PFT: Stephen Jones worries about older Cowboys fans deciding, “We’re done”

Stephen Jones worries about older Cowboys fans deciding, “We’re done”

Posted by Mike Florio on June 14, 2016, 8:25 AM EDT



The Cowboys last won a Super Bowl in January 1996. This year is the 20th anniversary of the event. Which means that anyone born after Dallas beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX can’t relate to the Cowboys as NFL champions.

Via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys executive V.P. Stephen Jones recently was asked at a press conference whether he’s worried about the fact that a generation of kids don’t know the Cowboys as a championship team.

“Of course,” Jones said. “I mean, I’m worried every day that we don’t get a championship. You worry about that all the time. That’s why we’re very aggressive in trying to get there. It’s just not acceptable in our minds that we haven’t been able to win a championship in so long. I do worry about that. I worry about that all the time.”

Jones isn’t worried only about the kids.

“I worry about that with older fans, that they finally say, ‘We’re done,'” Jones said. “That’s why we try to do everything we can to show respect to our fans, to do things that I think are good things that our fans think are good things for our team. But at the end of the day, as I said, it’s all about the game and it’s all about winning a championship, and we got to get that done.”

Before they win the Super Bowl, the Cowboys have to get there. Before they get there, they have to get to the NFC championship game.

They haven’t even made it that far since winning the title that capped the 1995 season. Only three NFC teams haven’t: Washington, the Lions, and the Cowboys. That drought included at one point a 13-year delay between playoff wins.

Those facts make it even more amazing that the Cowboys continue to deliver massive audiences in nationally-televised games. So the fans, young or old, have yet to bail on the ‘Boys. It doesn’t mean they never will; they presumably haven’t because they assume it’s inevitable that the Cowboys someday will get back to the NFL’s final four.

It surely is, but if it takes another 20 years for it to happen, America might find itself another team.

“I worry about that with older fans, that they finally say, ‘We’re done,'” Jones said. “That’s why we try to do everything we can to show respect to our fans,

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Bullshit.

If Goof Son wants to do what's best for the fans, he'd find a way to have Jerry deposed as "GM".

Plan9Misfit said:

If Goof Son wants to do what's best for the fans, he'd find a way to have Jerry deposed as "GM".

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It will probably saddened you to know that Jerry is heavily invested in a pacemaker company.

L.T. Fan said:

It will probably saddened you to know that Jerry is heavily invested in a pacemaker company.

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I've prepared myself to the fact that he is going to live forever and then freeze himself.

Chocolate Lab said:

Bullshit.

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Pretty much.

L.T. Fan said:

It will probably saddened you to know that Jerry is heavily invested in a pacemaker company.

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I hope they all fail. Every. Single. One.

I can definitely see myself getting to the point where I don't GAS as much as I used to about the NFL in general. As an example, I ditched Sunday Ticket for the first time in over ten years because half the time, the Dallas game was on general TV anyway and I really quit watching other games because of life so I figured it was a waste of money.

He's right but the problem is they're not taking a hit in the wallet so there really isn't much incentive for them to change their ways. Sure winning the Super Bowl is nice but didn't the last Forbes list have the Cowboys as the most valuable sports franchise in the world. So even though over the past 20 years this team has only achieved marginal on-field success, the Joneses are making money hand over fist.

Also, when you look and listen to Stephen Jones you realize that he's going to have a similar philosophy as his pops. I.e. "Keep it in the family. Nepotism trumps credentials." Then you look at the young kid (Shy or whatever his name is) who is always hanging out in the draft room and at organizational functions, and you realize that 30 years from now he'll be running the show. And everything that he's learned, he learned it from Jerry. So he'll probably grow up thinking Jerry's way is the "right way".

And once Shy marries and has kids of his own he'll likely pass down the same flawed ownership/management style to his children; and so forth and so on.

It's just a vicious cycle that I see no end to. Which is why I've become increasingly apathetic towards the Cowboys. I don't buy merchandise anymore, I rarely read Cowboys related articles, etc. If I hear about a key player suffering an injury I just shrug and move along. Whereas in the past I'd be wringing my hands and over-analyzing the impact of playing w/o said player(s). I've just grown tired of trying to fool myself that this year or next year will somehow be different.

And no this isn't a case of me just being over-saturated with the vast amount of sports information available at our fingertips. I read multiple articles a day on the Atlanta Braves, OKC Thunder, and Sooners. I think that's because I value accountability and at least with those teams I know if the GMs/coaches are performing poorly at their jobs then changes will be made accordingly. Whereas with Dallas, we all know that the ultimate decision makers in the Cowboys' front office will never be held accountable for their missteps.

1bigfan13 said:

He's right but the problem is they're not taking a hit in the wallet so there really isn't much incentive for them to change their ways. Sure winning the Super Bowl is nice but didn't the last Forbes list have the Cowboys as the most valuable sports franchise in the world. So even though over the past 20 years this team has only achieved marginal on-field success, the Joneses are making money hand over fist.

Also, when you look and listen to Stephen Jones you realize that he's going to have a similar philosophy as his pops. I.e. "Keep it in the family. Nepotism trumps credentials." Then you look at the young kid (Shy or whatever his name is) who is always hanging out in the draft room and at organizational functions, and you realize that 30 years from now he'll be running the show. And everything that he's learned, he learned it from Jerry. So he'll probably grow up thinking Jerry's way is the "right way".

And once Shy marries and has kids of his own he'll likely pass down the same flawed ownership/management style to his children; and so forth and so on.

It's just a vicious cycle that I see no end to. Which is why I've become increasingly apathetic towards the Cowboys. I don't buy merchandise anymore, I rarely read Cowboys related articles, etc. If I hear about a key player suffering an injury I just shrug and move along. Whereas in the past I'd be wringing my hands and over-analyzing the impact of playing w/o said player(s). I've just grown tired of trying to fool myself that this year or next year will somehow be different.

And no this isn't a case of me just being over-saturated with the vast amount of sports information available at our fingertips. I read multiple articles a day on the Atlanta Braves, OKC Thunder, and Sooners. I think that's because I value accountability and at least with those teams I know if the GMs/coaches are performing poorly at their jobs then changes will be made accordingly. Whereas with Dallas, we all know that the ultimate decision makers in the Cowboys' front office will never be held accountable for their missteps.

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This is all very true, but I refuse to let Jerry take away my fandom. He has already taken away most hope, but I refuse to become completely apathetic. Have I lost some of my spirit towards the team? Sure, but I will always root for them, and hope for the best.

/homerposttobalanceouthaters

Iamtdg said:

This is all very true, but I refuse to let Jerry take away my fandom. He has already taken away most hope, but I refuse to become completely apathetic. Have I lost some of my spirit towards the team? Sure, but I will always root for them, and hope for the best.

/homerposttobalanceouthaters

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I'm not completely apathetic either. I've just gotten to the point where I've finally realized that this is what we're stuck with. So like you, I'm just going to sit back and hope for the best.

1bigfan13 said:

I'm not completely apathetic either. I've just gotten to the point where I've finally realized that this is what we're stuck with. So like you, I'm just going to sit back and hope for the best.

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Been doing that for years.

1bigfan13 said:

I'm not completely apathetic either. I've just gotten to the point where I've finally realized that this is what we're stuck with. So like you, I'm just going to sit back and hope for the best.

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Yup. That's where I'm at as well. I used to watch college football just to scout players to make the draft more interesting. You quickly learn that's a waste of time because there's a 1/30 chance your pet cat is going to get picked. Now I just rely on others and usually they have a rooting interest. I didn't even watch 1/3 of the games live last year just because I didn't care to watch the crap product being put out there.

This isn't the first title drought the franchise has experienced, I sat through the late 70's and 80's. That mediocrity gap was actually shorter than the current one and involved multiple factors, including a coach who did not fully adapt to the changing landscape of the league. Dallas is still one of the most valuable/profitable NFL "brands" out there but in the end, that's how it's being run, as a brand or commodity. It's not that I don't believe the Jones family doesn't want to win, I believe that the bottom line is what really matters in the end.

DLK150 said:

I can definitely see myself getting to the point where I don't GAS as much as I used to about the NFL in general. As an example, I ditched Sunday Ticket for the first time in over ten years because half the time, the Dallas game was on general TV anyway and I really quit watching other games because of life so I figured it was a waste of money.

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I got to that point about 3 years ago and honestly, I don't miss it.

I watch the Cowboys most times, and I'll catch the occasional NFL game when it's on, but I don't miss not having Sunday Ticket.

I think what's happened is that feeling like you don't have a horse in the race makes the rest of what's going on in the league less interesting.

I'm much more into college football these days.

lostxn said:

Yup. That's where I'm at as well. I used to watch college football just to scout players to make the draft more interesting. You quickly learn that's a waste of time because there's a 1/30 chance your pet cat is going to get picked. Now I just rely on others and usually they have a rooting interest. I didn't even watch 1/3 of the games live last year just because I didn't care to watch the crap product being put out there.

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After the Thanksgiving game I think I watched maybe 6 quarters of Cowboys football the rest of the year. Primarily due to some key injuries, there was very little entertainment value in watching last year's Cowboys.

Those who faithfully watched every snap of the Weeden/Cassel/Moore era are better men than me. I salute you all.

1bigfan13 said:

After the Thanksgiving game I think I watched maybe 6 quarters of Cowboys football the rest of the year. Primarily due to some key injuries, there was very little entertainment value in watching last year's Cowboys.

Those who faithfully watched every snap of the Weeden/Cassel/Moore era are better men than me. I salute you all.

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Same here.

I barely watched any games after November.

Texas Ace said:

I got to that point about 3 years ago and honestly, I don't miss it.

I watch the Cowboys most times, and I'll catch the occasional NFL game when it's on, but I don't miss not having Sunday Ticket.

I think what's happened is that feeling like you don't have a horse in the race makes the rest of what's going on in the league less interesting.

I'm much more into college football these days.

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The funny thing is I'm slowly becoming more of a general NFL fan. Despite the Cowboys lackluster play, I actually enjoyed the 2015 NFL season.

Thanks to the free NFL Sunday Ticket that I had, I watched a ton of random games and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself tuning in to a lot of Bills games just to see if Rex's boys could back up his brash talk. I also watched a lot of Cincy and Carolina.

As an aside, you mentioned that you're now becoming more of a college fan....what sport will you migrate to once it becomes apparent that your Longhorns won't pull out of their nosedive?

1bigfan13 said:

After the Thanksgiving game I think I watched maybe 6 quarters of Cowboys football the rest of the year. Primarily due to some key injuries, there was very little entertainment value in watching last year's Cowboys.

Those who faithfully watched every snap of the Weeden/Cassel/Moore era are better men than me. I salute you all.

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Yes sir. ~returning salute~

1bigfan13 said:

The funny thing is I'm slowly becoming more of a general NFL fan. Despite the Cowboys lackluster play, I actually enjoyed the 2015 NFL season.

Thanks to the free NFL Sunday Ticket that I had, I watched a ton of random games and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself tuning in to a lot of Bills games just to see if Rex's boys could back up his brash talk. I also watched a lot of Cincy and Carolina.

As an aside, you mentioned that you're now becoming more of a college fan....what sport will you migrate to once it becomes apparent that your Longhorns won't pull out of their nosedive?

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College is different. The sport itself is more of a spectacle than the NFL game just because there are so many teams and so many styles, and the fans and stadiums make it great. Unlike the NFL that I've lost interest in as the Cowboys have remain stuck in mediocrity, I actually find the entire sport of college football very appealing regardless of what the Longhorns do.

It would be better if they were a contender again, but college football is just so great to watch.

That week 1 schedule will be one of the best in years and I cannot wait for it to start.