Cowboys: Jerry Jones Hall of Fame speech had one glaring omission

In characteristic fashion, Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones rambled on and rehashed decades-old accomplishments during his Hall of Fame induction.

There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are fortunate to have an owner like Jerry Jones. In his tenure as the owner, the organization is always front of mind in not only sports, but even in pop culture. This is something of a minor miracle, given the twenty-plus year gap between championships. As many haters are apt to point out, we typically do a lot of reminiscing about the old days.

So it is no surprise that Jerry Jones opted for this route during his speech on Saturday. Granted, three Lombardi trophies are nothing to sneeze at. The run of excellence in the 90s made a lot of us think it would never end. Titles once again felt like our birthright. At the time, I was also transitioning from my late teens to early twenties. The mix of youth and vicarious power proved intoxicating. I’ll admit it, I was insufferable.

As fun as it was listening to Jerry ramble, the omission of any recent successes was pretty glaring.

At times, it was fun listening to Jerry spin all the old yarns. It was like listening to grandpa tell all the old stories you’ve heard a million times before. What made all those times great was that they weren’t just tall tales. They actually happened, and they were beautiful.

The Cowboys of that era were a finely tuned winning machine. They were flashy, yes, but the style carried substance in spades.

Sadly, the substance has largely been lacking since their last hurrah in Super Bowl XXX. A step forward inevitably accompanies a series of missteps. Sometimes it’s comical. Sometimes, not so much. Yet all the while, The Dallas Cowboys stay near or at the top of the consciousness of the sports world. It’s got to be maddening to the franchise’s detractors. But if we’re being honest, it’s frustrating to the supporters as well.

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As fun as it was listening to Jerry ramble, the omission of any recent successes was pretty glaring. That’s because there aren’t any. I’ve mentioned it in this space before, but it really feels like we’re all still paying for the sins of the past. And while Jerry’s fingerprints don’t dot the roster the way they used to, it still seems like the brain trust is shoveling their way out from under years of mismanagement. They eyeball test suggests they’re on their way back. We’ll have to wait to see how this defense performs before we know how good this team can be, though.

To be sure, Saturday’s speech was also a culmination of Jerry’s accomplishments in the business of the NFL. Through his vision, the league’s value has skyrocketed.

It is well known that Jerry is primarily responsible for the Rams landing back in Los Angeles. The owners are billionaires several times over, yet they are mysteriously unable to fund their own stadiums. Jerry’s a trailblazer in that regard as well, but that’s another rant for another time.

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If we’re taking the body of work into account, then the Hall of Fame was a foregone conclusion. Jerry Jones was laughed at when he purchased the Cowboys. He was laughed at after that first 1-15 season. But the tables turned. Pretty soon, he had the last laugh. In retrospect, you’d have a hard time selling the story to Hollywood. But then again, the best stories are often the ones you see played out in real life. For better or for worse, Jerral Wayne Jones’s tenure as head carnival barker for the Dallas Cowboys has been anything but boring.