As an oil wildcatter and salesman, Jerry Jones’ biggest assets are his tenacity, his resiliency and his optimism.
As the owner of the Cowboys, they can be his largest liabilities.
Case in point: With his team at 3-8 and his star quarterback’s arm in a sling, Jones refuses to give up on the fantasy of making the playoffs this year. And is determined that watching Tony Romo finally lift a Super Bowl trophy is a reality.
“Again, I will emphasize I don't pretend to know how many years Tony has left,” Jones told reporters at this week’s owners’ meetings in Dallas. “I would say that the read I have, the success that older quarterbacks have had and won with his kind of skill, it has been a measure of success. How old is (Tom) Brady?”
While critics will guffaw at the comparison in talent and accomplishment, Jones’ point has some merit in that Brady is 38. John Elway won Super Bowls at 37 and 38. Romo will be 36 next season.
“So there’s your three seasons right there, so you can’t deem it unreasonable to think he might have three with you sitting there with one of the top performing quarterbacks in the league this year,” Jones said. “So again, I don’t know. I have no way of knowing what his injury future is. Certainly from the standpoint of having a quarterback that knows how to win, the standpoint of having one with a lot of talent, a guy that has a huge knowledge bank of how to win from that position and certainly the skill to whip it around and make the throws, then all of that is actually what we’re looking for.”
Optimism – which is really nothing more than educated hope – is a good thing. Unless it prevents you properly altering your future because it skews the view of your present. Romo might be around another three seasons. Nonetheless, it’s time for the Cowboys to find his successor, one way or another.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
