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By DAVID MOORE Staff Writer dmoore@dallasnews.com
Published: 22 March 2014 03:38 PM
Updated: 22 March 2014 03:38 PM
One criticism of Jerry Jones is that he allows too many voices to rattle around in his head, that the last bit of information the Dallas Cowboys owner solicits carries an inordinate amount of weight in his decision.
He hears you.
Jones recently set aside time to discuss his management style and the difficult balancing act between owner and general manager. He’s not as intrusive and overbearing as most portray, although Jones admits he’s taken a more active role these last two years with head coach Jason Garrett. He concedes he listens to those outside the organization more than most general managers and wrestles with whether he collects too many opinions.
“I may ask for, I may listen to, too many voices,” Jones said before he left for the NFL Annual Meetings, which begin Monday in Orlando, Fla. “Is it the last guy that gets to you? How does it work?”
The approach doesn’t vary. Jones hires people with a proprietary interest, demands they dig in and tell him what he doesn’t know.
Jones isn’t a geologist but he knows he needs to listen to them when it comes to his oil business. His vision was the driving force behind AT&T Stadium but it wouldn’t have taken form without the advice of engineers and contractors.
Ask Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson and the owner is convinced both coaches will tell you that Jones is “a damn good listener.” He prides himself on this ability and will buy into an idea or way of doing things if the person has done his homework.
“The real world is I’ve always used my advisers,” Jones said. “Scouts, coaches, they’re your advisers to the ultimate decision.
“I’m harder on scouts and personnel people. I don’t want an opinion from anybody. Show me why you’re saying it. Show me the facts, show me details, show me reasons why. And if you need to show me three players to show me what the one does, show me.
“I probably have less show-me in personnel with coaches than I do scouts. But I weigh what the scout says more than the coach.”
All general managers must cultivate a relationship with their head coach. Jones is no different.
The difference is Jones is also the owner. The contacts he’s formed in this role often lead him to turn outside the organization for input when others wouldn’t. It can be argued that minimizes the voices within his organization.
But Jones isn’t concerned with how he comes across.
“I’m less afraid of asking a dumb question than probably most general managers are,” Jones said. “In fact, I’ll ask it naively and dumb. I don’t mind sounding dumb because I’m not worried about the person thinking, ‘What the hell he’s talking about?’
“I did my best work with the Cowboys when I didn’t mind sounding stupid asking the question. That was early.”
As owner, Jones likes to say he must take in the view from 50,000 feet. But it’s the general manager who sits in the room the Monday after a game with the coaching staff and dissects what was good and what was bad.
This is where Jones wonders if he needs to be more critical. As general manager, he understands what went wrong and often accepts the explanations for a loss. As owner he would be more inclined to sit back in judgment and declare it unacceptable.
“I probably have not been unreasonable as much as I should have been over the last 25 years relative to coaches,” Jones said. “Is that one of the disadvantages of sitting here being the owner and general manager? Yes.”
This is an area where Jones has made a course correction. He cites his insistence on finding better ways to maximize the final years of quarterback Tony Romo as the prime example of his more direct involvement. There are others.
Garrett no longer calls the plays on offense. The defense is 14 months into its shift to a 4-3 scheme.
“People ask, ‘Have you changed what you’re doing over the last few years?’” Jones said. “The last couple of years I’ve had more involvement than probably any time in my career relative to the nuances.
“These are not negatives about Jason. In no way is it a negative.”
Jones doesn’t want to fire Garrett. He wants to develop him. He wants Garrett to be his Tom Landry and lend a continuity that has been lacking. He wants him to be a true head coach, not a glorified play-caller.
He also believes the offense has grown stale in recent seasons. It’s why Bill Callahan assumed a greater role last season and why Scott Linehan is aboard now.
“Is it time to freshen up, is it time to have somebody else look at it, what goes on every day?” Jones asked about the offense. “The answer is probably yes.
“Did it happen last year? No. Is it more likely to be the case this year? It’s a certainty.
“To me, that’s frankly being what I’ve been accused of being too much of for the past 15 years. Yes, I’ve changed. What people actually thought I was before, now I am.”
The issue has never been that Jones micromanages. The issue has been that he randomly inserts himself into the process. He defers to his head coach the majority of the time yet asserts himself whenever he sees fit. There is no systematic approach in place.
The culture at Valley Ranch is the owner’s personality. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman touched on this in the days leading up to Seattle’s Super Bowl victory.
“The Cowboys tend to change their beliefs each year on what it is they need or what they’re about,” Aikman said. “I find that to be somewhat unusual for a club that has been owned by the same owner for however long it’s been.”
Jones listens to the criticism from Aikman and others. He always listens.
Here is his response.
“Make no mistake about it, whether it has been successful or to what degree, there is a plan,” Jones said. “It has been the same one from the night I walked in the door out there.
“I don’t hate the world and moan and groan because we’ve been 8-8 the last three seasons. But I’ll tell you this, I don’t gloat around here either.
“And that’s a change.”
Published: 22 March 2014 03:38 PM
Updated: 22 March 2014 03:38 PM
One criticism of Jerry Jones is that he allows too many voices to rattle around in his head, that the last bit of information the Dallas Cowboys owner solicits carries an inordinate amount of weight in his decision.
He hears you.
Jones recently set aside time to discuss his management style and the difficult balancing act between owner and general manager. He’s not as intrusive and overbearing as most portray, although Jones admits he’s taken a more active role these last two years with head coach Jason Garrett. He concedes he listens to those outside the organization more than most general managers and wrestles with whether he collects too many opinions.
“I may ask for, I may listen to, too many voices,” Jones said before he left for the NFL Annual Meetings, which begin Monday in Orlando, Fla. “Is it the last guy that gets to you? How does it work?”
The approach doesn’t vary. Jones hires people with a proprietary interest, demands they dig in and tell him what he doesn’t know.
Jones isn’t a geologist but he knows he needs to listen to them when it comes to his oil business. His vision was the driving force behind AT&T Stadium but it wouldn’t have taken form without the advice of engineers and contractors.
Ask Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson and the owner is convinced both coaches will tell you that Jones is “a damn good listener.” He prides himself on this ability and will buy into an idea or way of doing things if the person has done his homework.
“The real world is I’ve always used my advisers,” Jones said. “Scouts, coaches, they’re your advisers to the ultimate decision.
“I’m harder on scouts and personnel people. I don’t want an opinion from anybody. Show me why you’re saying it. Show me the facts, show me details, show me reasons why. And if you need to show me three players to show me what the one does, show me.
“I probably have less show-me in personnel with coaches than I do scouts. But I weigh what the scout says more than the coach.”
All general managers must cultivate a relationship with their head coach. Jones is no different.
The difference is Jones is also the owner. The contacts he’s formed in this role often lead him to turn outside the organization for input when others wouldn’t. It can be argued that minimizes the voices within his organization.
But Jones isn’t concerned with how he comes across.
“I’m less afraid of asking a dumb question than probably most general managers are,” Jones said. “In fact, I’ll ask it naively and dumb. I don’t mind sounding dumb because I’m not worried about the person thinking, ‘What the hell he’s talking about?’
“I did my best work with the Cowboys when I didn’t mind sounding stupid asking the question. That was early.”
As owner, Jones likes to say he must take in the view from 50,000 feet. But it’s the general manager who sits in the room the Monday after a game with the coaching staff and dissects what was good and what was bad.
This is where Jones wonders if he needs to be more critical. As general manager, he understands what went wrong and often accepts the explanations for a loss. As owner he would be more inclined to sit back in judgment and declare it unacceptable.
“I probably have not been unreasonable as much as I should have been over the last 25 years relative to coaches,” Jones said. “Is that one of the disadvantages of sitting here being the owner and general manager? Yes.”
This is an area where Jones has made a course correction. He cites his insistence on finding better ways to maximize the final years of quarterback Tony Romo as the prime example of his more direct involvement. There are others.
Garrett no longer calls the plays on offense. The defense is 14 months into its shift to a 4-3 scheme.
“People ask, ‘Have you changed what you’re doing over the last few years?’” Jones said. “The last couple of years I’ve had more involvement than probably any time in my career relative to the nuances.
“These are not negatives about Jason. In no way is it a negative.”
Jones doesn’t want to fire Garrett. He wants to develop him. He wants Garrett to be his Tom Landry and lend a continuity that has been lacking. He wants him to be a true head coach, not a glorified play-caller.
He also believes the offense has grown stale in recent seasons. It’s why Bill Callahan assumed a greater role last season and why Scott Linehan is aboard now.
“Is it time to freshen up, is it time to have somebody else look at it, what goes on every day?” Jones asked about the offense. “The answer is probably yes.
“Did it happen last year? No. Is it more likely to be the case this year? It’s a certainty.
“To me, that’s frankly being what I’ve been accused of being too much of for the past 15 years. Yes, I’ve changed. What people actually thought I was before, now I am.”
The issue has never been that Jones micromanages. The issue has been that he randomly inserts himself into the process. He defers to his head coach the majority of the time yet asserts himself whenever he sees fit. There is no systematic approach in place.
The culture at Valley Ranch is the owner’s personality. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman touched on this in the days leading up to Seattle’s Super Bowl victory.
“The Cowboys tend to change their beliefs each year on what it is they need or what they’re about,” Aikman said. “I find that to be somewhat unusual for a club that has been owned by the same owner for however long it’s been.”
Jones listens to the criticism from Aikman and others. He always listens.
Here is his response.
“Make no mistake about it, whether it has been successful or to what degree, there is a plan,” Jones said. “It has been the same one from the night I walked in the door out there.
“I don’t hate the world and moan and groan because we’ve been 8-8 the last three seasons. But I’ll tell you this, I don’t gloat around here either.
“And that’s a change.”
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