THE STATE OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS - RICHARD "COMMON SENSE" WALKER - OCTOBER 15, 2010

THE STATE OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS!

Written by: Richard "Common Sense" Walker 
Date posted: 10/15/2010

As my friends and followers all know, I am an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys franchise, but there comes a point in which common sense has to take precedence over personal preference. That being said, let me grudgingly state that the Dallas Cowboys franchise is in complete shambles right now, and it extends beyond the current state of affairs and a 1-3 record.

Some of my fellow Cowboy fans still seem to think that the star is invincible, that the five Super Bowl titles that the franchise owns entitles it to be mediocre and the rest of the league is at it's mercy despite how dysfunctional they are on the field. I'm calling bullshit on you, front running Cowboys fans.

This franchise is in trouble well beyond this season. "Hire Cowher", "Hire Gruden"...I hear that crap all the time and it rings in ears like the after effects of nails on the chalkboard. Hiring any of those coaches right now is a step in the right direction, but these guys did not achieve success on their own; they were in systems that allowed them to maximize their talents, and that was a part of their success - ask any of them and they will tell you that their General Managers played a huge role in their success.

Of course, as usual people are calling for the firing of Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett and there are even chants of benching/trading Tony Romo. These individuals are not the entire problem, rather their performance is the byproduct of a much larger problem.

The largest part of the problem's name is Jerry Jones. Jerry is a charismatic owner who has since the end of the "Glory Years" in the 90's where they won three Super Bowls in four years has consistently overpromised and underdelivered. Super Bowl teams are built in the General Manager's office, and that position is the most important in the franchise.

Unfortunately, it is currently occupied on a part time basis by Jones, who spends most of his days star-gazing about the world's largest viagra pill, better known as Cowboys Stadium instead of getting a football mind to build the infrastructure for success on the field. Don't get me wrong, Jones does an excellent job of "selling the brand" and convincing everyone that this team is the best in the business every year, but the fact of the matter is that their talent has been greatly overstated for several years.

In my opinion cleaning up this franchise is actually more complicated than turning around some of the struggling franchises, like Tampa Bay, St. Louis or Cleveland. Why do you ask? I'll tell you why - those teams do not have to rebuild a paradigm.

They suffer from a lack of talent, which can be addressed through the draft, trades, and free agency. It's much easier to make personnel moves and put the right people into place for success, but what the Cowboys have is the inverse, they have enough talent to win consistently but their SYSTEM is broken, that can only be addressed by a change in LEADERSHIP. To fix this team, here is what I think needs to happen:



1. Jerry Jones needs to immediately surrender the General Manger duties and hire someone who has the talent and experience to build a Super Bowl-caliber franchise. This individual is the leader of the franchise and his authority should not be challenged by Jones.

2. The coaching staff needs to be totally revamped, but you cannot hire a new coach or fire Phillips until you address the GM position. As crazy as it sounds, Wade might actually be successful in the right system. The league is a "what have you done for me lately" system, so obviously Wade won't have a good response to that, but with the right GM Wade might find his place; see the Tom Coughlin story as an example of a struggling coach who succeeded with the right system. The General Manager is responsible for creating an identity for the team. A series of questions have to be answered by the GM - what are our values? What is it about us that makes us successful? Are we going to be a finesse team or a smash-mouth type team? How are we going to deal with our players, are we going to get talented players to build around, or are we going to build a system and pick players who can deliver on what the responsibilities of each role consists of?

3. Cease marketing the "old stuff". If this team is going to create a new identity, then it's time to hang up Emmitt, Troy, Irving, Staubach, and Tony Dorsett's jerseys for good. This franchise spends too much time dwelling on the past than taking care of the present and planning for the future.

4. Take an "inventory" of the players and make moves to fit the philosophy set forth by the GM. If the player does not fit into the system then get rid of him, only acquire people that are a fit, and do not fall into the trap of playing "fantasy football" with real players (Roy Williams trade for example).


5. Set realistic expectations with your fans. Obviously, the goal of each franchise should be to win the Superbowl every year. But for crying out loud, if you know that you're dysfunctional in training camp and the pre-season, and take that into the season, then you should know that your chances of winning the big one are not that good. The way that this is conveyed is obviously an art form, but when you see this going on in your locker room and you hear the analysts picking your franchise to win the big one, then attack that perception by clearly stating where the shortcomings are.

I recently debated with some friends on who "America's Team" is, and obviously my answer is still the Dallas Cowboys, and that's because despite their crazy nature, the country still loves that franchise team, and damnit, I do too. But just like any other relationship, if taken for granted the Cowboys will not only continue to lose on the field, they will start to begin to lose at the bank as well.

RICHARD "COMMON SENSE" WALKER
HMW
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