Jerry thank the media? Yes, Jerry should thank the media--specifically the Dallas media (radio/print/TV) for their constant coverage of his Dallas Cowboys. The constant scrutiny by the media, fed by fans' high expectations, has pushed Jerry Jones to continue to tear down and rebuild his franchise to where it is today.
For today the Cowboys are poised on the edge of a possible Super Bowl. After handing the Philadelphia Eagles a crushing 34-14 defeat tonight there is no doubt who is the hottest team in the NFC. Jerry's team is where it is today because of the media, the fans, and yes, even Jerry himself.
Jerry wants to win. We, the fans may not have always agreed with all the decisions he has made through the years but we have to agree he will do whatever it takes to put a product out on the field. Jerry has his faults: loyalty to players that will make him overpay even after a player has reached his performance peak, inability to live with strong-willed coaches (Jimmy Johnson and Bill Barcells), and a stubbornness in which he thinks he is right all the time.
Since the firing of the great Tom Landry, the rise of the Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s expecations have been high in Dallas. Getting to the playoffs and the Super Bowl are an expectation. The media has not let Jerry forget that. It has been 10 years since a Cowboys playoff victory. Fans are fed up with the fact that the luster on the Cowboys star has faded. Where are Troy Aikman, Emmitt, Smith, and Michael Irvin? Where is that next great quarterback to follow Staubach and Aikman?
The medias' questions kept the pressure and limelight on Jerry. Now make no mistake, Jerry needs the media. The Cowboys were recently rated as the most valuable sports franchise. Jerry loves the attention and limelight be it good or bad. Attention brings more fans and coverage. More coverage means sponsors have been eager to line up and pay Jerry. The Cowboys are a leader in merchandise revenue and with the new stadium (Death Star) are making a ton of revenue.
Jerry tonight looks like a genius by keeping Wade Phillips and not firing him after last years' disappointing 9-7 season. He ignored the media and kept him. He fired Brian Stewart, last year's defensive coordinator and proclaimed Wade as head coach and defensive coordinator. That move, in and of itself, had huge consequences. The Cowboys whipped the seemingly invincible New Orleans Saints on the road and finished the regular season with two consecutive shutouts. Tonight's playoff victory showed a dominant defense and potent offense.
Without the media one could argue Jerry would still have the will to win but he could have been content in just sitting back and making money. The soon to be impoded Texas Stadium was a huge moneymaker. The building of the new stadium--its size and location attracted huge attention. The constant coverage has garnered him an opportunity to gain more fans. People come from out of town just to visit and tour the stadium. They spend money in the pro shop and spread word of Jerry's World to friends and family back home. The media coverage has allowed Jerry to showcase the new stadium on national TV on both Sunday and Monday night. Now he is hosting college and NBA basketball games, a Super Bowl, Big 12 football championship, and even a rodeo.
In the coming days Jerry will hold many a press conference where he will be heralded as perhaps a football genius. The media will heap praise but by the end of the week they will again ask the question, "What next?" Minnesota looms next week and Jerry knows it. The more they win the more he and his Cowboys will bask in the spotlight.
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