Who knows what really went on behind closed doors back in the early days when Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson were running the Cowboys?
For whatever the reason, and there are a few, Johnson said on Wednesday’s Dan Patrick Show that Jerry Jones claiming himself the general manager for this team back in the early days was a “crock.”
Johnson said Jones added titles of GM and president after he left the team following the 1993 season.
That is simply incorrect. Every media guide starting in 1989, when Jones first bought the team, has Jones with the titles of president, general manager and owner.
“I was the personnel director there with the Cowboys,” Johnson said. “My pride was collecting the talent and putting together the team that won the Super Bowls.”
Now, I’m not saying Johnson wasn't the one calling most of the shots. Of course he was.
Look at the roster. He went out and got his college quarterback Steve Walsh, after drafting Troy Aikman. This team was loaded with University of Miami players – and that’s not exactly a bad thing. Just saying it had Johnson’s fingerprints all over it.
But to make the claim that Jones simply added that stuff in after he left is wrong.
Jerry Jones has been the GM in title for every step of the way since 1989. It’s always been said and written and mostly assumed that guys like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells had a GM-like roles as the head coach. Even Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett have put their stamp on the team as well as the head coach.
There’s no doubt Jimmy Johnson was a major reason the Cowboys were able to turn things around from the doormats of the NFL to a dynasty. But he went a little far to suggest Jerry Jones tried to change his title for his own benefit.
In five years with the Cowboys, Johnson’s teams won two Super Bowls, made the playoffs three times and had a record of 44-36.
Johnson went on to become head coach and personnel director in Miami in 1996-99 and had three playoff seasons in four years, with a 2-3 record. Overall he was 36-28 and lost both regular-season meetings against the Cowboys, including a 20-0 loss at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving in 1999.
Johnson threw more jabs at Jones and the Cowboys and how he perceives things being run at Valley Ranch.
“Really, the No. 1 motivator is fear, you know, fear of maybe letting down your teammates, of being chastised or maybe losing your job,” Johnson said. “Where’s the fear in Dallas? There’s no fear in Dallas. It’s a country club where everybody’s buddies.”
Johnson is scheduled to be featured on NFL Network’s “It’s a Football Life” which just so happens to air tonight.
