Why it's ridiculous and wrong to demand that Jerry step down as GM

[ICP]

He is the worst GM in the league. By far. He gets a pass because he owns the team.

That doesn't mean the fans have to be blindly loyal and not criticize him or demand he steps down.

EXACTLY, it doesn't mean we as fans can't call him out as the incompetent loser he is

 

[leeblair]

How many empty stadiums do you see in the NFL, even for bad teams?

Jerry has a product that sells itself whether it's great or mediocre. Fans are going to tune in, whether they want them to win or lose. Merchandise sales can be affected by fans, but when you have the most valuable franchise in all of sports, you aren't too worried about that.

You could quit watching the Cowboys tomorrow and it wouldn't be a blip on the radar. You could organize a 1,000 other fans to quit and it wouldn't be felt by Jerry. The whole football world would have to lose interest, and that's just not going to happen. Season ticket holders don't want to give up their seat to someone else, so if they are fed up with the product, they just sell a single-game ticket to someone else. Jerry gets the money either way.

I think you underestimate how powerful "America's Team" was, and how valuable they were to the NFL.
AND, I think you overestimate how willing the rest of the world will cling to the NFL after that moniker is gone.
Jerry has done more damage than he or the NFL realizes. He took the most loyal fans in the world for granted for thirty years. Now they are like myself- getting too old to care anymore after being kicked in the teeth for so long.
The younger fans were made that way by us, but the Cowboys haven't earned those younger fans. Those younger fans have never experienced the greatness that the Cowboys once stood for. They won't be as loyal.
It's going to hit the NFL hard when they realize that fans of every team will begin to dwindle when America's Team is gone.

 

[diamonddelts]

I think you underestimate how powerful "America's Team" was, and how valuable they were to the NFL.
AND, I think you overestimate how willing the rest of the world will cling to the NFL after that moniker is gone.
Jerry has done more damage than he or the NFL realizes. He took the most loyal fans in the world for granted for thirty years. Now they are like myself- getting too old to care anymore after being kicked in the teeth for so long.
The younger fans were made that way by us, but the Cowboys haven't earned those younger fans.
It's going to hit the NFL hard when they realize that fans of every team will begin to dwindle when America's Team is gone.

Yet every year you come back for more. Most Cowboys fans are pure suckers just like you. They are not going anymore. Jerry has a low brow fan base which guarantees him a cash cow. No matter how inferior the product on the field is.

 

[leeblair]

Yet every year you come back for more. Most Cowboys fans are pure suckers just like you. They are not going anymore. Jerry has a low brow fan base which guarantees him a cash cow. No matter how inferior the product on the field is.

Hold your breath.

 

[cald0d30s0]

Hi Stephen!

Now the account makes a lot of sense...

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

He doesn't listen to demands.
He does, however, have to answer to profit/loss statements.
If he can't sell his product, he's no different from any other business owner. He will either have to put a product out that is worth buying, or shut his doors.
It really is that simple.

The NFL profit shares. It is not that simple.

 

[Whirlwin]

He doesn't listen to demands.
He does, however, have to answer to profit/loss statements.
If he can't sell his product, he's no different from any other business owner. He will either have to put a product out that is worth buying, or shut his doors.
It really is that simple.

You’re here buying the product

 

[Whirlwin]

The NFL profit shares. It is not that simple.

I don’t know why they don’t do their homework before they open their mouth

 

[CowboyoWales]

Hey, I agree.
But we agree that it's his team, and he can do as he wants.
My point is that the fans can simply stop buying his product and force him to put a better product on the field if he wants to sell it.

He's made it clear it's: his team, his occupation. his pass-time, gives him public attention and his business acumen (preventing Rush's bonus, is about as low as he can go).
Of all the years, I think this last 12 months ......probably instigated by the GB shocker (and how he got played by France, Dak and CeeDee) has hit him that he doesnt have a clue and is now WAY out of his depth. Whilst he was 12-5 he was a genius (in his own mind), he's now failing on the field, its the public embarrassment on a national scale that may see cede control, but that will only be to Stephen as he pulls the strings.

Selling = defeat and he'll never accept that he's wrong. We could turn into the Jags and he'll still be struggling in his set ways of 'rinse and repeat' and trying to be relevant.

 

[atlantacowboy]

How about you try to answer the two questions. Pointing to no playoff success does not answer those questions.

Sure it does b/c thats the whole point and the measuring stick for every GM.

 

[atlantacowboy]

It's silly to think you can tell someone else how to run their business.
But it's not silly to quit buying their product if it's poor quality.
In the end, Jerry is dependent on sales, and if fans quit buying he will be forced to put a better product on the field, or risk losing his business.
Why should fans buy tickets to see a team that is unprofessional? Why buy memorabilia for a team that is an embarrassment to the fans?

We aren't telling him how to run his business. He is a bad GM and he knows it. He's even admitted that if a GM sported his postseason record, he would have fired him a long time ago. So, we aren't advocating anything new.

Jerry is a steward of the Dallas Cowboys franchise. He didn't invent it. We were Amerca's Team long before Jerry arrived on the scene. Others owned it before him and others will own it after him. The only constants are the fans. The Cowboys exist for us not Jerry.

 

[Dools29]

The fans own the team. Without the fans there would be no team. The fans were around the team long before Jerry and will remain long after. It’s different from most businesses because there is an expectation and obligation the ownership is making efforts to win. Jerry’s profit center is such he should be able to be making as much investment as anyone. Yet Jerry makes the least investment possible and has his to pay guys who have ROI on on jersey sales from marketing. I’ve stopped buying merch and going to game for 3 years now. It makes me proud of our fans seeing merch for 50% off at the airport seeing no one at the DC store at the mall. Jerry has made more than any other owner so he should have no sympathies when it comes to investing in the team to win championship. Sell the team Jerry!

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Jerry owns the team. He has the right to be the decision maker. He risked everything to turn the Cowboys into a money maker. As much as I disagree with his decisions and loathe his way of doing things, I am adamant that it is selfish and unfair- and silly- to expect him to stop being in charge
Those demands are silly and naive, and the media that asks those questions are the most unprofessional of reporters, and that is saying something.
But what fans and media can/should do is to crucify his poor decisions and stop supporting his business. He is only successful because he has convinced fans and media to buy what he sells. Most businesses that put out such a poor product end up out of business.
If the Cowboys that Jerry Jones sells are not what he represents them to be, fans and media alike must stop giving him a pass. His sales should drop and layoffs should follow.
If he faces financial ruin, he will have no choice but to either sell the business or put a product on the field that is worth buying.
Jerry has been careless, and his product is worthless.
Fans and media must quit buying it.

he is the owner, of course he has the right. but there are 31 other owners. as jerry once said, he owns a private plane, doesn't mean he wants to get behind the wheel and fly it nor should he.
same thing here he has the right, but should he? can he? the evidence says otherwise. any GM with this type of performance gets fired after 5 seasons, but he has been at the helm for 30+.

Demands aren't silly nor naive. they are demands from the fan base who wants to see better results and that comes with putting the right team together, with the right contracts and coaches that can compete for a championship. that's why every is a fan. the fact that they are not getting is another matter. you contradicted yourself in the very next sentence. its silly, but they can and should...so what's the difference!?

what the fans and media are pointing out, is that the Owner/GM is failed at his job and when you fail at your job you should be replaced, except in this case he is not replacing himself.

I think Jerry's priorities changed after 95 season. he was highly motivated to win a championship. spend the money. made any moves necessary. why? because he wanted to show Johnson he can win without him. that was an ego driven approach and focused on winning. then he won and he thought, see I can do this, until he couldn't (5-11 seasons). brought parcells and thought he learned everything after 2 years and his ego took over. somewhere along the line, seemingly during Wade's tenure his focus changed from championships as highest priority to money and profitability as highest priorities. and then that accelerated into the product we have today. he is caught in his own swirl and can't get out of it.

and I agree, Jerry is the ultimate salesman. he sells hope like nobody's business. he doesn't cater to the die hard fans, he caters to the casual and fringe fans who perhaps like the cowboys, follow the cowboys, but arent' as deeply knowledgable and love the experience. that's his way of growing the pie, bring more casual and fringe fans and sell them the experience.

and Jerry is not going to face financial ruin, unless all of cowboys fandom turns against him and the only way that can happen is with a big bad tough losing season. we almost had it at 3-7. now he has an excuse, hey we were competitive, we had injuries and we will be back next year after we get injured players back and he will make one or two FA moves to ensure cowboys remain relevant and that gets him more marketing clicks than cowboys actually winning it.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Man, this is a bad thread.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The NFL profit shares. It is not that simple.

Ding ding ding!!!

 

[DallasEast]

How many empty stadiums do you see in the NFL, even for bad teams?

Jerry has a product that sells itself whether it's great or mediocre. Fans are going to tune in, whether they want them to win or lose. Merchandise sales can be affected by fans, but when you have the most valuable franchise in all of sports, you aren't too worried about that.

You could quit watching the Cowboys tomorrow and it wouldn't be a blip on the radar. You could organize a 1,000 other fans to quit and it wouldn't be felt by Jerry. The whole football world would have to lose interest, and that's just not going to happen. Season ticket holders don't want to give up their seat to someone else, so if they are fed up with the product, they just sell a single-game ticket to someone else. Jerry gets the money either way.

Great post. I have talked about this topic for well over a decade. It is appreciated seeing rational insight introduced into reactionary discussion.

Bold is an excellent question. The answer is none but I would like fellow members to reflect upon an actual attendance perspective.

Between the 2013 and 2023 seasons, Jacksonville had the worst NFL team record-wise--at a combined 58-121 (link). During that span, the cost of two people attending Jaguar home games rose from $93 in 2013 to $142 in 2023 (link). The increase was 53%, 14% higher than the league average of 39%.

EverBank Stadium's seating capacity is 69,838 (link). Omitting 2020, Jacksonville home attendance averaged *64,193--with a low of *59,968 in 2021 and a high of *69,073 in 2018. Jaguars home games in 2023 averaged *69,066.

Arguably, having a bad football team does not empty stadiums in this era of the NFL. Florida is a football state but I would also argue football is king in Texas.

So, what is the plan, a real plan not involving fantasy or wishful thinking, that reduces home attendance in AT&T Stadium artificially by 10%? 20%? 35%? 50%? More?

I have been asking these questions for years on this site and have never gotten a logical answer. Worse, the best realistic suggestion ever offered was... billboards. True story.
___________

* Attendance links (per pro-football-reference.com): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

 

[IceStar-D7]

I couldn't had rolled up and threw a grenade in the Dallas locker room and done more damage then Jerry Jones has done. I really can't stand the man. If I wasn't a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys before Jerry ever came. I doubt if I'd ever become a fan. Not because of the team. But because of this narcist as a GM and owner.

 

[DallasEast]

I couldn't had rolled up and threw a grenade in the Dallas locker room and done more damage then Jerry Jones has done.

Jones is a pathetic GM, who should have fired himself decades ago. Even so, the job, he has so poorly done after all these years, which are far below his own lip service standards, has not been THAT bad.

 

[IceStar-D7]

Jones is a pathetic GM, who should have fired himself decades ago. Even so, the job, he has so poorly done after all these years, which are far below his own lip service standards, has not been THAT bad.

If you like mediocrity...I agree.. It keeps hope alive and ticket sales soaring...

 

[DallasEast]

If you like mediocrity...I agree.. It keeps hope alive and ticket sales soaring...

It has nothing to do with mediocrity and everything to do with a 'comparative' scenario involving killing and maiming the entire team and coaching staff with a grenade.

I couldn't had rolled up and threw a grenade in the Dallas locker room and done more damage then Jerry Jones has done.

Dude...