Sunday, September 27, 1998

So far, looks like Jerry Jones got it right

By Randy Galloway

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

FORT WORTH -- Only three games into the NFL season, the Cowboys have experienced many adventures, including, of course, a variety of misadventures.

Going back to training camp in Wichita Falls, there has been the Troy Aikman injury, the Emmitt Smith injury, the Leon Lett injury, the defensive humiliation in Denver, the winless preseason, the campus neck-slashing and the brief but ugly headlines concerning a known good guy in Larry Allen.

In some football precincts, particularly with the cave-dwellers across the Red River, the rush to judgment has begun. "See there, bay-bee, Jerry changed coaches but everything remained the same. Bad team. Bad people."

No. Wrong again, dust bowl breath. At Valley Ranch, where only football is the focus these days, there is currently more progress and more positive vibes than the previous four seasons combined.

Granted, this can change in a hurry. Like Sunday at Texas Stadium with the Raiders in town. The Cowboys have holes in their lineup the size of moon craters.

Aikman said in Denver to give his collarbone four weeks and he'd be back. Even if that's medically true, there are still three more games with Jason Garrett at quarterback.

From Jerry Jones: "We've had some setbacks -- Troy's injury topping the list -- but I've seen enough already to know this will be a totally prepared and confident team no matter what the circumstances. Like Jason being a leader for us in New York. There is a sense of excitement and energy because of the players and the coaching staff."

Actually, I was about to get around to praising Jones for taking a lead in bringing about a transformation at Valley Ranch. That, of course, started back in February with the surprise hiring of Chan Gailey, who was not exactly in my top five, or even top 20, of head coaches the Cowboys absolutely had to have.

But last weekend in a New York newspaper, Jones was giving credit elsewhere for the Cowboys' 180 from last year.

"We did need a change. (Bleep) convinced me of that," he said.

Huh? So it was (bleep) -- Mr. Insignificant Sideline Personnel himself -- who forced Jerry to fire him as head coach and bring in someone else? All praise then should go to (bleep).

Well, not exactly, Jones explained the other day.

"That was bad sentence structure on my part," he said. "I shouldn't have said it that way. I was the one convinced we had to make changes. But in discussing it with (bleep) and a lot of other people, they did confirm that.

"I just have a problem when talking about people I've had a close association with, in saying, 'I let that guy go -- I fired that guy.' And that includes Jimmy (Johnson), too."

It is an old yet still valid argument that Jones didn't make his latest change soon enough. He didn't, period. But once Jones wiped out the past, the important thing was he got it right with the new hire.

"It is so early yet to predict what will happen to our team this season," noted Jones. "With injuries alone, that can bring me or any of us back to earth in a hurry.

"But what I'm most pleased about is with Chan in charge, no one can now say that Jerry drove up on the freeway ramp going the wrong way."

As was noted back in January and February, Jones was addicted to "homework" as he searched for a new coach.

"I know I'm questioned all the time about me being the general manager," he said. "One reason I think I can be is because I'm never afraid to ask anyone in football for an opinion. My questions sound naive, even stupid, a lot of times, I'm sure. But I want to know, and I'll ask.

"All those questions I asked about Chan, and the answers I got from a Joe Gibbs, a Dan Reeves and so many others, I can see those answers now starting to be right-on. What they said about Chan is what shows up now with our football team."

None of this works, obviously, without winning. Jones, of course, has never doubted the winning would continue this season, provided there is any luck with health. While a preseason prediction of 8-8 sounded reasonable to some of us, Jones talked instead of making the playoffs and surprising people once there.

Then the season began, and the NFC East turned up soft. Jones' confidence of a month ago seems realistic -- at least the part about making the playoffs. But now it's Jerry being very cautious.

"I repeat -- it's so early," he said. "Oakland is going to be a tough game. But I like the way the big picture looks, and I think our fans are responding to what they see happening with Chan.

"Even good came from that game in Denver, the way we came back as a team in the second half, and that carried over to New York. I'm excited but I also know better than to get carried away."

Jerry Jones not being carried away? See there, things must have changed.

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