National Football League

Jones needs to act if Cowboys lose

Published Sep. 24, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The recent appearance of Jerry Jones at Yankee Stadium, occasioned by the unveiling of George Steinbrenner’s unabashedly gargantuan likeness, was impossible to ignore. Steinbrenner’s death leaves Jones as the most prominent owner in American sports.

Oh, you think not?

Wake me when Mark Cuban wins something.

In the meantime, note the obvious points of comparison between Jones and Steinbrenner. Each revived a moribund franchise as a national brand. They embraced Bigness, of both themselves and their teams, observing, in an almost Arthurian sense, little, if any, distinction between the two. Steinbrenner was the Yankees; Jones is the Cowboys. Both are loved and despised in roughly equal measure. Each availed himself of municipal bonds to build grandiosities a pharaoh would envy, though after being in both, I can report with certainty that Cowboys Stadium not only offers taxpayers and fans more bang for the buck, it's clearly superior to that thing in the Bronx. It's also the best thing to happen to boxing since Manny Pacquiao knocked out Oscar De La Hoya.

So let’s keep score, as it’s something that owners – who are, after all, merely adolescent males with tons of cash – would surely do. Jones is in his 21st year as owner of the Dallas Cowboys. His teams have won three Super Bowls, but only one playoff game since 1996.

By his 21st year with the Yankees, Steinbrenner’s teams had played in four World Series, winning two. He was in the midst of his second banishment, and his ownership had seen 21 managerial changes, to wit: Ralph Houk, Bill Virdon, Billy Martin, Dick Howser, Bob Lemon, Billy Martin (II), Dick Howser (II), Stick Michael, Bob Lemon (II), Stick Michael (II), Clyde King, Billy Martin (III), Yogi Berra, Billy Martin (IV), Lou Piniella, Billy Martin (V), Lou Piniella (II), Dallas Green, Bucky Dent, Stump Merrill and Buck Showalter.

Still, I can’t help but thinking it’s time for Jerry to really emulate the man he called “an inspiration.” A loss this Sunday might warrant the canning of a coach or two.

For all the excesses of Steinbrenner’s regime, patience isn’t always a virtue. This season’s narrative arc is predetermined, its finale scheduled for the 6th of February, 2011, at Jerry’s pyramid in Arlington. Once again – based on the talent of the Cowboys’ roster – it was widely supposed, if not hoped for, that his team might qualify as the first to host a Super Bowl.

But now, the perennial favorites are 0-2 going into Week 3 as three-point dogs to an outfit called the Texans.

And again, you ask: what’s wrong with Dallas?

To this point, not Jerry Jones. Most hands-on owners – Steinbrenner, Cuban, Dan Snyder – hire general managers to protect themselves from their own ignorance and insulate themselves from blame. There’s nobody today who could do what Jones is doing as his own GM. The Bengals’ Mike Brown isn’t in his league. Al Davis is long past his prime. Whatever Jones’ shortcomings, it’s not procuring talent. The Cowboys have plenty.

Jones didn’t respond to several requests for an interview. That's just as well. Besides, I understand. It can’t be that much fun being a three-point dog to Houston.

Still, I recall our single conversation, a couple of summers ago at the training camp in Oxnard, Calif. It was a brief dissertation on the subject of “finishing.”

“The Giants made 52 yards in the second half and we still didn’t finish it,” he said, referring to the previous year’s upset playoff loss to New York.

The Cowboys were the more talented team then, and remain abundantly talented. But this finishing thing is still a problem. A single playoff win in 14 years shouldn’t lessen the burden of proof on coach Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett, who turned down head coaching jobs to serve as Jones’ $3 million-a-year offensive coordinator.

“Last year was last year,” said Phillips.

That was the same day, the summer of 2008.

Phillips is now in his fourth season as Jones’ head coach, a run that promises to go as long or longer than anyone but Jimmy Johnson. Still the Cowboys couldn’t finish the first half of the first game of the 2010 season. Phillips – or was it Garrett? – called for a short pass to Tashard Choice, who was stripped of the ball, a play resulting in the Redskins’ only touchdown in a 13-7 win.

Then there was the holding penalty to negate what would’ve been the winning touchdown on the last play of the game.

Tony Romo threw for 282 yards. Miles Austin had 10 catches, 146 yards. Last Sunday, Romo threw for 374 yards, albeit with a couple of interceptions. Austin had another 10 receptions for 142 yards. With two games evidence, the Cowboys are up 16 minutes in time of possession. But they have given up 79 more penalty yards than their opponents, and seem to have no idea how to use their running backs.

Did I mention they’re 0-2?

The 2-0 Texans, on the other hand, know how to score, putting up 32 points a game.

Steinbrenner used to pitch a fit if the Yankees lost to the Red Sox or the Mets.

Wonder what Jerry Jones will do if the Cowboys fall to 0-3 by losing to the Texans.

I know what he should do. You don’t get an outrageously proportioned plaque being a nice guy.