The Dallas Cowboys, a team that has left an indelible mark on American sports history, have been known as America’s Team since their first game in 1979 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
At the beginning of the game, CBS announcer Pat Summerall introduced the team as America’s Team, a nickname that has not only stuck with them but has also become a source of pride for Cowboys fans around the nation.
The Dallas Cowboys’ fate took a turn on February 25, 1989, when Jerry Jones acquired the team. Despite a brief period of success in the 1990s, the team has been on a downward spiral ever since.
Many credit Jimmy Johnson with the brief success of the 90s dynasty, which raised Jerry Jones’s ego to a point of no return.
That also means no return to the Super Bowl since Barry Switzer led a mostly Jimmy Johnson-built team to a championship just a season after Johnson was dismissed as head coach.
It was a decision reportedly due to a power struggle between Johnson and Jerry Jones.
True old-school fans know the struggles of being a Cowboys fan with an owner and general manager like Jerry Jones. The new generation is starting to see the downfalls of an owner/general manager in a single man.
CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jones feud?
CeeDee Lamb, the superstar receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, is holding out of camp until he gets paid. Jerry Jones doesn’t seem to mind waiting to pay the receiver.
The only problem with waiting to pay CeeDee Lamb is the price tag has increased millions above what it would have been if signed sooner.
Jerry doesn’t seem to have a problem paying more and creating drama.
The drama between the star wide receiver and the owner/GM seems to be approaching a boiling point.
Following a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, Jerry Jones told reporters he doesn’t “have a sense of urgency” about getting a contract extension done for the wide receiver.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on contract talks with CeeDee Lamb: “I don’t have any urgency to get it done.” pic.twitter.com/Hfq2Rjk65C
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 8, 2024
Jones was asked whether he could imagine the season opener arriving and Lamb not being ready to go. He responded:
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that we’re making great progress and I don’t think we’re losing any momentum at this point.”
This seemed to be a knock on CeeDee Lamb. Apparently, the Cowboys receiving corps is just fine without their superstar receiver.
Oh, but Jerry Jones didn’t stop there. In typical Jerry Jones fashion, he kept talking.
“Well, I don’t expect not to have CeeDee Lamb, but this camp has given … opportunities for the people who need it most, and that’s the ones that aren’t proven like CeeDee. So it’s a great plan to see your receiving corps and develop a receiving corps from the rookies.”
The response from CeeDee Lamb was just three little letters, “lol.” This could be a bad sign for things to come.
Here is the tweet from CeeDee:
— CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree) August 8, 2024
Another bit of information is that Lamb took “America’s Team” off of his bio on X.
Fans can read between the lines and see that CeeDee is not happy with comments made by the owner. Until CeeDee gets paid, this could be an ugly scenario unfolding in Dallas.
Could the Cowboys wide out request a trade shortly?
It’s not likely, but not improbable either.
Dysfunction equals the Dallas Cowboys
Fans know CeeDee isn’t the only player wanting a new contract. Dak Prescott is waiting for an extension as well.
Jerry Jones could have gotten a contract offer to Dak Prescott last year. The price would have been smaller, and the gained cap space could have been used to sign *other* players.
Instead, Jerry Jones is waiting for every quarterback in the NFL to sign contracts, costing the team more and more money as the days go by.
If Dak had been signed early, the team could have been in the running for big-time players.
With the extra cap room, a running back, defensive tackle, or linebacker could have seen a significant increase in talent.
Instead, the team filled needs with bottom-of-the-barrel players. Jerry Jones has been using this strategy for years.
Where will the dysfunction end?
All the other teams around the NFL seem to be getting better, but the Dallas Cowboys seem stuck in a never-ending cycle of high hopes, killed by mediocrity from ownership.
The destruction of “America’s Team” is slowly happening.
It begins at the top of the leadership ladder, and change will not occur anytime soon. As fans, it’s challenging because this team is so close, but close seems to be good enough for Jerry Jones as long as people buy tickets.
The Dallas Cowboys soap opera will never stop until Jerry Jones takes a backseat and puts the team first, not his pockets. The fans can help stop the destruction which may have already started.
Training camp has been a ghost town in the stands in Oxnard, California. The fans seem exhausted by mediocrity, which could be a sign of things to come for the Dallas Cowboys.
If Pat Summerall were still with us, he might not have called this America’s Team, but instead let it be known that America’s team was being destroyed.
28 yrs of jones needing to prove he is the man in charge. why? cause he wants all the spotlight and all the credit. He practically ripped the last lombardy trophy out of Barry’s hands. But even that was won with a Jimmy team just before it disintegrated through lack of discipline and then lack of talent as Jimmy was no longer there to bring in quality payers and coach them the right way. And here we go again it looks like. They have the talent right now but they dont work for free. jones are billionaires and would have no trouble doing deals with Ceedee Dak and Michah. But jones has to show it is him in charge and also that it is the brand and not the team or trophies. He is also making these stars suffer for his continued lack of cap management abilities by him and his son. Whoooooopie! though ticket sales were quick this year….thats all the jones care about. Oh and press drama they create. I say the houston texans will be in a bowl before jerry team.
I’m no Jerry Jones fan, or Stephen for that matter, but I do find it ironic that one of the main beefs that fans have had with Jerry over the years is his propensity to “fall in love with his players”, leading to him over-paying stars or paying them too early only to watch them fail to live up to the salary increase.
Now, for the first time in a long time, he hasn’t jumped in with both feet and started throwing money at the three players whining for “top of their position” or “top non-QB” money. And, what does he get for his troubles? Fans whining about him not throwing money at players that have wilted when it really mattered.
Dak – folded up like a cheap chair to start the Packers playoff game and didn’t start playing like a champion until the Pack had taken their foot off the accelerator on offense and went into clock-eating mode and their defense had gone all but prevent.
Parsons – Faded down the stretch after refusing to take breathers while padding his stats in the first half of the season. The Pack weren’t the first ones to figure out that they could neutralize him by running right at him, but they did it to perfection, leaving Parsons looking worn out and frustrated.
Ceedee – Even the commentators noticed that something was off between him and Dak at the beginning of the Packers game. It wasn’t just a couple of missed connections, Ceedee’s entire demeanor was one of someone who didn’t want to be there and had no faith in the guy throwing him the ball. His body language screamed “here we go again” and “get me the heck out of here before I slug someone”.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be too quick to offer any of them market-setting deals after the way they closed out last season…again.
Dak wants that, he better come out guns blazing in the playoffs…if they make it again and take the team to at least a conference championship game.
Parsons wants that, he better close his yapper, listen to his coaches when they try to preserve his body and his career, and show that he’s learned from his mistakes.
Ceedee wants that, he needs to get that chip off his shoulder and realize that no receiver is worth that high of a percentage of the salary cap. Otherwise, he can take his nose wiping first down celebration elsewhere, and this is coming from someone that was a big fan of his throughout his OU playing days and has defended him time and time again when people questioned his hands and ability to get and stay on the same page as his QB.
This is a complete joke of an article and a waste of time. It is quite egotistical and comical for you or any other pundit to question Jerry Jones and the team he built, runs and OWNS. Hope you notice the caps. The story about Jimmy Johnson is getting old too. Because Jerry hired Jimmy and made the decisions then as well. And for those who are old enough to have been there and saw it live, instead of what we have read or been told, we know the truth. I will say what an adult should say. This FO has put too an excellent roster. This team has 3 12 win seasons on a row, and the impatient children out there need to learn what success is.
Finally someone with sense. 255 million salary cap for 2024. Estimated Dak 60, CD 35, Parsons 35. These three players if taken care of will consume 1/2 of salary cap. Explain how you put a winning team on field then?
Whatever the majority believe is usually wrong. Many people dumping on Jerry are doing so cause that’s what’s popular. Thanks John Dixon!
Your comment literally just made everyone on this forum that much dumber
I was there for the 90s Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson was the heart of that dynasty. They win 4 in a row if Jerry Jones keeps his trap shut.
I’ve been a Cowboy fan as long as I’ve been alive. When I was old enough to understand what was going on, the Cowboys were winning super bowls. Jerry Jones has slowly taken away any joy I had in watching the cowboys. This is the first year I’ve honestly hoped the Cowboys would crash and burn. But then I remember, Jerry doesn’t care because a season that crashes and burns, will be talked about constantly and Jerry still gets his wish of making headlines and stuffing his pockets.
a Cowboys fan, since the 70’s like I said before Jerry Jones made a very, very big mistake when he fired Jimmy Johnson
I’ve been following the Cowboys since 1971, and this the FIRST off-season that I haven’t been paying them much attention because of this drama crap that J.J. loves to drop on us fans. Now, he’s doing it with Cee Dee and Dak. So, I try to forget all about them until game.
Jerry Jones puts too many players on pedestals who don’t deserve it. He claims to always have playoff and Super bowl teams but they never materialize. The whole purpose of winning regular season games is to get a shot at the Super Bowl. Given their embarrassing one playoff game last season, nobody on that team deserves more money. Even Cee Dee who obviously has talent but seems only really interested in the money gained and not getting the Cowboy’s in the mix for this season. Seems Cowboys players get big contracts and then choke. I’d rather have a well rounded set of players who are hungry to win.
Good to see Cody use the word dysfunctional in describing the Cowboys, because the Cowboys are a dysfunctional organization. It doesn’t matter who is the coach or who is on the roster. Their only hope of getting to another Super Bowl is to somehow isolate the FO from the locker room. The only way that happens is for fans to start boycotting (which won’t happen). *sigh*
You nailed it on the head. He prefers the drama over a championship. The longer he drags this out the more time he protects his best players from contact in pre season.
The media attention is all he needs. His stadium is full. That’s what matters to him,
What Jerry needs to do is set reasonable limits for what the Cowboys can afford to pay. You simply cannot pay three players half the salary cap. The players have to be smart enough to know that if they take too much salary, there won’t be enough to go around for the other players in which case you can’t have a quality team. So, Jerry must NOT pay Prescott his desired 60 million; instead trade him out if he wont stay pat at 40 million, With regard to Parsons and Lamb – 30 million. If they can’t accept that, Jerry has to let them go. Years ago, the St. Louis Cardinals had to let go of Albert Pujols because he wanted too much money. The following year, the Cardinals won the World Series.
Yeah sure Cody, the franchise that was just ranked as the highest value in all of sports is really just a bottom feeder. Three years in a row at 12-5 means nothing to you. You are just making waves to hitch hike off of the massive fan base. Your click bait works for you because of their popularity. Unfortunately you have decided to join the haters. Fans like you are not really fans at all. Why don’t you start writing for the Chiefs? That way you can be associated with a winner. Bandwagon fan’s aren’t appealing to the base. Real fans stay with their team through the ups and downs. They don’t do their best to contribute to their teams demise.
Bottom feeder? Where did you read that in the article? This franchise is the most valuable in the world and 12-5 records are amazing. I would take that record every year. The problem is that is not good enough for ownership as the coach is in a lame duck year. So instead of Jerry taking responsible he places the blame on a good coach, who has to work with a narcissist that does no wrong. If you don’t care for the truth, I hear the Chiefs bandwagon is looking for members!!!