Jerry Jones would 'do anything' to get the Lombardi Trophy back in Dallas
Jerry Jones is ready to be at the center of the football universe … for winning.
The Cowboys opened their training camp on Wednesday in Southern California, and at their first press conference, Dallas' longtime owner spoke candidly about his desire to get his beloved team back in Super Bowl contention this season.
"I'd do anything known to man to get to a Super Bowl, that’s a fact" Jones said.
The Cowboys haven’t been to or won a Super Bowl in 25 years – a far cry from when they won three Super Bowls in a four-year span in the 1990s (‘93, ‘94, and ‘96) – and they’ve missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
And this week, Jones admitted that during the Cowboys' prime in the 90s, he couldn't get out of his own way, specifically when it came to getting along with former coach Jimmy Johnson, who led Dallas to two of those three rings.
Bringing it back to the present day, Dallas finished 6-10 this past year, Mike McCarthy's first season at the helm. It didn't help that quarterback Dak Prescott played in just five games before a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle ended his season early, but the plan is for him to practice daily as the 2021-22 season rapidly approaches.
What are the odds that the Cowboys go from being the team that opens the season – Dallas and Tampa Bay play in the first game of the new year – to closing it out at Super Bowl LVI in February? Have the Cowboys done enough to bring Jones' wishes to fruition?
Well, in Skip Bayless' estimation, that depends on Jones, as he outlined on Thursday's "Undisputed."
"Jerry Jones-run teams, in the last 25 years, have made the playoffs 10 times. … And in those 10 years that they did make the playoffs, only four times did they win a playoff game. And not one time in those 10 years did they ever win two in one season. … That's devastating."
Bayless – a self-proclaimed, longtime Cowboys fan – then called Jones on the carpet for his performance overseeing the team for over two decades.
"How can you be the architect of this tragedy that has befallen Cowboy Nation, Jerry? And he has the audacity to say, ‘I’d do anything known to man to get to a Super Bowl.' False! Wrong! I call you on this. Because there's one thing you will not do: fire yourself. And go spend top dollar to hire the best football man out there to be the architect of your football team."
In terms of football, on Thursday's "First Things First," Nick Wright shared why he doesn't think the Cowboys have the roster depth needed – specifically on defense – to successfully get through the NFC playoffs and to the Super Bowl this season.
"I don’t think they’re gonna have the No. 1 offense in football as some have speculated," he said. "Because I actually don’t think their offense, aside from Zack Martin, has any great players. They have a good quarterback … a good running back … three good receivers. I think they’ll win the division … but in the playoffs … you’re gonna have to stop the pass, and the Cowboys have a mediocre pass rush.
"Their secondary is first- and second-year guys, and I just don’t think you can win three straight playoff games with a bad pass defense unless you have a super-elite offense. And I think the offense will be a tick beneath that."
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Hear what Nick thinks Dallas is missing to get them to the championship game.
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On the other end of the spectrum, Wright's co-host Kevin Wildes said it's a possibility that Dallas could go all the way if they get off to a hot start to begin the season, considering they have a favorable schedule.
"Rather than talking about after Week 17 and after the playoffs … win the first game," he said. "That’s where the Super Bowl was. You’re playing Tom Brady. You got a huge audience. And then after that, you don’t play a team with a winning record last year until Week 11.
"Remember when you went to school or went to college and you’re like, ‘Man, I’m gonna go home and see my folks at Thanksgiving.’ That’s how long it is until the Cowboys play a team with a winning record."
While the Cowboy's training camp is underway, the reigning Super Bowl champions and Dallas' Week 1 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, return to training camp on Sunday, while the 29 remaining clubs have a unified start date – for the first time in NFL history – on Tuesday.
The Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5 (8 p.m. ET on FOX) at the storied Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This game will mark the seventh appearance by both clubs, which is tied for the most by any team, and both teams have 3-3 records in the HOF Game series.
In other words, from day one on, it's all eyes on Jerry and Dallas.
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