NFL analyst calls on Cowboys fans to stop lining Jerry Jones’ pockets

Jerry Jones won’t change until his bottom line does.
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Don't think for a second the Dallas Cowboys did this on accident.

They've known for a while they were going to hire Brian Schottenheimer to replace Mike McCarthy and they knew it wouldn't go over well. That's why Jerry Jones, who loves the spotlight, dropped the announcement of Schottenheimer late on Friday night.

Had it been a huge hire, Jones would have tried to steal the Championship Game spotlight. Instead, he and his son, Stephen Jones, made their decision known when there were as few eyes as possible on them.

MORE: Cowboys named 'top landing spot' for All-Pro, Super Bowl-winning WR

Sure, fans will still get mad and the press will still discuss this, but Jones knew this wasn't the best hire. Instead, it was the most affordable and easiest hire.

Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones and owner Jerry Jones
Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones and owner Jerry Jones / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

That's become the M.O. for this front office as Stephen Jones takes a more prominent role. Dallas no longer pays top dollar for free agents and when they do pay their own players, they complain to the media that they overpaid and can't afford anyone else.

Yet with the coaching search, when there is no cap, they spared every expense. That's why Connor Orr of SI.com says fans need to stop shelling out cash to the Jones empire. He says that instead of bullying Schottenheimer, which is happening, the anger needs to be turned on the Jones family.

His main point of contention is the lack of a legitimate search. As Orr points out, there were only six names involved in this "search" which is fewer than half the number of candidates every other team looked at.

"You should be mad because Dallas has 'interviewed' six—six—candidates for what the Jones family bills as the largest and most (self) important sports franchise in the world. Other teams nearly hit 20 candidates." — Orr, SI.com

Those other teams spent time digging into Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Liam Cohen, and more. The Cowboys focused on people they knew such as Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore.

MORE: Kellen Moore had heart set on Cowboys job before Brian Schottenheimer was hired

What's worse is the Jones family set themselves up for success with this move. Just not success on the field.

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Instead, they made sure that there's someone for fans to attack when the team struggles. And it will struggle since the Joneses aren't about to start giving Schottenheimer a better roster than they gave Mike McCarthy.

MORE: Zack Martin free agency market value: Should Cowboys re-sign guard?

"To boot, the Jones empire is forcing Schottenheimer to play from behind, which is a large part of where my animus comes from. The public sentiment surrounding this hire is abhorrent. It’s beyond alarm. His leash will be shorter than a lepton. If his clock management isn’t perfect, if his offense lags, you’ll feel ready to riot."

It's a cycle in Dallas where the Jones family takes money and sells false hope. Now, as Orr stated, they stopped selling the hope. He's saying we need to stop buying.

It's hard to disagree with that take.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI 

Cowboys hire Brian Schottenheimer as head coach

Brian Schottenheimer hired: 3 good things, 2 bad things about it

Matt Eberflus hired as Cowboys defensive coordinator

Cowboys fans living in Groundhog Day-like nightmare following Schottenheimer hiring news

These former Cowboys will be playing in the AFC, NFC Championships


Published
Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Arizona State grad