Decade of Futility - 2-2 Record Only Familiar Fixture For Struggling Cowboys

Jerry Jones would have everyone believe that his Dallas Cowboys are an elite club of the football variety.  No other NFL team, so his story goes, has the combination of talent, coaching, and will-power that can flatten opponents on a weekly basis.  Dallas, he proudly confesses, is a veritable palace filled with pigskin magicians that work the wonders of that managerial wizard ruling from the pinnacle of Mount Jerry.

If it weren’t for Sunday afternoons in autumn he’d have the entire world convinced. But Sunday came, and Sunday went with the truth too bold and glaring in detail to hide.  The 2013 Cowboys look all too similar to the many other squads of the past fifteen years that seems to have defined Jones’ rule in Dallas. 

By a 30-21 score, the Cowboys were officially out-coached and out-played by a San Diego Chargers team that was unanimously declared as “mediocre” by the national media before the game.  As a result, Dallas now stands at the exact same place they have stood at the quarter-mark in each of the past two seasons with Jason Garrett as head coach, smack-dab in the middle of mediocrity’s median, groping for answers and footing with a record of 2-2.

Jones spent many an hour this past off-season assembling his new-look coaching staff.  73-year old Monte Kiffin was brought in from the college ranks to fix what Jones perceived to be a broken defensive unit under Rob Ryan.  And Bill Callahan replaced Jason Garrett as the team’s offensive coordinator.

With early voting now complete, Jones’ fresh approach has been far from refreshing for the Cowboys.

Against two Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks (Eli Manning & Philip Rivers) in September, the Dallas defense has allowed more than 850 yards combined through the air.  And each of Manning and Rivers managed to toss three touchdowns against Dallas.

Help doesn’t appear to be on the horizon, either.  Anthony Spencer has been placed on IR, fellow defensive end Demarcus Ware is now dealing with stingers and a strained back, while stud linebacker Bruce Carter has proven to be susceptible to the big play in pass coverage.

Offensively, the Cowboys rushing attack is inconsistent from week to week, hinging largely on how committed Callahan wants to be to it.  And Tony Romo, though avoiding impulse throws, has yet to post a 300-yard game this season.

Receiver Miles Austin is now dealing with another nagging hamstring injury, left tackle Tyron Smith was banged up in the fourth quarter against San Diego, and rookie wideout Terrance Williams continues to suffer from lapses of concentration.

Callahan’s halftime adjustments have also proven to be ineffective.  Through four games, the Dallas offense has managed to score a total of 23 points after intermission.

From the smoke and haze of this less-than-inspiring start has come the realization that the Cowboys are a team with an uncertain identity.  Callahan seems hesitant to commit to running back Demarco Murray, yet has proven equally reluctant to let Romo go downfield with the ball.

Question marks pop up at nearly every position on the defensive side of the ball.  Can Jason Hatcher continue to play at a high level with Ware at less than full speed?  Is Mo Claiborne playing hurt, or is he suffering from a sophomore jinx.  Either way, he has proven to be anything but reliable thus far.  Can Kiffin patch-up the apparent weaknesses that have been exposed at the linebacker level?

When cast in the light of Jones’ lofty expectations, September was a month of regression for the Cowboys.  In search of that ever elusive Super Bowl, Dallas managed to turn a powerful offense into an aesthetically-challenged menagerie, and a struggling defense into an unholy question mark.

Not that there’s been any damage in the won-loss department.  The Cowboys are sitting at .500 today, the lone mark of familiarity for a club surrounded by unfamiliar struggles.

Decade of Futility - New Dallas Cowboys Book "Decade of Futility" Now Available Through Barnes & Noble

You can now purchase the new book "Decade of Futility: How The Leadership of Jerry Jones Transformed America's Team into a 21st Century Debacle, Resulting in The Worst Decade in Dallas Cowboys' History" online through Barnes & Noble.
Get your copy today!

Can Cowboys Beat Chargers? Yes, But Don't Bet On It.

Many a skeptical comment has been offered up toward the high throne of numerous indomitable statisticians of this world from the humble paradise of self-proclaimed realists.  Football, it has been argued, isn’t a game of numbers – such as completion percentage and rushing attempts – but rather a game defined by the almighty alphabet – as in Ws and Ls.

Personally, I’ve always wondered if the realists would care to define the amount of Ws and Ls in some measure that defies numerical process.  But that’s splitting straws, so I’m told, so I feel compelled to bring the conversation back to present reality in a fashion that pleases far more than one, and certainly not less than all.

So let’s talk some Cowboys football.

What about the Cowboys? you ask. Will they run their record to 3-1 for the first time in five years with a win over San Diego on Sunday?

Well, according to statistical analysis of previous games, it has been concluded that their hopes of getting away from the sleepy .500 doldrums that the patrons of Valley Ranch have so long loved are... [drum roll] ...next to nil.  Nada, as in zero.  Zero as in L.  L as in .500.  .500 as in Jerry World.

The 21^st Century has been unkind to the Cowboys in a plethora of fashions, but particularly when it comes to winning a season’s fourth game.  For what it’s worth, in thirteen attempts since 2000, the Cowboys have managed a woeful 3-10 mark in the fourth contest of a season. 

The only wins during that span have come against woefully inferior opponents.  Dallas nipped the Kurt Warner-less Rams 13-10 in 2002 on a late Billy Cundiff field goal, manhandled Arizona a year later by a 24-7 score, and then annihilated a poor St. Louis club 35-7 in 2007.

The losses, while plentiful, have certainly not lacked for drama.  Included in the list is Terrell Owens’ dance on the star at Texas Stadium in 2000, and Tony Romo’s second-half collapse against the Lions in 2011.

Among the ten defeats is an 0-3 mark against AFC West opponents, which should attract attention considering the divisional locale of this week’s foe.

San Diego may not be a playoff team this year, but then again they might be.  Each of their three games has come down to the final seconds, and if not for a fourth quarter meltdown in the secondary against Tennessee, they would share an identical 2-1 record with Dallas.

Will the Cowboys get the W this weekend?

Just look at the numbers to find the likely letter.

 
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Decade of Futility - When It Comes To Super Bowl Predictions, Nobody Is More Forthcoming Than Jerry Jones

During a late July "State of The Cowboys" address, Jerry Jones showed several signs that three consecutive seasons without a playoff berth were taking its toll, admitting that the Cowboys "have got a lot of work to do."
Yet, being the cheerleader that he is, he couldn't help but talk about how much better the team is at this juncture than a year ago, and even managed to insert a comment - though tongue-in-cheek it may have seemed - about making a run at the Super Bowl.
This pre-training camp talk about a push to the Super Bowl is a Jones trademark. During the writing of Decade of Futility, I was shocked to learn just how much so. Since the "One Year Away" Cowboys shocked the world in 1992 by destroying Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII by a 52-17 score, Jones has neglected to thrill listeners with Super aspirations a grand total of four times. That's four out of a possible twenty-one opportunities. Truly incredible.
Even more incredible are the circumstances surrounding those times when he deemed it better to be humble, rather than bold. The first occurrence was in the wake of Troy Aikman's retirement in 2001, when all the Cowboys were leaning upon was the unproven right arm of Georgia rookie Quincy Carter. Yes, Jones was magnanimous that day in his respect for the dark hour that his Cowboys found themselves in, foregoing any Super Bowl predictions, prophesying instead for a ho-hum mediocre campaign filled with only - yes, only - ten wins.
The only other times that Jones was silent on any personal visions of impending glory just happened to be during the first three years of Big Bill Parcells' four-year reign of pigskin terror, when Jones was effectively kept under wraps.
Jones talks so boldly because he wants the fans to know that he cares, and that he - in his position as the team's General Manager - has pieced together a roster that everyone will be proud of. He envisions himself as the sharpshooter in a darkened gym that calls his own shot on one three-pointer after another.
More importantly, is the fact that Jones believes these predictions are within the bounds of reason, even when others around him are pleading with him for patience, and temperance.
The passing years have revealed that Jones is oblivious to any personal prohibitions related to drinking that most seductive of drinks, Cowboy Kool-Aid. The Cowboys have reaped the rewards this millennium of changing head coaches a mind-boggling four times. Five losing seasons, countless melodramas, one measly playoff victory, and a decade (2000-2009) that houses the lowest winning percentage in franchise history.
And there, impervious to reality, criticism, and countless glaring statistics, stands the Cowboys owner, handing out a beverage that has enslaved the innocent and gullible for more than a decade. Yes, drinks are always on the house at Valley Ranch, no matter the hour, the venue, or circumstance.

Read more about Jerry Jones and the Worst Decade in Dallas Cowboys History in my new book Decade of Futility.

 

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Decade of Futility - Did Bill Parcells Retire, Or Did Jerry Jones Force Him Out?

 Though tempered by the passing years, there is still a prominent negative attitude by many Cowboy fans (and football fans in general) toward Bill Parcells’ body of work during his four year stay in Dallas. After appearing in a combined three Super Bowls with the Giants and Patriots, and an AFC Championship Game in 1998 while the head coach of the New York Jets, the 34-32 mark that he now has strapped to his back from those days with the silver and blue are a burden that some said would keep him out of Canton.
So how is Parcells dealt with in Decade of Futility?
Good question.
Though cast in both lights at different junctures, Parcells is ultimately portrayed in a positive light.
Why?
Better question.
For me, it is hard to think of Parcells as the Dallas Cowboys head coach without thinking of his assistant coach Sean Payton too. Without Payton, it’s safe to say that Tony Romo would have likely joined Mike Shanahan in Denver instead of banking on the ineffectiveness of Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, and Clint Stoerner to make a way for him with the Cowboys way back in 2003.
Only Payton would have the gumption to leave a glorious franchise that had all but guaranteed him the head coaching position on the day that Parcells should finally call it quits, and then go east to a city demoralized by Hurricane Katrina to try and pull a perennial pigskin stinker out of the Gulf of Mexico.
Only Payton had the knowledge and expertise necessary to expose the Cowboys’ 2006 defense for what it was - specifically, a good unit that lacked speed and gumption at the linebacker level – and to make wonder-boy Tony Romo look like a practice squad quarterback. Payton’s New Orleans Saints whipped the ’Boys in Irving on a Sunday night by a 42-17 score, giving the world an up-close view at how to attack Parcells’ bunch.

 
 Thanks to Payton, the Cowboys finished the 2006 season with four losses in five games, including a horrible 39-31 defeat at the hands of a 2-13 Lions team in Week 17.
An exchange between Payton and Parcells comes to mind often when pondering this topic. It was when Payton was preparing to make official his decision to become the Saints’ head coach, and Parcells brought him into his office to have a final word. Instead of reminiscing or giving way to a long, emotional speech about comraderie, Parcells got right to the point. Said Parcells, “You’ve got to find out what’s been keeping that team from winning. You’ve got to find it out, and fix it right away. Or else you’ll be looking for another job in three years.”
For Parcells in Dallas, that was a dual-pronged problem. He not only needed to cure the disease in the locker room, but needed to change the instinctive philosophy of the owner and general manager as well.
History tells us that Parcells was able to turn the locker room inside out and produce a team that could play with the big boys of the NFL, but was as helpless as the mortals before him that came up against the iron will of Jerry Jones.
If someone were to ask me what my personal favorite chapter of Decade of Futility is, I would have to say that it is chapter 16. Dubbed “The Agenda,” this chapter deals specifically with the divorce of Jerry & Bill in a completely unique fashion.
How exactly these two notoriously head-strong individuals parted company has been a mystery for more than six years now, for the sole reason that neither party concerned wants to talk about it. Lured by this silence, I spent more than two years researching just this one chapter, probing into every possible corner for any crumb of evidence I could get my hands on.
The crumb that I finally alighted upon was anything but expected, but when I tested it, it answered every question I could throw at it.
With a lack of prominent facts to grab hold of, an interested public often starts from a hypothetical viewpoint to try and come up with the correct answer to this problem. In Decade of Futility I do the exact opposite, focusing, instead, on the state of Valley Ranch at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
Now, I willingly admit that my ultimate conclusion of the matter is merely a theory, rather than a hard-boiled verified fact. Such is the way when many of the facts available are shadows.
If there is one chapter I think absolutely should be read in this book, it is this one. Not only is it informative, but it will change the way you view Bill Parcells forever.

 
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Decade of Futility - Chad Hutchinson Debacle Another Case of Poor Timing For Dallas Cowboys

Chad Hutchinson landed in the wrong place at the wrong time when he landed in Dallas. Having not been under center for four years, Hutchinson needed time to not only adapt to the speed of the pro game, but to the game of football in general.

He was afforded neither. Hutchinson was starting by the halfway point of his rookie season, and was expected to turn a 3-4 Cowboys club into a playoff beast.

Hutchinson's inexperience, coupled with a porous offensive line, contributed to a miserable second half of the 2002 season in which expectations collided head-on with reality...and destruction.  By the time the smoke cleared from their combustible 5-11 finish, the Cowboys had a brand-new coaching staff, and Hutchinson was looking for any semblance of a support system.

Hutchinson lost his starting job to Quincy Carter the following August in a QB duel that some suggest wasn't nearly as close as new head coach Bill Parcells suggested it was. He never started a game for the Cowboys again.

 Read more about Chad Hutchinson in Chapter 6 of Decade of Futility.

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Decade of Futility - Dallas Cowboys Safety Roy Williams Odd Man Out On Defense

When the Cowboys drafted Oklahoma safety Roy Williams with the eighth selection of the 2002 draft, they were expecting a good player that would one day find his way to greatness. What they found instead was a good player that quickly became something of an NFL legend.
With a nose for the ball and a tenacious spirit near the line of scrimmage, Williams was a terror to all opponents, as well as a rising star that many projected would land one day in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But as it turned out, Williams' meteoric flight in Dallas was suddenly grounded when philosophy collided head-on with priority, penning a sad tale of misfortune that is both anticlimactic, and every bit of unfortunate.
Read the full story in Chapter 10 of Decade of Futility.

 
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Decade of Futility - Chad Hutchinson Was Once Said To Be The Next Roger Staubach

Nicknamed "Roger The Dodger" for an uncanny elusive streak while on the run, Roger Staubach is 

recognized by many as the greatest Dallas Cowboys player of all time.
How did it happen then that Cowboys rookie quarterback Chad Hutchinson - a pure pocket passer if there ever was one - found himself mentioned multiple times in the same breath with Staubach before he even took to the field?
Find out in Chapter 6 of Decade of Futility.

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Decade of Futility - Considering The Source, Comparison To Tom Landry Sounded Like Kiss of Death

Early during his head coaching tenure in Dallas, Jason Garrett received the ultimate compliment when Pat Summerall likened him to the ultimate in Cowboys head coaches, Tom Landry.
But if anyone had any ideas about enshrining Garrett in Canton alongside of Landry, they were soon tossed aside when Jerry Jones admitted that Garrett reminded him of Landry too, setting off a wild Valley Ranch grass-fire that had throwback written all over it.
Read about it in Chapter 25 of Decade of Futility.

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Decade of Futility - Loss To Chiefs Evokes Memories of Wade Phillips' 2007 Cowboys

Sunday's loss against Kansas City was a perfect lesson in the importance of maintaining offensive balance. And maybe it was a lesson to something else as well.
Teams don't always have to run the ball effectively. They just need to run effectively at the proper times. Just look at the Chiefs' final drive, when Jamal Charles finally got untracked and nearly ran the entire game-clock out.
And just look at a Cowboys team from yesteryear, a team that forgot the importance of finishing strong...

...In 2007 the Dallas Cowboys got so enamored with the big-play ability of "backup" running back Marion Barber that they all but forgot about backfield counterpart Julius Jones. The result was a loss of offensive identity for the NFC's top team, as the Cowboys offense stumbled down the stretch run.
Jones was the unquestioned starter out of training camp, while Barber was Dallas' short-yardage back who was inserted during the fourth quarter to wear down opposing defenses. But as Barber continued to rack up the long gains and big stats, the Cowboys began to use less and less of Jones.
By the first week of December Jones' role had devolved to that of being the token starter, with little action to speak of thereafter. The Cowboys' ground game suffered in the process. Against Detroit in Week 14, the Cowboys had a season-low 18 rushing attempts. Only a miraculous fourth quarter from quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten could save the Cowboys from defeat that day, as Dallas nipped the Lions 28-27.
The Dallas ground game was stifled the following week again in a 10-6 home loss to Philadelphia, from which started a grassfire of concerns over this sudden outcropping of trouble. Head coach Wade Phillips needed to make a decision, either to go back to using Jones in a full-fledged starting role, or simply hand the keys over to Barber entirely.
Another strong fourth quarter showing by Barber the following Saturday night in Carolina was enough to convince Phillips that Barber needed to be Dallas' main man at the tailback position.
So Barber started his first game of the season in the Divisional Playoff round against the New York Giants. Barber's frenzied running style was good enough to eclipse the 100-yard mark by halftime, but left little energy for the all-important final stanzas. Barber was used up by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Cowboys became the first No. 1 seed to lose a Divisional playoff game in NFL history, falling 21-17 to the eventual champions.
Statistically, Barber was his usual self that, but he wasn't able to deliver when it mattered most.

Decade of Futility - Blocked Field Goal Lone Blemish On Romo Revival

 The dreaded "double-thump" that sounded on this field-goal attempt by kicker Mike Vanderjagt was merely the beginning to one of the most infamous plays in Dallas Cowboys history, and stands today as the one blemish on the record of the miraculous Tony Romo Revival that shook the football world in November of 2006.

Read the full story in Chapter 14 of Decade of Futility

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Decade of Futility - Jerry Jones' Noose Growing Tighter For Jason Garrett

Valley Ranch has long been hailed as the most combustible place on the face of the football planet. So the following should come as little surprise...
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett spent a good portion of yesterday’s press conference talking about how his team needs to maintain a balanced attack on offense.
Less than 24 hours later, owner Jerry Jones went on his weekly radio show on KRLD-FM 105.3 “The Fan” in Dallas and seemed enthralled with the Cowboys’ capabilities in the passing department. When asked what has changed with the team’s play-calling since Bill Callahan took over from Garrett, Jones emphasized that passing is what the Cowboys offense is all about.
“You’re going to see more play-action passes. You haven’t seen it, but you’re going to see more,” Jones said. “You’re going to see more zone blocking. You’re going to see emphasizing tight ends more. The other thing is that I think we all realize that with Terrance Williams as well as Harris out there at the third receiver, Miles is healthier than he’s been the last couple of years, you see what Dez can do. And we certainly want to take advantage of the combination of our receiving tight ends, our receivers, and so, you know, if you look at personnel, you’re tied in to what we’re basically doing offensively, I think we’re not the same team we were last year.”
If words were handwriting, then Jerry was not only talking to his listening audience, but was busy writing on Jason Garrett’s wall of philosophy in the process.

Decade of Futility - Jerry Jones' Magic Offensive Assembly Showing Signs Of Strain

Jerry Jones promised that great things were in store for the Dallas Cowboys in 2013 with Bill Callahan and Tony Romo acting as co-offensive coordinators.  That’s why Jones had head coach Jason Garrett step back into the shadows, believing that the team would function much smoother than in the recent past, that the Cowboys would pile up victories in record fashion, and everybody at Valley Ranch would be one big, fat, happy, and sassy family.

And then the season began.

Out of 61 offensive plays run on Sunday in Kansas City, the Cowboys opted to call only 13 running plays.  The result was less than inspiring, to say the least, as Dallas fell to the Chiefs 17-16, and complaints were heard within the locker room over play-selection.  Running back Demarco Murray wants the ball more.  Callahan said the offensive line needs to be better at run-blocking.  Garrett was displeased that Romo and Callahan simply gave up on the ground attack.  And there are verbal musings hopping around the Ranch, wondering why Romo forgets about wide receiver Dez Bryant in clutch situations.

We’re only two weeks into the season and the mill is already grinding. 

Oh, the wonderful work of Jerry.

Decade of Futility - Ten Year Anniversary of Zuriel Smith's Biggest Play As a Cowboy.

Ten years ago today Bill Parcells won his first game on a Dallas sideline in dramatic, and improbable, fashion. The New York Giants took the lead on a short field goal with just eleven seconds remaining in regulation, yet the Cowboys managed to force overtime, where sophomore kicker Billy Cundiff connected on his seventh field goal of the evening, giving Dallas a 35-32 victory.
While there were heroes aplenty for the Cowboys on this night, maybe the most important play of the game was made by rookie wideout Zuriel Smith who had a rare chance to get his hands on the ball in the game’s waning seconds....and declined it. This one heads-up play by Smith sparked an unlikely run to the playoffs for the 2003 Cowboys.
Read about it in Chapter 10 of Decade of Futility.

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Decade of Futility - For First Impressions, Alex Barron Was Unforgettable

It was most certainly a noticeable first impression that garnered Alex Barron national attention in September of 2010.  In his first game as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Barron was filling in for an injured Marc Colombo at right tackle in a season-opening tilt with rival Washington on Sunday Night Football.

And with the final seconds ticking off the clock and the Cowboys needing a miracle to escape from a 13-7 deficit, Barron assured himself a permanent place in the Cowboys’ hall of infamy on a high block that proved to be nothing short of lowdown.  In one brief instant fans witnessed a Redskins loss, a Barron gaffe, and a pre-season Super Bowl favorite falling victim to the clutches of mediocrity.

Read the full story in Chapter 20 of Decade of Futility.

 

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Decade of Futility - Tom Landry: A Living Legend

On the front cover of Decade of Futility, there for everyone to behold, are pictures of Tony Romo and Jerry Jones.  So who's the first person that often comes to mind when people see the book for the first time?  None other than Tom Landry himself.
Here we are 24 years removed from it, and millions of people still haven't forgiven Jerry Jones for the way he fired Tom Landry.  Without a doubt, the Saturday Night Massacre is just as vivid now as it was then.
The response I've gotten from the public makes me glad that, in telling the story of Jerry, I started from the very outset.  Jerry Jones isn't the same without a Tom Landry to fire.  He's a power figure that can only be understood when standing in the shadow of a man that he couldn't make room for, a man whose longstanding consistency, both on and off the field, remains alive in the hearts and minds of Cowboy fans even today.
Though he was rudely pushed aside on that evening of infamy, and though he has since passed from this world, it's almost as if Landry is still with us.  Maybe a former player actually had it right when he said, "Tom Landry will always be a Dallas Cowboy."

Paying Dividends Now, Selection of Dez Bryant Crippled Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys In 2010

Jerry Jones believed the same Dallas Cowboys who squared off against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2009 NFC Divisional Playoff were only one play-making receiver away from being a Super Bowl team. That's why he traded up in the following April's draft to select Oklahoma State wideout Dez Bryant with the tenth overall pick.
The irony in all this is that Jones somehow missed the glaring fact that the Cowboys' offensive line was a train-wreck in motion. Tony Romo was sacked a career-high six times in that 34-3 loss at the Metrodome, which also happened to be left tackle Flozell Adams' last in a Dallas uniform. Adams' untimely first-quarter injury in the game should have served notice to Jerry World that Romo needed protection in the worst way. But it didn't, and the Cowboys instead opened the first half of the following season in the worst way - a 1-7 start that had Jerry and Co. residing not only at the bottom of the conference, but the bottom of the entire NFL.
If Jerry can get credited for going after a superstar wide receiver like Bryant is fast becoming, then he should also get boatloads of accolades for failing to break-down game-film of that Vikings defeat properly. Yes, Jerry got his play-making wide receiver, but he also cost the Cowboys a season in the process.

                                                                                              

Tony Romo's Rib Injury Cause For Concern In More Ways Than One

Though recognized for his shortcomings in what has become dubbed recently as "win or go home" games, Tony Romo has never been regarded as an injury-prone quarterback.  That could change soon.
Going back to last December's season finale in Washington, Romo has now suffered rib injuries in back-to-back games.  And just because the two games are separated by nine months doesn't mean that fans should discount this statistic as rubbish. 
We all remember Romo's ill-fated fourth quarter deflated duck to Demarco Murray that ultimately eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs last season.  That pass was one of many errant tosses that Romo delivered that night, courtesy of a first-quarter shot to the ribs.
Now, here we are approaching the second weekend of games in the 2013 season and Cowboys fans are salivating over what appears to be a golden opportunity to get out of the first month with a perfect record.
Their best chance to achieve such a feat is with an efficient Romo under center.
But is Romo healthy enough to deliver?
Sunday's tilt in Kansas City will tell us.

The Dallas Cowboys' Past - Troy Aikman's Last Win

by Ryan Bush

Hall of Famer Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman’s 306-yard passing effort against the Bengals in Week 12 of the 2000 season is remembered by many as his last complete game victory in his 12-year career.  Not only did it take the Cowboys a long time to find a capable replacement to Aikman, but it took an astounding 31 games for another Dallas quarterback to top the 300-yard passing plateau.                              

The Dallas Cowboys,Jerry Jones & Labor Day

By Ben Bush Jr

    

                

As Dallas Cowboys fan, we can rest assured that coach, oops! I meant General Manager and Owner Jerry Jones, is busy this Labor Day.

While we relax with friends and family, Jerry is somewhere tirelessly promoting the only NFL team that really matters.

His quest for a Super Bowl apart from the lingering shadow of Jimmy Johnson continues. Bless his heart! :)