, after fff...messing up, but this would be world class masochism. My self hatred only lasts a few minutes, at most. Jerry had months to cool off before the draft, then months after it.

No, I think this was just your ordinary, average Jerry idiocy.
 

NoLuv4Jerry

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express hisI th frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
He downgraded the talent on the team every year after going 12 - 5, And was rewarded with another 12 - 5 season. So I think he thought the Green Bay loss was an aberration. Just like he thought the San Francisco loss was an aberration. I said after SF beat us in our home stadium that if we played them 10 times they would win 7. Then after watching them beat us 3 straight....I said they would beat us 10 out of 10. Green Bay is no different. That Green Bay team would have beaten Dallas 10 straight times.

How we perform against good teams SHOULD be how he evaluates this roster. Our division stinks, there were enough bad teams on our schedule, The combination of that AND us being good enough is why we were able to amass double digit wins. But a closer look is necessary. Especially when you are the architect of a franchise. This roster is bad. And we will not win 12 games next year.

So thinking he was throwing a temper tantrum is giving him too much credit. He is clueless. And what's scary....there are either clueless people in his ear...or he ignores them. Either scenario is bad. So it does not matter what coach we hire, who we draft, or who we sign. We have not won more than 1 game in a postseason in almost 30 years. And one offseason will not position this team to win 3 or 4 straight postseason games in a row. The primary reason this will not happen is the primary reason it has NOT happened. And that reason is the Jones Boys. Until that changes...all of our rationalizing are just exercises to pass the time.
 

Bobhaze

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Something very similar crossed my mind months ago as I tried to make sense of what exactly was happening.

Its probably at least partly something like this, but I also think last year was their idea of ‘going for it’ so it speak with the Cooks and Gilmore deals (WR/CB), and that they would advance much further and have more leeway in taking a step back to get the cap in order. Long range planning/outsmarting the league. Didn’t quite work out that way with their typical build from the outside in approach, yet leave gaping holes in the middle of the defense.

Could very well be the case considering how petty he is…like an immature child. Hey, we start out in diapers and end up back there eventually, so….
The crazy thing to me about the off-season, and continuing to this day, is the lack of making decisive moves when it matters. It just seems he chooses not to do anything that a good GM would do. Even making a mistake in judgment is better than just doing nothing.
 

CowboyoWales

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He downgraded the talent on the team every year after going 12 - 5, And was rewarded with another 12 - 5 season. So I think he thought the Green Bay loss was an aberration. Just like he thought the San Francisco loss was an aberration. I said after SF beat us in our home stadium that if we played them 10 times they would win 7. Then after watching them beat us 3 straight....I said they would beat us 10 out of 10. Green Bay is no different. That Green Bay team would have beaten Dallas 10 straight times.

How we perform against good teams SHOULD be how he evaluates this roster. Our division stinks, there were enough bad teams on our schedule, The combination of that AND us being good enough is why we were able to amass double digit wins. But a closer look is necessary. Especially when you are the architect of a franchise. This roster is bad. And we will not win 12 games next year.

So thinking he was throwing a temper tantrum is giving him too much credit. He is clueless. And what's scary....there are either clueless people in his ear...or he ignores them. Either scenario is bad. So it does not matter what coach we hire, who we draft, or who we sign. We have not won more than 1 game in a postseason in almost 30 years. And one offseason will not position this team to win 3 or 4 straight postseason games in a row. The primary reason this will not happen is the primary reason it has NOT happened. And that reason is the Jones Boys. Until that changes...all of our rationalizing are just exercises to pass the time.
I thought our 2023 roster was probably the strongest, with the addition of Gilmore, Hankin and the luck of having a fit Tyron. I remember pre-2023 as being the time when pretty much the whole CZ came together in a positive outlook.

I'd disagree on Jerry thinking the GB game was an aberration. Post game he looked shocked. After the shortest period of reflection he AND WE as a board collapsed in a collective, we aren't good enough, and peripheral tweeks wouldn't be enough.
 

CowboyoWales

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The crazy thing to me about the off-season, and continuing to this day, is the lack of making decisive moves when it matters. It just seems he chooses not to do anything that a good GM would do. Even making a mistake in judgment is better than just doing nothing.
Yep, It's the 'same ole' routine, he's a one trick pony who can't deviate from: Draft, develop, like our own, extend.
I suppose it's the main problem with anyone in the job too long, you get stuck in your ways.
 

kskboys

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The crazy thing to me about the off-season, and continuing to this day, is the lack of making decisive moves when it matters. It just seems he chooses not to do anything that a good GM would do. Even making a mistake in judgment is better than just doing nothing.
He's always handled the GM position in a contrary manner, always going against clear ways of what works.
 

kskboys

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express his frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
Quite possible. Jerry is a blamer and a pouter. Extremely childish.
 

Creeper

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So I wonder….When I look back on the disastrous 2024 season, and after some time to reflect, I’m starting to wonder - was this crazy off-season and season just an extended temper tantrum for Jerry Jones, upset by the worst playoff loss in team history last January to the packers? And instead of acting like a responsible, focused GM, did he just act like a spoiled child upset that his favorite toy disappointed him?

Instead of thinking clearly and decisively, Jerry appears to have just decided to make the 2024 season a kamikaze mission designed to express his frustration. Instead of getting past it by analyzing not only why it happened but what was needed to get better, it appears he may have just wanted to make everyone “uncomfortable” as he likes to call it.

Before anyone says, “That’s crazy Bob”, let me remind any Cowboys fan that Jerry Jones has thrown whole seasons away before. Like the 2000-02 seasons which were three straight 5-11 throwaways under Dave Campo. Or the decade long experiment with Jason Garrett getting us to the playoffs three times so we could win two wild card games.

Most GMs whose livelihood and reputations are on the line would never have taken the almost laughably bad road JJ took this year in the off-season. And despite the lies about the cap he and his #1 son have spewed, he actually had two sane choices:
  1. Deciding the Mike McCarthy experiment was done and the team needed a new direction AND infusion of talent. Mac is fired and a new leader is brought in and the reset button pushed.
  2. Or realizing that Big Mac was still the guy to lead us and is given an extension to try again. A few FAs signed, a great draft class - it was certainly possible.
Either approach could have been rational and measured. He chose neither. He chose to…well do what he did which was the worst off-season I’ve ever seen in my 5+ decades as a Cowboys fan. And as we stand today we are essentially worse off than when the GB loss ended last January. It’s a complete self inflicted mess.

Was the 2024 season just an extended temper tantrum by the only unaccountable GM in the NFL?
An interesting theory and maybe there is some truth to it. But I still think Jerry is in the early stages of dementia. Anger and bitterness come easy to him now. I think after he said "all in" and people started expecting him to make big moves it bothered him that he was pushed into a corner. His reaction was to do the opposite. I think Jerry is definitely acting out. There doesn't have to be any rhyme or reason to anything he does now. He is acting only on his irrational emotions.

I am curious what conversations he and Stephen, as well as others, are having behind the scenes. I anyone trying to get Jerry to change? Do they agree with him? Stephen has contradicted him in the media a few times this year. It could be Jerry is being stubborn with them too.
 
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