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Could Cowboys' structure be a plus?
February, 5, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The structure of how the Dallas Cowboys operate has been talked about, debated, and derided for years and years.
Jerry Jones, as the owner and general manager, has the ultimate authority on what happens with the Cowboys, but he is not a general manager in the way people perceive general managers. Jones is more of a general delegator, and there is a lot of internal debate before a collective decision is made.
We chuckle when coach Jason Garrett says it, but in reality that is how it works. If anything, the decision not to draft Johnny Manziel last year serves as proof of that. Rarely will Jones do something only he wants to be done and not listen to the people he is paying to get him all of the information he needs to know.
I bring this up because of the recent hires across the NFL. On Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons named Dan Quinn as head coach. The way owner Arthur Blank described the setup between Quinn and the personnel department had more layers than a nice piece of tiramisu.
"To be specific, [Thomas Dimitroff], as a general manager, will have final authority over free agents and draft picks, Scott [Pioli] now has responsibility for running free agency and the draft," Blank said during Quinn's welcoming press conference. "Dan will have final authority over the 53- and 46-man rosters and practice squad."
Does anybody else foresee a situation where the personnel department will say the coach picked the wrong players or the coach will say the personnel guys didn't get him enough good players? There is an inherent finger-pointing problem when these guys report independently to the owner.
The New York Jets hired Dave Maccagnan as general manager and hired Todd Bowles as head coach. They will report to owner Woody Johnson. Maccagnan will have control over the 53-man roster and final say on the draft. Bowles will decide who plays.
Almost always we hear people talk about a team effort in these situations.
Even the Cowboys talk about that.
But could the Cowboys' structure actually be a (gulp) good thing?
I know I'm supposed to say Jerry, the owner, needs to fire Jerry, the general manager, or Jerry needs to hire a football guy or whatever else has been said around here since 1989.
When Jones has talked about the structures used by the other teams, he has often talked about how the owner has final say because he is the ultimate decision-maker because he signs the check. By also being the general manager, Jones skips the middle man to a degree. He can make a quick decision or live with a bad decision.
The best way to operate is to hire bright people, trust them to do their jobs and listen to what they say.
That's how New England has operated under Robert Kraft. That's how Seattle operates. That's how Pittsburgh operates. That's how Green Bay operates.
Of course, there have been kinks in the Cowboys' structure over the years. Jones hasn't always listened to the people whom he pays a lot of money. Sometimes those decisions have worked well (Terrell Owens) and haven't worked well (Terrell Owens).
When things don't work out for the Cowboys, at least there isn't a convoluted formula to figure out.
With some of these other structures, they just seem destined to fail.
February, 5, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The structure of how the Dallas Cowboys operate has been talked about, debated, and derided for years and years.
Jerry Jones, as the owner and general manager, has the ultimate authority on what happens with the Cowboys, but he is not a general manager in the way people perceive general managers. Jones is more of a general delegator, and there is a lot of internal debate before a collective decision is made.
We chuckle when coach Jason Garrett says it, but in reality that is how it works. If anything, the decision not to draft Johnny Manziel last year serves as proof of that. Rarely will Jones do something only he wants to be done and not listen to the people he is paying to get him all of the information he needs to know.
I bring this up because of the recent hires across the NFL. On Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons named Dan Quinn as head coach. The way owner Arthur Blank described the setup between Quinn and the personnel department had more layers than a nice piece of tiramisu.
"To be specific, [Thomas Dimitroff], as a general manager, will have final authority over free agents and draft picks, Scott [Pioli] now has responsibility for running free agency and the draft," Blank said during Quinn's welcoming press conference. "Dan will have final authority over the 53- and 46-man rosters and practice squad."
Does anybody else foresee a situation where the personnel department will say the coach picked the wrong players or the coach will say the personnel guys didn't get him enough good players? There is an inherent finger-pointing problem when these guys report independently to the owner.
The New York Jets hired Dave Maccagnan as general manager and hired Todd Bowles as head coach. They will report to owner Woody Johnson. Maccagnan will have control over the 53-man roster and final say on the draft. Bowles will decide who plays.
Almost always we hear people talk about a team effort in these situations.
Even the Cowboys talk about that.
But could the Cowboys' structure actually be a (gulp) good thing?
I know I'm supposed to say Jerry, the owner, needs to fire Jerry, the general manager, or Jerry needs to hire a football guy or whatever else has been said around here since 1989.
When Jones has talked about the structures used by the other teams, he has often talked about how the owner has final say because he is the ultimate decision-maker because he signs the check. By also being the general manager, Jones skips the middle man to a degree. He can make a quick decision or live with a bad decision.
The best way to operate is to hire bright people, trust them to do their jobs and listen to what they say.
That's how New England has operated under Robert Kraft. That's how Seattle operates. That's how Pittsburgh operates. That's how Green Bay operates.
Of course, there have been kinks in the Cowboys' structure over the years. Jones hasn't always listened to the people whom he pays a lot of money. Sometimes those decisions have worked well (Terrell Owens) and haven't worked well (Terrell Owens).
When things don't work out for the Cowboys, at least there isn't a convoluted formula to figure out.
With some of these other structures, they just seem destined to fail.
