Bankruptcy

Ok, the Cowboys?

By J. Michael McBride

Here is a first: I am so moved by Sunday’s Cowboy game that I discuss it on the firm blog!

Poor Jerry Jones. He does not know what he is doing wrong. To him, it must seem as if he is doing everything right and yet, still losing…and losing badly. Here are the two basic things that he is doing wrong:

1. He pays too much for talent, period. People who demand and think that they deserve more money are ego driven and will not be good team players. Additionally, just because they talk a good game about the high quality of their own skills and are impressive in an interview does not mean that they are actually better players. That is also true with many other professionals, those with the highest level of ego and self promotion may get the job, but they may not be as skilled on the field as others who are less demanding and less ego driven. Throwing money at players does not a team make.

2. Next problem, the head coach. Because Jerry Jones wants to have ultimate control, he hires a nice guy coach who will not stand up to him – or to his players (e.g. Romo’s overruling Phillips’ decision to send in the punt team, which was the right call, but it reflected that the player makes the final decisions and not the coach). With a team chock full of overpaid individual ego’s, it is guaranteed that this type of coach cannot control the team. Why did they not know their plays? Why did they often look confused with Romo throwing a nice pass to Whitten’s back (OK, another game) or straight into a player for the other team (this game)? Lack of practice. Lack of working together to stay sharp and practice the basics. Why? Lack of coaching. These players are so convinced that they are great (ego driven) that they fundamentally do not think that they need to practice and this coach won’t make them. Another team, great coach. This team, Phillips will never be the leader. Listening to the players in pre and post game interviews, it is clear that they are all basically OK with mediocrity. A loss like this with this talent, I want to see a coach and his/her players rage. Someone needs to say that “this is flat unacceptable” and if anyone said it after that game I did not hear it (maybe it was so sweetly said that I missed it). If the team pulls itself together under his “leadership” then it is because a respected team member steps up and assumes the leadership role and everyone goes along. It will not ever be because of this coach, at least with this team.

Prediction: Jerry Jones will keep doing what he has done in the past and he will keep getting the same results. The best thing that could happen to this team would be for Jones’s money to run out.

Michael

Full post as published by Texas Lawyer Blog on December 29, 2008 (boomark / email).