The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Cowboys (Page 1 of 51)

All Hail the Jimster!

March 4, 2025 / / 0 Comments

When I was the News and Sports Director at KHLB Radio in the ’90s, I made the 60-minute drive from Marble Falls to St. Edward’s University in Austin at least twice a week in the summers to cover the Dallas Cowboys training camps. The media parking lot was several hundred yards away from the main practice field, but as soon as I parked and opened the door to my truck, I could hear Jimmy.

Jimmy Johnson coached the Cowboys loudly. In your face. Hollering and yelling. Running back and forth between the offensive huddles and the defensive huddles during scrimmages. Exchanging forearm shivers with linemen and expletive-laced insults with the skill players. Banishing kickers to the “asthma field.” Getting down in the grass with running backs and DBs during quickness drills. Both encouraging and lambasting with equal opportunity and fervor. No nonsense. Active. Seemingly coaching every group all over two fields at the same time. Loudly. Standing on the sidelines at these practices, you always knew where Jimmy was and what he was saying. He was omnipresent.

There was never any doubt who was in charge of the Cowboys back then. And Jimmy Johnson was in charge of all of it. He took the Tom Landry – Tex Schramm Cowboys from a franchise-record six-year NFC Championship Game appearance drought to the first of back-to-back Super Bowl wins in just four seasons. They were Jimmy’s players, Jimmy’s coaches, Jimmy’s trades, Jimmy’s draft picks, and Jimmy’s rules.

Following his way-too-short Hall of Fame coaching career, Jimmy spent 31 football seasons on Fox’s NFL Pregame Show. It was obvious to everyone watching that the other Hall of Famers on the program like Bradshaw, Howie, and Strahan, admired and respected Jimmy for his football knowledge and achievements and also loved him for just being a good guy and a great friend. Jimmy has always been great fun to listen to, both from the sidelines at a Cowboys summer practice and from my living room couch on a Sunday afternoon.

The Jimster finally called it quits yesterday. He’s been hinting at retirement for a couple of years now and it became all but certain when Fox Sports rolled out that weird AI-generated video tribute to Johnson during the Super Bowl pre-game show last month. All NFL fans are going to miss him. We’re going to miss him a lot more than he’s going to miss us. Jimmy doesn’t need the spotlight or the schedule; he’s going to be just fine on his fishing boat in Florida. But Sundays  are going to be a little less fun now.

Everything changed for the Cowboys when Jerry Wayne forced Jimmy out after that second straight Super Bowl championship–I don’t need to document it here. Again. But I do recall how different it was on those practice fields at St. Ed’s. It was hard finding Barry Switzer. Where’s the head coach? Which group is he working with? Who is he coaching? Where is he? It would turn into a game sometimes on the sidelines at training camp. Someone would say, “Where’s Barry?” and it would take a good long time for any of us to locate him. Inevitably, someone would spot him, usually sitting in a golf cart signing autographs and taking pictures with young women. During practice.

All hail the Jimster. A wise and humorous, authoritative, and trust-worthy presence for more than 35-years. I wish him the very best.

Peace,

Allan

Delusional in Dallas

January 28, 2025 / / 0 Comments

The Cowboys finally got around to officially introducing their new head coach yesterday and wound up, as usual, accomplishing the opposite of what they surely intended. Instead of announcing to the world that Brian Schottenheimer has what it takes to end the Cowboys 29-year streak of not winning a divisional playoff game, the longest current streak in the NFC by an astounding 14 years, the team brass declared that nothing’s really that wrong.

Most of what was said in the rambling 70-minute press conference served to highlight how Jerry Wayne gets in the way of any legitimate on-the-field success for the Cowboys. Among the many gems was Jerry doubling down on the debunked assertion that he alone is the “best man” to get the Cowboys to the Super Bowl promised land. He confessed again that he always wanted to be a head coach and hinted that he could be now if he wanted. Delusional.

With the new coach sitting right next to him, Jerry admitted that hiring Schottenheimer “is a less than glamorous choice.” He reminded everyone that Schotty has “no head coaching experience, not even high school!” And he strangely got defensive against the criticism that this is a safe hire, that he doesn’t like to take chances, by declaring that promoting Schottenheimer “is the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life.” Again, Schottenheimer was sitting at the same table!

Jerry also compared Schottenheimer to Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, the last guys to win divisional playoff games with Dallas, as coaches who had never done it at the NFL level before Jerry gave them a chance. Yeah, but Jimmy and Switzer had won national championships at the elite college level. It’s not really apples to apples. It’s more like apples to hamsters. Delusional.

The most glaring thing to me during yesterday’s announcement was the answer Jerry gave to the very first question. The Cowboys owner was asked what qualities Schottenheimer possessed that led to his getting the job. Jerry said it was Brian’s ability to defer. He rambled for a couple of minutes about watching Schotty bite his lip to defer to Mike McCarthy, watching him hold back and do it McCarthy’s way when he disagreed and felt like a different way was better. That’s what Jerry admires about the new coach, his ability to defer. In other words, nothing is changing.

The thing that seems to have upset Cowboys fans the most and hilariously amused the media and Cowboy haters was when Stephen Jones was asked about evaluating the state of the Cowboys. He used his right hand to make air quotes when he referred to “this drought that people say we’re in, in terms of a championship game or a Super Bowl.” Air quotes?!? If 29-years without winning a single divisional playoff game isn’t a drought, then we have no idea what that word means. The Cowboys never went more than six years between NFC Championship Game appearances before Jerry bought the team. The Cowboys appeared in twelve NFL or NFC Championship Games under Tex Schramm and Tom Landry. Yes, twenty-nine years counts as a drought! It’s not something the media made up. It’s not a gray area that can be debated. It’s math. And time. It’s numbers and scores and calendars. It’s completely objective. It’s delusional for Stephen to question that or make light of that.

As an aside, Stephen was introduced by the Cowboys PR man yesterday as executive vice president and co-owner of the Cowboys; that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that. When did that happen? Again, more evidence that things are not going to change. With these Cowboys, “owner” means “GM.”

The bottom line is that Jerry hires coaches who have no other options. No other suitors. No other opportunities. Nobody else wants them. They’re thankful for the opportunity and they’re obligated to the man who gave it to them when nobody else would. All of them. Count them, every one of them, from Barry Switzer and Chan Gailey and Jason Garrett to Dave Campo and Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips and Mike McCarthy. And now Schotty. Nothing’s changed.

The only new development is that now a coach with no options has walked away. Mike McCarthy has no other options and he walked away from Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. He’d rather have no job than the one in Frisco. That’s a new development–rather shocking when you think about it. But now everything’s fixed. Jerry knows Schotty’s next-door-neighbor. He talked to Pete Carroll. Dak’s on board. Delusional.

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Look what was waiting for me in the kitchen when I got home after the elders meeting last night: the brand new Blackberry Dr Pepper! And it is really, really good! The berry flavor is very strong, much stronger than what I remember with the old Berries n Cream DP. The smell hit my face as soon as I popped the top. And sweet. It’s very sweet. Delicious! I believe it runs a strong second to the coconut DP they gave us for like three weeks last May. I highly recommend the Blackberry Dr Pepper. Especially after an elders meeting.

Peace,

Allan

8 Down, 492 to Go

January 25, 2025 / / 0 Comments

During the NFL meetings in March 1994, Jerry Wayne famously said, “Any of 500 coaches could win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys.” Then he parted ways with his back-to-back Super Bowl champion coach, Jimmy Johnson, and hired Barry Switzer off his couch in Norman. When Switzer won Super Bowl XXX with Jimmy’s roster and assistants two seasons later, the owner saw it as vindication of his hubris. But, 29 seasons later, the Cowboys still haven’t even won a single divisional playoff game.

Jerry has now hired his 8th coach since he made that memorable late night / early morning quote to reporters in that Orlando hotel bar. The king of optimizing maximum media attention allowed the news to become official at 9:00 on Friday night, giving us all a clue as to how he himself feels about the hire.

Brian Schottenheimer is a career assistant, spending 24 years in the NFL, mostly as an offensive coordinator. He was brought to Dallas as a consultant in 2022, but Mike McCarthy made him the offensive coordinator the following season when Kellen Moore left for Philly. He never called the plays–that was McCarthy’s job–but he reportedly was key to the team’s record-setting offensive numbers in 2023.

Still, nobody’s ever offered a head coaching job to Schottenheimer. He’s never even interviewed for one. My understanding is that he was only contacted one time in his whole career for a head coaching job, by the Bills in 2010, while he was assisting Rex Ryan with the Jets. Schottenheimer declined the request. That was 15 years ago. Nobody’s looked his way since. And, as we all know, that’s how Jerry works. He only hires head coaches nobody else wants. He’s never been in a bidding war for a head coach. Nobody’s ever lining up to interview the guys Jerry eventually hires. Jerry only hires assistants from within or former head coaches who are currently out of work.

Of course, I have lots of questions. If Schottenheimer is going to run the same offense for Dak’s sake, why didn’t Jerry just stay with McCarthy? Jerry only offered McCarthy a one-year extension, but Schottenheimer is reportedly signing a four-year contract. Is it about money? Jerry is certainly no fan of paying big money for coaches. Was McCarthy becoming a bit too popular in the locker room? Does Jerry believe Schottenheimer is better than McCarthy? Are Cowboys fans to believe that Schottenheimer is going to provide something new? Is he going to be better than McCarthy at game management and clock management in his first year ever as a head coach? Are we to suppose that Schottenheimer has had new and innovative schemes to get the Cowboys over the top, but McCarthy just refused to use them?

I have even more questions about the search process. Evidently Jerry went into the last week of the lost season with no plan. He completely missed the bye week window to interview the two hottest coaching commodities, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. And he wouldn’t wait three more days to interview them after the conference championship games tomorrow? He never talked to Mike Vrabel. He didn’t interview Kliff Kingsbury. Jerry and McCarthy parted ways four days after the owner refused to let the Bears interview him. It seems to me the whole search process was a sham. The Cowboys only talked to five candidates, while the other teams on the hunt spoke to nearly twenty each! Conor Orr has written an excellent piece for Sports Illustrated about what the Schottenheimer hire, and the interview process, says to Cowboys fans. I highly recommend it.

There’s chatter out there that Jason Witten might be joining Schottenheimer’s staff as an assistant coach. That also feels like a very Jerry thing to do, like hiring Jason Garrett to work under Wade Phillips, grooming him as the easy hire if things go south.

With the Washington Deadskins playing in tomorrow’s NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys now own the longest active drought of NFC title game appearances. It’s been 29 years since Dallas won a divisional playoff game. The Bears have the second-longest streak at 14 years–a huge 15 year gap between worst and next-to-worst.

Cowboys fans keep telling me that they’re in the same category as the 49ers and Packers and Eagles. Ha! Since the Cowboys last won a divisional playoff game, 29 years ago, the 49ers and the Packers have each been to eight championship games and three Super Bowls. The Eagles have played in nine championship games in the past 29 years and might be heading to their fourth Super Bowl. Shoot, even the Giants have been to three Super Bowls during this time frame and won two of them! In fact, since that ’95 season, every NFC team but Washington and Dallas has appeared in multiple championship games. Multiple! At least two! Even the Carolina Panthers have been twice! And by the looks of things, the Washington team is going to get there again before Dallas does.

Someone tweeted last night that finding out the Cowboys have hired Brian Schottenheimer is like getting socks for Christmas. Yeah, maybe. But I’d add that it’s like getting socks from the disconnected aunt who always gives you socks. Every time. Always a disappointment, but never a surprise.

Jerry famously said any of 500 coaches could win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys. The truth is that as long as Jerry is in charge, none of them can even win a divisional playoff game.

Peace,

Allan

Coincidence or Strategy?

January 21, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Dan Snyder owned the Washington Redskins / Commanders for 25 seasons, from 1999-2023. And they were horrible. Washington recorded only six winning seasons during that quarter of a century and did not win a single divisional playoff game in that time. They changed owners this past offseason. The NFL basically forced Snyder to sell his team after a long track record of club mismanagement and personal misconduct. Josh Harris bought the team over the summer. In this first season of Harris’ ownership, Washington drastically improved from 4-13 to 12-5, plus two playoff wins and a spot in this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

They changed owners.

And, in one season, they are now playing in their first conference title game in 33 years.

Just sayin’.

Peace,

Allan

Of Course He Called Deion First!

January 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments

In the immediate wake of Jerry’s parting with Mike McCarthy and the somehow believable news that the Cowboys owner has contacted Deion Sanders about filling his head coaching vacancy, there are many more questions out there than answers. The unknowns will all be revealed in due time–after a year or two of sitting on his couch, McCarthy will get around to writing his book. For now, amid all the speculation and guessing, there are a few truths we already know:

~ Jerry went into the final week of the season having no coaching plan for 2025. He denied the Bears an interview with McCarthy, missed the first round bye window to interview anyone with the Chiefs or Lions, and then four days later lost McCarthy and his entire coaching staff. If he’s going to contact any assistants with Detroit or K.C., he has to wait now until those teams are eliminated, possibly another month. If he wanted Vrabel or Belichick, he waited too long. If he really wanted McCarthy to stay, he should have determined a month ago if he could get him for the minimum wage one-year contract that was reportedly offered. That’s a man without a plan.

~ Jerry tried to sign McCarthy to another one-year deal. The exact terms haven’t been verified by McCarthy or the Cowboys organization, so that may not be absolute truth. What is indisputable truth is that Jerry went into the 2024 season with a head coach in whom he had no confidence–McCarthy and every assistant were on the final year of their deals. And Jerry’s plan was to do it again in 2025. He tried to sign McCarthy to another one-year contract! Who does that? And why would you hire a guy who would take it? And how would you ever sell that as exciting news to Cowboys fans?

~ Jerry called Deion Sanders the moment McCarthy walked. Coach Prime has already confirmed the phone call and the conversation–he can’t help it. We know that the Cowboys owner contacted his former shut-down corner within just a few minutes of negotiations breaking down with McCarthy. This is the way Jerry Wayne rolls. This is how he thinks and how he operates.

Hiring Deion would be the most Jerry thing Jerry could do. Has there ever been an owner in any sport who hogs the spotlight like Jerry? Has there ever been a player in any sport who self-promotes like Sanders? These two are made for each other. It’s happening. It’s the only thing that could have ever happened. You think the Cowboys thing is a crazy spectacle now? You think the Cowboys are focused solely on grabbing headlines and being culturally relevant and making money? You think what happens on the field always takes a back seat to what happens with Jerry’s endless promotions and marketing experiments and roster and playbook meddling? Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The circus is just beginning.

Three rings. That used to mean Super Bowls to Jerry. Now it means a big top and a car full of clowns.

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I said the Longhorns would have to play a perfect game against Ohio State Friday to advance to the college football national championship game and I outlined six things that had to happen. Four of the six things did not.

Instead of Texas scoring first, Ohio State got the game’s first points on a touchdown. Instead of zero turnovers, Texas had three. Instead of combining for 130 yards rushing, Wisner and Blue ran for 62. Instead of Ewers attempting fewer than 35 passes, he made 39 throws. The only things that went the Longhorns’ way was that they committed less than six penalties (5), and they held Jeremiah Smith to under 110-yards receiving (one catch for three yards–remarkable).

I know Quinn has the passion and the work ethic, I know he has the pedigree and the history, and I know he has grown as a quarterback and as a person. But I think we’re all ready for the Arch Manning era to begin in Austin.

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With the Longhorns loss, our annual GCR Staff Bowl Challenge is over. I am pleased to announce that Ashlee Hill, one of our supremely gifted children’s ministers, ran away with the top prize. Ashlee correctly picked the winner of 14 of the 17 selected bowl games and had Texas and Penn State in the Final Four. Jim Tuttle, our experienced and wise Spiritual Formation Minister, finished a distant runner-up, a full 23-points behind Ashlee. The rest of us finished somewhere between them and Cory Legg, our talented Worship Minister, who, I think, has figured out a way to intentionally finish in last place. It wasn’t even close!

Peace,

Allan

Run It Back

January 6, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I’m making the call right now: Mike McCarthy will be back next season as the coach of the Cowboys. He shouldn’t be. Of course not. But Jerry’s painted himself into such a corner now, he really doesn’t have a choice.

If I had told you before the 2020 season that in five years as the Cowboys coach, McCarthy’s record would be 49-35, with two seasons of double-digit losses, and the team still would not have won a divisional playoff game, would you view that as a success? No. Neither would Jerry. He brought McCarthy in to win playoff games and compete for Super Bowls. But his five years look almost exactly like Jason Garrett’s last four years: 40-24, with no divisional playoff wins.

Nothing’s changed.

The problem here is Jerry Wayne. We all know this. But Jerry’s not going anywhere, so we talk about the coaches.

Jerry has spent all his money on two players: Dak and Lamb. In the next couple of months, whatever’s left of his money will go to Micah Parsons. He’s bet everything on this trio of superstars getting him to the Promised Land, but the window is quickly closing. The surgically repaired Prescott is entering his tenth season as the Cowboys quarterback. Firing McCarthy and bringing in a brand new coach with a brand new staff and a brand new scheme would mean starting over with a two or three year process and Jerry simply doesn’t have that much time. Giving NFL record-money to an oft-injured 31-year-old quarterback who’s never won a divisional playoff game wasn’t smart. But he’s stuck with him now and running it back with McCarthy is his only choice.

Plus, he can keep McCarthy for cheap. McCarthy is reportedly making $8-million per season, about half of what their teams pay Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh, and Sean McVay. With no other teams lining up to sign McCarthy, Jerry can leverage his coach into the middle of the pay scale and save money to sign Parsons.

I’m not sure how you excite the fan base for 2025 by bringing McCarthy back, especially when we know, because of the money crunch, it’ll be another offseason of limited free agent signings. This really is going to be a “run it back” and hope all your guys who are one year older won’t get hurt again. Again.

I did about five minutes of research this morning that resulted in a sobering truth. In the first 29 years of the franchise, when Landry and Tex Schramm ran the whole operation and the owner stayed in the background, the Cowboys suffered only three seasons of double-digit losses. That first 0-11-1 season when Dallas played without the benefit of a draft, the fourth season in franchise history, and Landry’s last in 1988–three times in 29-years. It’s been 29-years since the Cowboys won a divisional playoff game. During that time, Dallas has racked up a whopping nine seasons of double-digit losses and McCarthy has presided over two of them. The current General Manager has overseen all nine of them.

Jerry only knows how to sign two kinds of coaches: unemployed ones and ones from within the organization. He has no desire to gamble on a dynamic name from another team or to participate in a bidding war for the next young hotshot coordinator. Not that it matters. The coach is not the issue in Dallas. For three decades now, the coach is not the problem. So, yeah, Jerry, you’ve been talking yourself into it now for two months. Run it back.

Peace,

Allan

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