Jerry Jones is 81 years old and hasn't won a Super Bowl in 28 years.
“I'm 80 years old. I want results now,” Leon Hess said when he hired Rich Kotite to replace Pete Carroll in 1995.
Hess was 82 when he hired Bill Parcells to deliver that result, and he died after the 1998 season, four months after Parcells took the Jets to the AFC Championship game in Denver.
Ever since Barry Switzer won Super Bowl 30 with Jimmie Johnson's players, Jones has reused a significant percentage of his head coaches, including Parcells, and now he's trolling NFL waters, including those off the coast of Dallas, with great white sharks. is rotating.
“I'm running out of combines,” Jones said in Indianapolis, but that was five years ago.
When the Cowboys take on the Packers in Sunday's wild-card round game, coach Mike McCarthy will be well-acquainted with Jones by now, having coached him along with Aaron Rodgers to a win in Super Bowl 45. He must think it's better not to lose to the team.
That's because Bill Belichick (former Patriots coach Bill Belichick) is the kind of big name that any owner would want to lure.
McCarthy coached the Cowboys for four seasons, a season that brought them the NFC East title and a third consecutive 12-5 record. And the pressure that comes with coaching an American team with high expectations and aspirations.
McCarthy better not lose this game.
He won only one game in the playoffs as the Cowboys' coach and did not appear in the conference championship game. But now he has Dak Prescott playing at an MVP level and could earn him a $60 million salary extension over Joe Burrow's $55 million.
Prescott, who has a 2-4 record in the playoffs, will be under immense pressure to make big plays in important games to help McCarthy and the Cowboys advance to the divisional round and beyond. A potential showdown between the Eagles and 49ers is also looming.
“This team,” Jones said after his managers' rout on Thanksgiving Day, “certainly has the ability to win it all.”
Prescott (36 touchdowns, nine interceptions this season) has secured his future as America's Team's franchise quarterback with a pledge to cut down to a league-leading 15 interceptions in 2022. He pitches and plays catch with receiver CeeDee Lamb. McCarthy responded to his own critics who are skeptical that he will take over play-calling duties this season.
Everything is fine.
McCarthy better not lose this game.
Jones was so confident that the Cowboys would beat the Giants in the 2007 regional round that he gave the players two tickets to the NFC Championship game, which was to be played at home, to their friends and family.
“Not getting to the Super Bowl with Tony Romo at quarterback will probably remain my biggest disappointment,” Jones once said.
Will he be sent off at home as the second seed? That may prove to be his biggest disappointment.
“I have a lot of respect for Jerry and Stephen.” [Jones, son and team executive], and the way they run the organization there,” Belichick said before a 38-3 Week 4 loss to the Cowboys. “They have been successful for decades.”
However, final success could not be achieved for decades. Jones didn't hire McCarthy to make the playoffs. He hired him to win the Super Bowl. He has a quarterback and his team is good enough to win.
If the Cowboys continue to humiliate Jordan Love, McCarthy could pay the ultimate price. If that happens, Jones could once again turn to high-profile defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
The Chargers are currently the frontrunners to hire Belichick, thanks in large part to Justin Herbert. Arthur Blank may consider giving Belichick a blank check to revive the Falcons. The coach with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft will be participating. Maybe Belichick doesn't want a partnership with Jones, or vice versa.
But what if McCarthy gets upset by the Packers here?
Belichick may enjoy coaching a team built to win. He might enjoy coaching Micah Parsons as much as he enjoyed coaching Lawrence Taylor.
What if one of Belichick's best friends, Jimmie Johnson, a new member of the Cowboys' Ring of Honor, persuaded him to play?
Can Belichick and Jones work well together? It's impossible to predict, but Parcells and Jones were mostly successful for four years.
Of course, McCarthy can override Jones' potential coaching change. If it's a Sunday game at 4:30 p.m., it won't be a problem. But…can I be there by 7:30? But…what if McCarthy needs another Super Bowl win just like Jones?
