Is Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Telling the Truth About Coach Sean Payton?

FRISCO - Jerry Jones tried - in his infamously word-salad style - to put to bed the Sean Payton rumors when the Dallas Cowboys owner called into Dallas’ 105.3 the Fan on January 28 for an impromptu interview in which he covered four different Cowboys coaching angles.

Head coach Mike McCarthy is secure, with Jones insisting that he held back from revealing that because it gave him an advantage in keeping defensive coordinator Dan Quinn from leaving. (We don’t follow the logic, but both are back. He also expressed his view on offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

But most controversially, the Cowboys owner swore that he had not spoken to Payton since the coach decided to step away from the Saints.

“No, I did not (call Payton), I did not because we’re (with McCarthy) sitting here building together our future,” Jones said. “(McCarthy) is well-aware of our relationship and long-term friendship with Payton. 

“And I haven’t talked to Sean and not a part of any of the dialogue or any of the decision making relative to him leaving New Orleans.

This might not be the “best news” in the eyes of some who consider Payton to be superior to McCarthy - a highly subjective concept.

But consider this:

-Does Cowboys Nation want to pay premium draft picks to trade for Payton’s rights from the Saints?

-Does Cowboys Nation want in charge a 58-year-old man who is admitting he needs a year away to re-charge?

-Does Cowboys Nation want Payton hovering somewhere around The Star - figuratively or literally - even as a “consultant,” piling on in the Monday morning second-guessing sessions? 

(Sidebar: You may have noticed in recent playoff weekends that McCarthy is not alone at the bottom of this pile. Ask the coaches of the Titans, Bills, Niners, Chiefs, Cardinals, Packers, and yes, even the Super Bowl-bound Rams.)

Said Jones: “I think a lot of Sean but there’s going to be somebody other than Sean win the Super Bowl this year, and if he doesn’t coach, it’d be somebody other than Sean win the Super Bowl next year. My point is … nobody, no one person indispensable as far as winning the Super Bowl’s concerned.”

No matter who the coach is, it takes commitment - from everyone - to win a Super Bowl. Jones has now made that commitment public … for his own good, and for the good of his football team.