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Jerry Jones called in Tuesday morning- as scheduled- for his weekly radio appearance on flagship station 105.3 The Fan. And the first question he got, naturally, was about last week’s headline-making tirade, when he awkwardly went after the hosts and even seemed to threaten their jobs, all for their prodding regarding the lack of personnel moves made by the front office over the offseason.
“I don’t have anything to say about last week,” the Cowboys owner said…
…And then he went for another seven minutes on the topic.
“I must tell you, I’m surprised that last week got the attention it got.”
The tl;dr version is that Jones isn’t holding a grudge, the hosts aren’t getting fired, and everyone in the long-term relationship understands and expects that there will be tough questions and emotional answers from time to time, because it comes part and parcel with the unique inside exposure that Jones regularly gives to the Dallas media when it comes to the most valuable and recognized sports franchise on the planet.
Yet Jones talked a good bit about some of the controversial decisions he’s made, and why, and which one he might do over if he could.
The 82-year-old billionaire wandered into his past and brought up a few of his greatest-hit stories, like the coin flip that helped determine the final price he’d pay for the team back in 1989.
Oddly, he rehashed that one while trying to explain for the umpteenth time why the Cowboys didn’t pursue free agent running back Derick Henry in the spring. (Jones mentioned Henry twice without ever being prompted; it’s clearly top of mind at the moment.)
“In my mind, we’re not playing very good football right now, at all,” Jones said. “And it’s beyond whether or not we have Derrick Henry or not. Derrick Henry is having a career year. I don’t know if he’d be having that career year in our situation. And that’s really something you really do have to look at, because if he had not had as many carries as our running backs have had, then he certainly probably wouldn’t have attained the level of impact he’s had.”
For what it’s worth, Henry has 134 rushing attempts so far this season for Baltimore. He’s amassed 873 yards through seven games, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
The entire Cowboys team has 133 carries for 463 yards (over six games), a 3.5 per-attempt clip.
“He’s a real good complement to the type of offense they run,” Jones continued of Henry. “We don’t run that type of offense, at all.”
No, they sure don’t. Baltimore has a 5-2 mark, having scored a league-high 31.1 points per outing, while 3-3 Dallas is scoring 21 points per game, worse than all but one other club.
But the offensive approaches aren’t that dissimilar: the Ravens are currently averaging 28.4 passing attempts and 250.6 passing yards per game; the Cowboys are at 39.7 attempts and 259.3 yards. Baltimore is, in fact, running more than the Cowboys- 34.1 attempts per game as opposed to 22.2- but it’s worth noting that many of the Ravens’ “rushes” are scrambles or designed runs by quarterback Lamar Jackson (about 10 per game).
It’s also safe to assume that if Henry were wearing a star on his helmet, there would be a few more runs being called.
Be all of that as it may, Jones claims he has no regrets about not pursuing Henry- because of money, because of fit, because of whatever.
With the team reeling and on the precipice of a complete crash-and-burn, though, Jones spent a lot of his time justifying other past decisions. Over the course of the Q&A, he defended trading wide receiver Amari Cooper for only a fifth-round pick in 2022, despite the fact that Cleveland turned him for a third-rounder just last week.
“We went for the dollars,” Jones explained. “We saved almost $20 million for our cap and the future. We took a lesser draft pick to get that savings. When he made this move the other day, Cleveland went for more draft pick and less savings. It was very simple.”
Cooper has played in 39 games since leaving Dallas. He’s totaled 178 catches for 2,726 yards and 17 touchdowns and made a Pro Bowl. The Cowboys used that fifth-round selection on offensive lineman Matt Waletzko, who- in two and a half pro seasons- has played all of 19 snaps, mostly on special teams.
Yeah, but they did get that cap savings, too.
Jones was willing to admit there was at least one thing he’s gotten wrong over his tenure as owner.
He told 105.3 The Fan that he regrets firing head coach Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season. The Cowboys were just 1-7 when Phillips got the axe and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was named interim head coach. The move turned the season for Dallas; the Cowboys went 5-3 the rest of the way, and Garrett stayed on in the position for another nine seasons.
But Jones pointed out that things worked out for Phillips, too. Just a few years later, Phillips won a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos, a title that, according to many, likely would not have happened without him as Denver’s defensive coordinator.
It was the only time Jones has ever fired a head coach during a season. He’s said he won’t do it again, despite rumors swirling that Mike McCarthy- coaching without a contract beyond 2024- is on borrowed time.
Jones seems more than willing to lie in the bed he’s made- with a lame-duck head coach that he won’t dismiss now because of a 14-year-old regret, with a benchwarming lineman that he won’t admit was too little payment for a Pro Bowl receiver he wanted gone, with a broken running game that he insists is fine because he wants the fanbase to believe the league’s current rushing leader wouldn’t have been a good schematic fit.
And Jones is somehow surprised that his nonsensical radio rantings get the attention they do.