Sunday, November 7, 2004
Jones keeps America's team on cutting edge
By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer
Jerry Jones has won 130 regular-season games and three Super Bowls since buying the Dallas Cowboys on Feb. 25, 1989.
But he arrived in Cincinnati on Saturday, in preparation for the game today between the Cowboys and Bengals, with perhaps his biggest victory fresh in his pocket.
On Tuesday, 55 percent of voters in Arlington, Texas, voted to help finance a $650 million retractable-roof stadium that all but assures the Cowboys will begin playing there in 2009.
|
FIRST DOWN
|
|
Been here before
The Bengals are 2-5, and a victory would make them 3-5 for a second consecutive season.
But what a difference a year makes in terms of expectations. The Bengals were 3-5 last season after losing 17-14 at Arizona on Nov. 2. But that 3-5 felt more optimistic and hopeful than 3-5 would feel this year.
This Bengals team, beset by injuries and depending on inexperience, doesn't appear capable of winning four in a row and five of six and putting itself in the playoff race.
America's team
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer followed the Cowboys as a child, and his favorite player was Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman.
Bengals tight end Matt Schobel grew up and still lives in Columbus, Texas, where, he says, his peers grew up rooting for either the Cowboys or the former Houston Oilers.
Schobel and his brother, Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel, liked the Cowboys.
"I was just kind of born into it," said Matt Schobel, who turned 26 Thursday. "I wouldn't say it was a huge deal for my dad, but my brothers and myself jumped aboard. We were fanatical about them. We knew all the players."
Tight ends are stars for Parcells
Jason Witten is the latest tight end to post big numbers for a Bill Parcells-coached team.
Witten could be the additional weapon the Cowboys use to balance their running game today. He has 39 receptions for 391 yards and three touchdowns.
A look at Parcells' four NFL stops and the big years enjoyed by his tight ends:
| Player | Team | Rec. | Yards | TD | | Mark Bavaro | Giants | 66 | 1,001 | 4 | | Ben Coates | Pats | 96 | 1,174 | 7 | | Kyle Brady | Jets | 30 | 315 | 5 |
Dillon cracks top 20
Dallas running back Eddie George moved into 16th place on the all-time rushing list with 10,358 yards. And former Bengal Corey Dillon is now 20th with 8,698 yards. With 710 more yards, the Patriots' featured back will pass Earl Campbell into 19th place.
Select company
This stat comes courtesy of sports talk host Lance McAlister: One touchdown pass today would make Dallas quarterback Vinny Testaverde just the third NFL quarterback to throw 10 touchdown passes for five teams. He has nine this season, and threw at least 10 for the Buccaneers, Browns, Ravens and Jets. The other two are Earl Morrall (Dolphins, Colts, Giants, Lions, Steelers) and Dave Krieg (Seahawks, Bears, Cardinals, Lions, Chiefs).
Notable quote
"I think they're going to clash with my hair." - Red-headed kicker Shayne Graham, on the orange jerseys the Bengals will wear today for the first time in franchise history.
SERIES HISTORY
•The Cowboys will make their first visit to Paul Brown Stadium.
•The Bengals won the last meeting in Cincinnati 31-24 in 1997 at Cinergy Field.
•The last meeting between the teams was Nov. 12, 2000, a 23-6 Cowboys victory at Texas Stadium. It was the last of quarterback Akili Smith's 10 consecutive starts that season.
|
It's all part of his plan to reinvent and reinvigorate the Cowboys organization.
"I know our ownership was very, very happy about the result," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "If they're happy, I'm happy. I know they put a lot of time and effort (they spent $5 million on the ad campaign) into it. I think it's a good sign that there's so much support for the Dallas Cowboys, and I think that's manifested there.
"I've got my own alligators right now, but I know it's very important for this franchise and its future."
After winning three Super Bowls and compiling a 79-46 overall record in Jones' first seven years as owner, the Cowboys went a combined 50-66 in the next seven. Three seasons under former coach Dave Campo, all 5-11 finishes, resulted in a three-year playoff absence.
That's commonplace in Cincinnati, where the Bengals have not made the postseason since 1990, but even a short drought was unacceptable in Dallas.
Then Jones, apparently able to put aside some of his own ego, made his fifth coaching hire and brought in an equally large personality in Parcells.
Jones and his first Cowboys coach, Jimmy Johnson, parted ways after the 1993 season and a second consecutive Super Bowl title, seemingly unable to share credit for rebuilding the franchise.
Dallas went 10-6 in 2003 before losing a wild-card playoff game to future NFC champion Carolina.
A victory today against the Bengals would even the Cowboys' record at 4-4 and, Parcells said, give him the opportunity to get them into the playoffs again.
Parcells took over Jan. 2, 2003. Bengals president Mike Brown hired Marvin Lewis - the first coach with no previous ties to the Bengals organization - as his head coach 12 days later.
"Mike got an outstanding coach," Jones said of Brown in an interview Friday with the Enquirer. "The success last year reflected that. We all are looking to put our teams in position to win a Super Bowl. He got his coach, and I feel like we got our coach."
Jones seems to have regained some of the gunslinger attitude he brought into the NFL in 1989.
Jones was the one who traded star tailback Herschel Walker to Minnesota in October 1989. In return, the Cowboys received five players and seven draft picks.
"I've always been a risk-taker," Jones said. "I traded Herschel Walker. I've always believed in taking calculated risks. I was wildcatting oil and gas wells before I got into the NFL.
"One of the best things I had going for me was I didn't know better. Our (way of doing business) became en vogue. I'm going to try to find the next en vogue model or die trying."
Jones' next horizon is to push for individual franchises to control more of their local revenue - a split with the decades-old philosophy of revenue sharing that some say has made the NFL the country's most popular professional sports league.
There is a growing concern among owners - both of big- and small-market teams, including the Bengals - that the rapid growth in unshared revenue will give large-market teams such as Washington and Dallas a significant edge.
Unshared revenue includes profits generated by luxury-suite tickets and club seats, and local radio rights, advertising, sponsorships, parking and concessions. The rub for teams such as the Bengals, Indianapolis and Jacksonville is that those revenues in Washington and Dallas count as total league revenues, which helps determine the salary cap number. The more revenues Dallas and Washington generate, the higher the cap figure the small-market teams must pay.
Jones' take: "We have teams in 32 of the greatest markets," he said. "I believe the best approach is to have teams generate revenue. Take the unshared revenue and grow it. If you share it, you will reduce the incentive to grow it."
Get to know Jerry Jones
