Jerry Jones Should Turn To Aikman For General Manager - Randy Galloway

 Amidst a dismal season that has the Cowboys overloaded with starting quarterbacks and lopsided defeats, Randy Galloway offers a humorous solution to the franchise’s most noticeable front-office problem.

From the November 15, 2001 edition of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

By Randy Galloway

Always focused.  Always thinking ahead.  Thinking of April, and the next NFL Draft.

The prognosis, however, is rather dire for the Valley Ranch brain trust.  Current projections indicate Mr. Jerry Jones will have to be good at evaluating talent, as opposed to just being lucky.

This is scary.  History tells us to expect massive screw-ups.  At the moment, only the Taliban has surpassed Jerry in war room miscalculations.

So, in a never-ending rescue-mission to protect Jones from himself, while also saving the Cowboys, the timing seems right to proceed with Plan A.

Maybe you’ve noticed.  Plan B, C, D, E, F, etc., none of them worked.  Plus, things are also not necessarily falling into place on the field, which has nothing to do with the Cowboys’ halfway point record of 2-6.

This season wasn’t important anyway.  Except, that is, for one area.  This season was supposed to set the table for next April.  Supposed to guarantee draft-day opportunities that haven’t been available at Valley Ranch in more than a decade.

The problem is not the Cowboys.  The problem is the rest of the NFL.  The league is so bad the Cowboys might not even be the worst team.  Six clubs have two or fewer victories.  Four more have only three victories.  With expansion Houston holding the No. 1 pick in April, the Cowboys might not even crack the top five in drafting position.

It is certainly not too early to remind Jerry – again – that he needs help.  He needs a football guy to call his very own.  As Jerry has told us before, if he actually felt there was somebody out there who knew more about evaluating hairy-legged talent than his own self, then he’d hire him.

Which brings me to Plan A.  Here’s the deal, Jerry:

About an hour before kickoff Sunday, walk into the Fox TV broadcasting booth at Texas Stadium, say hello to Moose Johnston, and then ask Moose’s microphone partner to step outside for a private conversation.

Then you do it, Jerry.  You hand him a contract, along with a ballpoint pen and then request him to sign on the dotted line.

Sir, you have just hired yourself a new general manager.

Troy Aikman....................................................
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To view the remainder of this article, go to Talk Of the Town. There you will find the beginning of a compilation of past articles by Dallas Ft-Worth area Sportswriters about the Dallas Cowboys during the first decade of the 21st Century. Also visit the remainder of the site in preparation for the soon publication of Ryan Bush's book Decade of Futility - How the Leadership of Jerry Jones transformed America's Team into a 21st Century Debacle and resulted in the Worst Decade in Dallas Cowboys History.  

The Best Friend Quincy Carter Ever Had

Driving the bus for Bill Parcells

Life had been difficult for Quincy Carter after being released by the Dallas Cowboys in August of 2004.  He signed with the New York Jets later that fall, and started three games before missing a playoff game due to personal reasons.

Trouble with the Jets, too.

 As it turns out, Carter had been re-admitted to a drug-treatment center, a place, so it was discovered, Carter had been shortly before his release from the Cowboys.

Out of the NFL, Carter landed a gig with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in April 2006, but was released a month later.

That December he had found his way back to Irving, though he could have done without the publicity that involved it.  To put it bluntly, Carter was in jail, suspected of carrying under two ounces of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor.  Bail had been set at $500.  But nobody posted.

Not, that is, until Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway heard about it later that afternoon and decided to give Carter a break.  So he called Cowboy Bail Bonds in Garland and gave them his credit card number, setting the troubled Carter free.

Randy Galloway

“It’s Christmas, and I’ve certainly been very harsh with Quincy on the radio over the years because of what has happened to him off the field,” Galloway said.  “That was a Christmas gift.”

A gift that surprised Galloway, who never envisioned Carter staying in jail for a full 12 hours.  “I wondered where all his friends with the Cowboys were,” Galloway said.

In response to Galloway’s query, those “friends” of Carter’s were too engulfed by Romomania and the newly-unveiled plans for an Arlington mosque now known as JerryWorld to take time out for a former quarterback down on his luck.

Truly, there’s no place like home.

These stories and others can be found at Dallas Cowboys' Decade of Futility by Ryan Bush. They contain interesting information that didn't quite make it into Ryan's soon to be published book Decade of Futility - How the Leadership of Jerry Jones Transformed America's team into a 21st Century Debacle and resulted in the Worst Decade in Dallas Cowboys History. Visit the site now and provide your e-mail address to receive immediate notification when the book is published on Amazon.

Jerry Jones Isn’t Only Lacking As A GM - Tim Cowlishaw

Less than two weeks after the Cowboys finished the 2000 season with their worst record in ten years, Tim Cowlishaw examines one of the biggest lies ever to bounce off the walls of Valley Ranch.  Yes, the future indeed appeared bleak not only because Jones was the general manager, but because he also wielded ultimate authority as the owner.
 

 From the January 5 2001 edition of The Dallas Morning News

 

 By Tim Cowlishaw

 Hit the accelerator at the first sighting of all doughnut shops.  Watch something on television that does not include calls for clipping, charging or icing.

The list is short one essential item.  Before we advance too deeply into the odyssey of 2001, one more resolution must be added, and it’s one we can share.

Could we please have a moratorium on the following phrase, still uttered by too many voices in too many places?

Jerry Jones is a great owner, but an awful general manager.

Isn’t it obvious, with only the smallest exertion of thought, that the truth of the latter precludes the former?

Isn’t the first order of business for any owner to hire the best general manager available?

And yet this man who once assured that 500 coaches could win Super Bowl with the Cowboys’ talent contends that only one qualifies as general manager.

And it’s the one who has run the ship aground.............................................................................

To view the remainder of this article, go to Talk Of the Town. There you will find the beginning of a compilation of past articles by Dallas Ft-Worth area Sportswriters about the Dallas Cowboys during the first decade of the 21st Century. Also visit the remainder of the site in preparation for the soon publication of Ryan Bush's book Decade of Futility - How the Leadership of Jerry Jones transformed America's Team into a 21st Century Debacle and resulted in the Worst Decade in Dallas Cowboys History. 

Cowboys' Terrell Owens’ Life Never A Concern In Philly

Happy Times for Owens!

The earth shook when Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was hospitalized in September 2006 for what police referred to as “attempting suicide by prescription pain medication.”

 But, while the show of support and sympathy from Jon Gruden, Chad Johnson, and others was going full steam ahead in the media’s grapevine, a malevolent voice from Owens’ old stomping grounds in Philadelphia sounded loud and clear.

 No, the Eagles were never worried about the condition of Owens, even at the darkest hour.
 Why? 
 
 “We always thought he was crazy, never mental,” a source with the Eagles said.  “…That’s not even remotely him.  This guy loves himself too much.”

 Leave it to the City of Brotherly Love to coin their best wishes in such loving terms.


Click Here for more Glimpses Into The Past.

Jerry Jones’ Flashback: Not Throwback, But Throw It Back - Randy Galloway

 Jerry Jones’ public profile was looking unusually golden after giving Bill Parcells complete control of Valley Ranch.  But when Jones got behind a microphone a few short months later, his old self reappeared.

Randy Galloway

From the February 14 2003 edition of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

By Randy Galloway

The Jerry Jones reclamation project – he’s done an amazing job lately of restoring his own shattered-into-tiny-pieces NFL image – hit one minor glitch this week.

Forget the Lebron James throwback jersey controversy that became a national debate.

Around here, many e-mailers became extremely concerned about a throwback Jerry.

This Jones quote from Monday’s sports section caused a bit of panic in the streets:  “As we are sitting here right now, I’m expecting Quincy to be back.  I don’t know that a veteran quarterback can beat Quincy out.”

That’s definitely something the old Jerry would have said.

When it comes, however, to the current quarterback situation, that’s obviously something for Big Bill to decide.  And Big Bill alone.

Actually, anything involving football personnel is now Big Bill’s domain based on public perception, Big Bill’s reputation, the franchise’s dismal track record for nearly a decade, and, of course, common sense.

Poll all local precincts, and the vote will be overwhelming for Big Bill being large and in charge.  But for most of his six weeks on the job, Parcells has remained in his Valley Ranch bunker, attempting to figure out exactly what to do with this mess.

To read the remainder of this article, please visit Talk of the Town at Dallas Cowboys' Decade of Futility by Ryan Bush.

Jerry Jones’ Devious Nature Surfaces Again - Randy Galloway

That Jerry Jones had lost patience with Dave Campo as a head coach was obvious to all, as the Cowboys headed down the stretch of the 2002 season destined for a third consecutive 5-11 season.  That Jones’ courting of Bill Parcells was also well known was accentuated by Jones’ stubborn belief that it was not.  Here is another classic example of Jones’ poor attempts at subterfuge in the face of a coaching change.

Randy Galloway

 From the Sunday December 29, 2002  edition of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

By Randy Galloway

If you were reading the sports page Friday, then you saw it.  Saw an instant winner in the category of “Biggest Lie of the Week.”

By the way, our liar’s contest is restricted to the jock kingdom.  I cannot be held responsible for monitoring the comments of political windbags or corporate CEOs.

But a “source” passed along this heartwarming information for Friday morning publication:  “Out of respect for Dave Campo, there had been no contact all week between Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells.”......................................................................................


To read the remainder of this article, please go to Talk of the Town at Dallas Cowboys' Decade of Futility by Ryan Bush.

Benching Bledsoe Far From Knee-Jerk Reaction for Bill Parcells

Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe was 12-10 as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.  His twenty-second and final start in a Dallas uniform concluded with him on the bench and Tony Romo under center.  That the time had come for a quarterbacking change was obvious to everyone.  Bledsoe was the captain of a train-wreck stuck on the vanilla tracks of mediocrity.  Through 5 ½ games, Bledsoe had seven touchdown passes, eight interceptions and was sacked 16 times.  The Cowboys, 3-3 at that point of the 2006 season, were going nowhere with him at the controls.

The reason head coach Bill Parcells made the switch to Romo when he did is one of those little unsolved mysteries that taunts an unintelligent public in the face. Some say Parcells’ decision was the result of a halftime fit-to-be-tied rant that was more of an emotional resolution than anything else.  The illiterate like to think that Parcells was simply fed-up with his old New England cabin boy.  Yeah, well who wasn’t?

But why at halftime?  Why then? “Based on everything we thought we knew about Parcells, it made no sense for him to yank Bledsoe, go with Romo to start the third quarter, and then stay with Romo for the rest of the season,” observed Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway in his column later that same week.

So what was it in Bledsoe’s performance that told Parcells it was time to make a change?  The circumstances surrounding Bledsoe’s final pass is certainly conducive to answering that question.

The Cowboys looked to be in business when Demarcus Ware forced a Tiki Barber fumble that was recovered by linebacker Bradie James at the New York 14-yard line.  This came just moments after Bledsoe dove across the goal-line to cut the Giants’ lead to 12-7.  Now, the Cowboys were poised to enter halftime on top.

But Bledsoe, like he had done too often before, threw it all away.  Dallas had reached the four-yard line, and lined-up three receivers (Terrell Owens, Jason Witten & Anthony Fasano) to the offense’s right side, while Terry Glenn was lone opposite them.  The play was designed to go to one of the three options to the right.

Bledsoe took the snap from center, and dropped back with plenty of time.  The offensive line had done their job, for once.

Bledsoe overwhelmed

 But, apparently, a little extra time in the pocket unnerved Bledsoe, for he never saw a wide-open Fasano in the front of the end zone, and didn’t even think to look for Witten coming open outside of him.  Owens?  He was double-covered from the start.

With only one option remaining, Bledsoe quickly turned to his left and fired a bullet to the front-corner pylon…right into the arms of Giants cornerback Sam Madison, ending the scoring chance, and ending his career.

The situation, the area on the field, and the poor decision-making shown by Bledsoe on this play are reminiscent of several others he made during his brief stay in Dallas.

Bledsoe, Romo & Parcells

It was the fourth game of the 2005 season in Oakland that Bledsoe ignored a wide-open Jason Witten in the back of the end zone during the final minute, opting instead for the well-covered Terry Glenn at the goal-line.  The fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and the Raiders walked away 19-13 winners.  Three weeks later, an errant sideline pass in the game’s waning seconds found its way into the arms of a Seattle defensive back, setting up the game-winning field goal for the Seahawks in a game that the Cowboys had no business losing.

And only two weeks before Bledsoe’s final gaffe against the Giants, the Cowboys trailed Philadelphia by seven, when he tossed a last-minute interception by forcing a pass into double coverage in the end-zone.  Witten was the target this time, but Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard snatched the ball out of the air and returned it 102 yards for a score.  Dallas fell to 2-2 with that 38-24 defeat.

The Cowboys hired Bledsoe to, at the very least, manage a game.  Too often, they found themselves watching as No. 11 threw games away.  In one form or fashion.

So for Parcells, it was really a no-brainer.  Was it better to risk a possible meltdown with Tony Romo at quarterback, or a certain conflagration down the road somewhere with Bledsoe at the helm?  The unknown factor around him said that Romo could win some games for the Cowboys where Bledsoe was definitely losing them.  

Bledsoe landed on the bench next to Parcells

Any gambler knows where to place his bet with those odds.

Jerry Jones’ Worst Decision That Never Happened

The Cowboys were on the lookout for a new quarterback in the spring of 2001, having just released the legendary Troy Aikman.  It was unfamiliar territory for a Jerry Jones regime that had walked into Valley Ranch for the first time in 1989 virtually holding to the golden right hand of Aikman.

Now twelve years later, it was time to seek a replacement.  Without a first-round selection to look forward to in the draft, the free-agent wire was the operative avenue to find one.  Trent Dilfer, Elvis Grbac, and Tony Banks were the cream of the available crop.  Or so went the reports.  The Cowboys, so the story goes, had their eye on someone else.  Just who that someone was, is of definite interest.

Ryan Leaf

“In the spring, we did an evaluation of Ryan [Leaf],” Jerry Jones said in September of 2001.  “At that time, we thought he could help our team and have potential for the future.  That hasn’t changed.  He was our top choice in the spring for a veteran to come in, even before we made the Tony Banks decision.” An injury to his throwing wrist prevented the Cowboys from signing Leaf at the time, leading to the acquisition of Banks, an association that didn’t see the end of August.

There are so many ways that history could tell an even harsher tale of that season for the Cowboys had Leaf been healthy that spring.