JJT: It's obvious Stephen is running the show now

Cotton

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Heat is on to replace DeMarco Murray
Stephen Jones can't afford to miss after Cowboys let NFL's leading rusher walk

Updated: March 12, 2015, 4:10 PM ET
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- The illusion that Jerry Jones is running these Dallas Cowboys is over. Oh, Jerry remains the face of the franchise, but it's Stephen Jones who's in charge these days.

That's why DeMarco Murray no longer wears a blue star on the side of his helmet.

In the old days, Jerry would've given Murray a blank check during the season and he'd be in the south of France sipping on a mimosa this time of year. Instead, Murray spent Thursday negotiating with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Cowboys' NFC East rival.

Stephen Jones, though, has always been the responsible one. Sure, he signed off on some of those bad contracts the Cowboys gave players in the past, but Jerry was the point man on many of those deals. Stephen simply acquiesced.

Those of us who've covered the team for years have heard the story countless times about how Stephen slammed his father up against the wall in 1995, when Jerry was putting together a deal that would pay star cornerback Deion Sanders $35 million over seven years and give him $12.9 million to sign.

Well, Stephen no longer acquiesces.

He didn't go along with Jerry's thoughts about drafting Johnny Manziel in the first round last season, and he didn't go along with any thoughts of paying Murray more than the club felt he was worth after completing myriad studies.

And if that meant losing Murray to the Eagles, then so be it. History suggests Murray will fall apart physically over the next couple of seasons based on his historic workload last season, and Stephen Jones didn't want the Cowboys stuck with a player who couldn't live up to his big-money contract.

Frankly, that's the way smart organizations do business. New England has operated that way for years, and it's worked well for them. We're just not used to the Cowboys operating that way.

Now, the pressure is on Jones and Will McClay, the director of pro and college scouting, to find an adequate replacement for Murray.

Don't lie to yourself and believe the poppycock that the Cowboys can put any dude behind their offensive line and he'll produce 1,845 yards and 12 100-yard games like Murray did last season. No one with any sense expected Murray to have that kind of season in 2015. That was a once-in-a-lifetime season by a really good runner, but he could certainly gain 1,400 yards and average 4.4 per carry in 2015.

What you have to understand is Murray did more than tote the ball and gain yards for the Cowboys. He gave them an identity they haven't had in years.

Murray is the reason Tony Romo didn't feel the need to frequently check out of run plays on third-and-short. Murray is the reason coach Jason Garrett became bold late in the season, going for it on fourth-and-1. Playcaller Scott Linehan believed in Murray so much that he called enough run plays to keep the defense off the field and fresh so it could perform way above its pedigree.

If Romo were 25, then finding Murray's replacement wouldn't be such a big deal. But Romo will be 35 when the season starts, and reality says he has only two or three seasons left as an elite player. Wasting a year because the Cowboys couldn't find an adequate replacement for Murray would be an unforgivable sin.

The Cowboys don't want Romo feeling like he has to carry the offense -- and team -- again. We've seen that story, and it has never ended well.

Plenty of options exist for the Cowboys, but they can't screw this up.

Adrian Peterson might be available, but he's still property of the Minnesota Vikings. Maybe Ryan Mathews will be available since Philadelphia chose not to sign him, but he's considerably more fragile than Murray.

Then there's the draft. This is supposed to be the best draft for running backs in years, but none comes with a guarantee.

Georgia's Todd Gurley will be recovering from a torn ACL, and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon must prove he's not the beneficiary of a terrific offensive line. They're probably the only two players worth taking in the first round. Miami's Duke Johnson, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah, Minnesota's David Cobb and Indiana's Tevin Coleman are each intriguing, but until they arrive, we know nothing about the level of their toughness or whether they can handle blitz pickups at the NFL level.

The Cowboys made a business decision. So did Murray. No blame needs to be assigned, but the decisions each man made has removed any doubt about the Cowboys' hierarchy: Stephen Jones is in charge.

For that, you should rejoice -- unless, of course, Murray's replacement is a bust.
 

NoDak

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And if that meant losing Murray to the Eagles, then so be it. History suggests Murray will fall apart physically over the next couple of seasons based on his historic workload last season, and Stephen Jones didn't want the Cowboys stuck with a player who couldn't live up to his big-money contract.
 

dallen

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The easy decision is to bring the player back. If he fails most people will blame the player. If you let him go and fail to find a replacement then the blame falls on the GM.
 

DLK150

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It's pretty obvious that Stephen has more pull recently and while some fans were worried he would be a clone of his daddeh, that doesn't seem to be the case. I think we're so used to being involved in the early frenzy that it's almost to be expected. I'm frustrated to a degree by the lack of involvement because there are some players that could have been had for reasonable contracts signing elsewhere but I'm glad we're not just whipping out the checkbook and asking "How much is enough?" or getting into a bidding war.
 

VA Cowboy

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I think there's no doubt about it. The last couple of drafts since the Claiborne debacle seem to have been a turning point. There's no way many of the decisions made the last couple of seasons would've been done if Jerry was still large and in charge. Obviously things changed with Lacewell and Switzer and the likes not in his ear. But Stephen has definitely been given a larger role along with Garrett, Will Clay, etc. and it hasn't even taken Jerry being 86'd for it to happen.
 

Cotton

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DeMarco Murray’s departure proves it’s Stephen Jones’ team

BY CLARENCE E. HILL JR.
CHILL@STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
03/12/2015 2:27 PM 03/12/2015 11:19 PM

The Dallas Cowboys won the game of Texas Hold’em with DeMarco Murray.

They didn’t blink. They stuck to their hard line.

Sure, they lost the NFL’s leading rusher in the process, as Murray chose the greener pastures of Philadelphia, accepting the Eagles’ five-year, $42 million contract.

But the Cowboys stood on principle and won the battle for their financial bottom line. What that will mean on the field next season remains to be seen.

But what it means for the Cowboys more than ever is that this is Stephen Jones’ team.

Jerry Jones still carries the title of owner/general manager. He remains the face of the franchise. But it’s his son, Stephen, the vice president of player personnel, who is making the final decisions.

This changing of the guard became increasingly evident last season when it was Stephen who attended every practice instead of the elder Jones, which was a change.

Just think about it. If Jerry Jones were in charge, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray would have been locked up with big deals long ago. Heck, Johnny Manziel would have been the team’s top pick a year ago.

But it was Stephen, along with scouting czar Will McClay and coach Jason Garrett, who talked Jerry off the proverbial Manziel ledge during the 2014 NFL Draft.

If truth be told, Stephen’s influence began taking hold a few months earlier when the Cowboys decided to part ways with defensive end DeMarcus Ware and let defensive tackle Jason Hatcher walk in free agency.

The Ware move was tough for Jerry Jones, who loathes letting future Hall of Famers leave. But Stephen was all about making the team fiscally solvent and financially accountable.

The days of Miles Austin and Marion Barber getting paid for one big year of service are long gone. And apparently, so too, is the idea of giving even the deserving players whatever they want, no matter the cap repercussions.

Bryant’s situation — he was given the franchise tag as the team tries to work out a long-term deal — falls under the latter. Murray falls under the former.

The Cowboys didn’t come lightly to the decision to hardball Murray. They did their homework. They studied the analytics. They charted his every touch from the day he came into the league as a third-round pick in 2011 and compared it to other top backs. They took into account the declining production of backs as they age.

And while they wanted Murray to return, they came up with a number they wouldn’t come off of when it came to his worth.

The number would have been “fungible” in the mind of the elder Jones, who as late as last month said he would exceed his budget to keep Murray. Too bad for Murray that Stephen is the new gatekeeper at Valley Ranch.

Jerry Jones likes to tell the story of Stephen throwing him against the wall in 1995 when he decided to give Deion Sanders a then-record $35 million contract, including a $12.9 million signing bonus.

Of course, we all know Jerry dusted himself off and signed Sanders anyway.

Stephen doesn’t have to use force to keep his dad in check anymore. It’s Stephen who is writing the checks.
 

Cotton

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Is anyone else afraid that the more this is talked about the more it may make Jerry do something outrageous just to prove he is still making the decisions?
 

L.T. Fan

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Is anyone else afraid that the more this is talked about the more it may make Jerry do something outrageous just to prove he is still making the decisions?
That is very likely.
 

VA Cowboy

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Funny how Jerry gets "executive of the year" based on Stephen / Garrett running the show. Just like with Jimmy and Parcells, we're better when he's not running things yet he and others still try to give him the credit.
 

NoDak

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Funny how Jerry gets "executive of the year" based on Stephen / Garrett running the show. Just like with Jimmy and Parcells, we're better when he's not running things yet he and others still try to give him the credit.
And not one single fuck was given.
 

Genghis Khan

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Is anyone else afraid that the more this is talked about the more it may make Jerry do something outrageous just to prove he is still making the decisions?
:lol I thought that very same thing.
 

ravidubey

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The truth his Dallas wanted Murray but know his best days just happened in 2014. It's sad, and I wish Murray had been healthier early during his career.

But we all saw how beat up he looked by the end of the year.

Dallas needs multiple strong options to carry them through the entire season.

D-Mac is a complete waste of time. Dallas needs a high draft pick, and I guess they'll have to also pray for improbable success from Williams and Randle.
 

dallen

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What if Stephen isn't smarter than Jerry? What if he is just a cheap asshole?
 

boozeman

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Is anyone else afraid that the more this is talked about the more it may make Jerry do something outrageous just to prove he is still making the decisions?
McFadden proved it.
 

DLK150

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Maybe the McFadden signing is a "placate" Jerrah move. Signing him to a relatively cheap, low potential cap hit doesn't even guarantee that he'll stick. Is this Jerrah saying "We're signing McFadden" or is this Stephen tossing daddeh a bone to make sure he still feels he has a voice.

It's kind of hard to tell without knowing just how much of a power shift has occurred, assuming it has.
 

p1_

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Hell DMac might not even make the squad.
 

boozeman

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Hell DMac might not even make the squad.
He will be here. Your normal WGAS signing does not get a special little contract signing session with the owner.
 

E_D_Guapo

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He will be here. Your normal WGAS signing does not get a special little contract signing session with the owner.
A special little contract signing session with the owner who was looking super cool in a black leather jacket.

:jerry
 

Carp

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The McFadden signing frees us up to not have to be so locked into a RB at 27. I really don't think they signed him with the intention of him being the primary back. Stephen had those numbers showing the decline of RBs at McFadden's age, so he is clearly just a part of the RB puzzle.
 
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