Wade Phillips Fired? Cowboys' Jerry Jones Should Step Down

This blogger has nothing but complete admiration for Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. Mr. Jones took a once-proud franchise and brought it back to Super Bowl glory, building the dynasty of the 90s, winning Super Bowls three times in 1993, 1994, and then 1996.  

But the Cowboys have fallen on hard times in the 21st Century, and in the matter of Wade Phillips, who was fired by Jones today, the real problem remains at the top: Jones himself.

Jones achieved success with Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as head coaches, and the use of an offensive line that was the first majority-African American line, with each player over 300 pounds. The Cowboys used that advantage to build a power running game, and a stretch-the-field Ernie Zampese / Norv Turner passing game. All of this allowed Jerry Jones to look like a genius and be the face of the Dallas Cowboys - a behavior in direct violation of former Cowboys Owner, the late Clint Murchison.

Clint Murchison, or Mr. Murchison, did something that arguably established the organizational stability around which the Dallas Cowboys were originally built. In 1964 Mr. Murchison signed then young Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry, their first, to a 10 year contract. And he did this as the Cowboys first four years were totally awful, starting 0-11-1, and the next three years with no more than five wins a season.

Clint Murchison, who believed in hiring experts and stepping out of the way, left management of the Dallas Cowboys to the NFL's first well-known tripplets: Coach Landry, General Manager Tex Schramm, and Vice President of Player Personnel Gil Brandt.  That group produced the NFL's longest winning streak, the best winning percentage in the NFL, and a mark of success that stands largely unchallenged today.

Jerry Jones Fires Wade Phillips

Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips because he didn't see a positive future for the organization on the field after the Cowboys were pasted 45 to 7 by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.  Jones took the action after saying he would not make any decisions until after the season.  That Jones went against his own statement and bowed to media pressure is but one example of why he should remove himself from the title of "General Manager" of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jerry Jones' constant meddling with the organization has produced a climate of "win-now-or-else" which flies in the face of the actions one takes to create organizational stability.  Moreover, Mr. Jones is not a "system guy," and seems to have almost an aversion to developing system-based organizations.

None of his head coaches are known for creating innovative schemes or coherent organizational structures.  Indeed, the very placement of Jerry Jones at the general manager helm eliminates the development of such organizational systems and the selection of "system coaches."  In other words, coaches that are known for innovations on offense and defense.

One could go a step further and assert that such a coach would have a name that would overshadow that of "Jerry Jones" and Jones may not like that.  In fact, there's ample evidence to back such a claim in how Jones got along with Jimmy Johnson in the years before Jimmy left the Cowboys.

The best episode was told by Sports Illustrated's Peter King in 1994.  Jones simply had to be part of the action, even if he didn't know what he was doing in terms of running the organization. Consider this damning paragraph:

The day before the 1992 NFL draft, the Dallas brain-trust—Johnson, Jones and Ackles—formulated a trade to offer the Cleveland Browns. Late that day, after Jones had left the office, Cleveland coach Bill Belichick called back to say he would do the deal, and the Cowboys announced it. On draft day Jones came to the office upset that he hadn't been called when the deal was confirmed, and he asked to see Johnson. Their meeting droned on until, with only five minutes left before the start of the draft, Jones told Johnson, "You know the ESPN camera is in the draft room today. So whenever we're about to make a pick, you look at me, like we're talking about it." In other words, Make me look as if I'm a big player here, even though we all know I'm not making the picks.

Jerry Jones inability to recognize when feeding his ego becomes a problem, is the problem. It's why Jerry Jones must, with all deliberate speed, fire himself as General Manager of The Dallas Cowboys. Otherwise, Dallas will never achieve Super Bowl level success, perhaps for decades.