As you have all heard by now I am sure, the Pac-Man experiment is officially over! Jerry and Cowboy bashing is at it’s peak now! My question is why? I was highly in favor of bringing him here, as were many Cowboy followers. We all new the risks involved with this deal, so why when the deal does not work out (like we all new it would) are we now going to bash brass for pulling the trigger? Pac-Man did not destroy the locker room, losing and mentally weak individuals destroyed this locker room.
This was a very worthwhile opportunity that the Cowboys had to take a chance on. Unfortunately it did not work out! The Cowboys and Jerry Jones had everything to gain and nothing to lose in this deal. Lets look at what Dallas gave up to get Jones.The Cowboys sent a 4th round pick in last years draft and that is it. The Cowboys signed Jones to a 4 year 13.3 million contract with oh by the way no guaranteed money plus will receive a 5th round pick from Tennessee this year. So when the Cowboys release him they will have a salary cap hit of ZERO! Yes I know what your thinking, we wasted a 4th round pick on him, well lets see who was available in that spot.
Tennessee used that pick and drafted LaVelle Hawkins a 5’11” 187lbs. WR from California. Here is his stats from the year. Looks like he was slightly better than Pacman in Kick off returns (that is not saying much) and had very little to do with the offense. With the 28th pick the Colts selected Jacob Tamme a 6’3″ 236lbs. TE from Kentucky and here is what he did this year. He was not an option for us as we had already drafted Bennett. Then St.Louis with the 29th pick selected Keenan Burton a 6’0″ 201lbs. WR from Kentucky. Here are his stats on the year. Nothing to get overly excited about and lets be honest he was in the perfect place to play, and only managed to get into 11 games. The next two players selected were a Johnathan Wilhite a DB from Auburn, and Tony Hills an OT from Texas. Here are Wilhite’s numbers and Hills was on the practice squad all year. Also the Cowboys will even have a million dollars more to work with under the 2009 salary cap due to cutting Adam Jones! So when you boil this thing down, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys took a very calculated chance on a bonehead to try and make this team better. Is this not what we all want? Do we not all wish for our teams to do everything they can to make the team better?
If, and I realize that was a huge if, but if he had of straightened up and kept his nose clean. He would have been able to play all year long, and our secondary would have been better! Is he a dominant corner? NO, but he can play! He did lead the team in pass deflections. He was an awful punt returner this year, that can partially be contributed to how terrible the special teams units were.
I have heard that the outlook people have on the Cowboys is that they will take a chance on anyone, no matter the character, who COULD help them win games! This is said as a bad mark against them. I strongly disagree! I want my teams to bring in anyone who can help win games. I do not care one bit about what kind of person they are. Michael Irvin was one of the greatest receivers the Cowboys have ever had, but the guy also STABBED HIS TEAMMATE IN THE NECK! No one cared because the Cowboys were winning games! You can not have it both ways, either you want to win and will accept whoever and whatever they do to win or you want to win with only NICE GUYS!
Jerry should be commended on the way he approached this deal, not ridiculed! You and I all asked for serious upgrades to the secondary and Jerry delivered. He drafted exceptionally well, and then took a calculated risk on a possible impact player! What else do you want? The deal did not work and now he is gone! Its over let it go! Jerry gets blasted for every move he makes no matter how good or bad it is, and its ridiculous. I will be the first to admit he has done some stupid things, but lets give the guy some credit too, he has always learned from his mistakes and at least attempted to make them right. It is amazing to me that in the 20 years that Jerry has owned the team he has not done one thing right! Everything good done here since he has owned the team has been because of someone else and in spite of Jerry. This is completely untrue, and very unfair! Jimmy Johnson was brought here by Jerry and had success in large part thanks to Jerry. Jimmy was the one who was preaching team first to the players and coaches. Then when an opportunity came up for one of his coaches to interview for a head coaching job, simply pushed them aside and interviewed for the job himself behind everyone’s back. Jimmy is the one who chose to leave! Jerry did not make him leave! Yet Jerry is the one blamed for the demise of the team. Jerry hires Bill Parcells and let go of the steering wheel more than he ever has before, and the team remains average and he still takes all the blame! I hate to tell you all this but this team that we have now was built by Bill Parcells, character flaws and all, minus T.O. So all the complaining we do about players on this team having a lack of heart and motor, should be directed more towards Bill rather than Jerry.
These players are highly skilled but are mentally weak and will only play for someone who treats them like trash. Wait a minute that’s right they would not play for that guy either! This collection of players have never played better than they did last year for Wade Phillips, yet he and Jerry are blasted for it! WAKE UP! Some of these guys will never be more than they are right now! So thank the greatest talent evaluator to ever walk the earth for that, don’t blame Jerry!
This was a good move by the Cowboys and Jerry Jones that did not work out. Time to move on and continue to work on the problems. This is what Jerry will do, I have no doubt in my mind about that. I also have no doubt that everyone will continue to blame Jerry. He will never gain the respect of the Cowboy fans, and that is a shame.
