- 15 hours ago
Jerry Jones joined The K&C Masterpiece before the 49ers matchup. Jones discussed fourth-down aggressiveness, Christian Parker’s defensive scheme, the potential for an 18-game season, and more.
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00:00Let me bring you Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
00:04Good morning, sir.
00:05Hey, man. Just drove up here in a Ford truck.
00:08Woo! You love to hear it.
00:10Now, I know you're a busy man, but did you make sure to take a little extra time to watch
00:15that Thursday night football?
00:17And I imagine you've got to be pumped about that outcome.
00:20Well, we are.
00:21And I thought it was really one of the most interesting, exciting games that I've seen as a fan in
00:30a long time.
00:31But it was real interesting to see the best of both of those teams.
00:36Shows you the way we've got this game structured now.
00:39Some of the nuances of the kickoffs.
00:41Some of the nuances of how teams will basically play third down and two or fourth and one differently than
00:51they were 15 years ago.
00:54But as a backdrop, we certainly wanted that outcome.
00:58And it gives us a lot of encouragement as we go forward to one of the biggest games we've had
01:06around here in a long time.
01:07It's exciting.
01:07Now, not necessarily just for the Cowboys, but in the NFL in general, are you surprised how much bolder, since
01:15you just made reference to it, teams have gotten on fourth down?
01:19Do you think eventually it will slide back to being a little bit more conservative?
01:22Or is this just the new NFL and this is what we do?
01:26We're both given an opinion and speculating, at least I am.
01:31But I think it's here to stay.
01:33I think it's exciting.
01:35It is all the marbles when you go for it on fourth and two rather than play for field position.
01:42But the challenge that you have with defenses stopping the offenses that we've ruled it up to have,
01:53that challenge really is leaning toward keeping the ball and taking your shots with the offensive side of the ball.
02:00And normally what was a change of possession, punt it automatically and work for field position.
02:06You know, Jerry, something else that's exciting is that pressure, that blitz.
02:10You saw that at the end of the game last night, too.
02:12And when Dan Quinn was here, I know he's got a different play caller, but when Dan Quinn was here,
02:17that kind of pass rush,
02:18those blitzes in those big moments were kind of his M.O.
02:21Do you remember having conversations with him about why he did certain things that he did and how he accomplished
02:29those?
02:30Absolutely.
02:31And in the end, to get something positive like that, then you're leaving yourself open someplace else.
02:40It's give and take.
02:42There's no such thing as a situation where you haven't lightened the load.
02:48In our particular case, we would be weak on the run.
02:54And when we got during those years, when we got in playoff situations,
03:00teams would know that those turnover opportunities were being created by a weakness in our scheme on the run.
03:11It was understood.
03:12We knew it, preferred it.
03:15We wanted to play it that way.
03:16We wanted those turnovers.
03:18But by the same token, in those years when we got into the playoffs, we had a problem.
03:25That's why we've changed it and are going in a different direction.
03:29Are you hopeful then, yeah, kind of at some point, that's where Christian Parker can find that balance with his
03:35team?
03:36Yes.
03:36I'm sorry I didn't let you finish, but absolutely.
03:39That's what we're trying to do.
03:40And it's not any secret formula, but we've got some outstanding players that can execute where we're trying to go
03:49with this defense.
03:50And what we've got to do is we put an extra emphasis on winning these games early this year on
04:00the offense,
04:01really being a top, making up for, let's say, our learning experience on defense.
04:09That's had a tough time working out this year.
04:12Hopefully we can get it together against these 49ers.
04:15The way that things went last night, do you look at fortune for this Cowboys team,
04:22that the division isn't out of hand and is right there in your reach still?
04:25Well, it is encouraging to have how we've arrived here and to still have an opportunity to do something special
04:37out here Sunday
04:38and then take that and build.
04:41I have seen I've been a part of teams.
04:43As a matter of fact, it probably was the inspiration that caused me to be on this phone call today.
04:48But I've seen teams win games that were struggling.
04:54And then all of a sudden that became the underpinning and the energy that caused the team to go from
05:03a pretender to a contender, so to speak.
05:06My senior year in college, we struggled and we played Texas.
05:10And we struggled to win our early games.
05:14And then Texas gave it to us.
05:16They went for two and dropped the ball.
05:19We weren't scored on again.
05:21We won the national championship.
05:23We were undefeated.
05:24It changed us completely.
05:26The year before, the same bunch.
05:28We had one person make the Southwest Conference, one player.
05:32That year we had 20.
05:34So the players even take on a different glow when you're winning.
05:38I want to talk about one of those players specifically.
05:41You discussed this with our morning show on Tuesday.
05:44And I don't think we're of the opinion that Joey Porter is not out there because of the contract.
05:48And you talked about that.
05:50But whether it's injury, illness, and I know it's looking really questionable for this weekend.
05:56How frustrating is it when one of your marquee players that you did make a trade for, for whatever reason,
06:04is not able to be there on the field for you guys?
06:06Well, it's frustrating, but I'm not so sure that's the word.
06:10It's just, it's the life we've chosen.
06:15And that's where you have to go to.
06:18You've got to play with what you've got after you've structured it up.
06:22And there's no question to have him on that field on defense is a significant advantage.
06:29And so hopefully he'll be out there this week.
06:32Now, for a totally different reason, I'm going to use that same word again because that's what struck me.
06:37Were you frustrated when you heard DeMarvion Overshone say that he did not even know it was against the rules
06:44and he would get penalized for running out on the field when he was not playing?
06:48Because that was frustrating to me as a Cowboys fan.
06:51I didn't see that.
06:53I didn't see that.
06:56And I don't think that.
06:59I really don't.
07:00I think that he's been involved in football at Texas and he's been involved here.
07:06And he knows that at every level a non-participant can't run out on the field.
07:12So, Jerry, you've seen teams that played, I mean, those Super Bowl teams played with supreme intensity, quite honestly, cockiness.
07:22They were a cocky bunch and we kind of liked it.
07:24And us Cowboys fans were drawn to that at the time.
07:27Do you think that kind of personality that those teams have had, and sometimes we see it with the Niners
07:33too,
07:33that kind of attitude comes from coaching or does that evolve from the players?
07:38Oh, I think both.
07:40But I think both need to be winning to have it.
07:46It is quite a challenge when you're not performing individually or you're not performing as a team well enough to
07:54be boastful.
07:55But there is no doubt, it's proven, that when you're winning, you feel emboldened individually as well as a team.
08:04It puts a win beneath your wings.
08:06It does it for coaching.
08:08It does it for all of us.
08:13I just have a little more confidence when I'm coming off of something that worked.
08:19Was Michael Irvin the most confident player or cockiest dude you've ever seen?
08:23Well, he certainly embodies it.
08:28The point is that his skill of motivating people around him even overshadowed his athletic ability.
08:40He was outstanding athletically, but he was so strong at motivating people around him, and he was so active.
08:48He would work on situations months before.
08:51He was in the huddle with them, and he would be there for them in tough times maybe.
08:57But in the huddle, he'd look over and say, if I ever let you down, don't let me down on
09:01this play.
09:02Let's go.
09:03But he was thinking ahead around the corner.
09:06That's the kind of leader he is and was.
09:07When you look at Dak Prescott against the 49ers over his career, both regular season and in the playoffs, he
09:15has had some pretty high-profile struggles, as has the team in general.
09:20What is it that you think the 49ers have done to just really have the Cowboys' number these past several
09:28years?
09:29Well, I would go each year.
09:32I would take the circumstances of each year and look at that as opposed to looking at just an overall
09:41got your number or not have your number.
09:47Arizona's got our number.
09:50And so the point is, they don't have our number.
09:52We just didn't play well the other day, and it was sad that we lost that ball game.
09:57So bottom line is you can – and that's the way we do.
10:01We go, we look at trends, we look at the past.
10:03That's what's wonderful about sport.
10:05We get to do that.
10:06But as the same token is, what really counts, that player out there today, he really is not given a
10:16lot of consideration to what went on 15,
10:20years ago or 10 years ago or five years ago.
10:23He was still in high school.
10:24Right.
10:26What is it about the current team, then, and the trends and trajectories that y'all have seen that gives
10:32you the most confidence going into a matchup that –
10:34I mean, I'm sure you've heard the buzz.
10:36Obviously, the Cowboys are underdog even at home.
10:39Yeah.
10:39No, I like our personnel.
10:42I do.
10:43And I like the progress that we've made.
10:46Is it as much or is there still glaring places that we slip?
10:51Slip, yes.
10:52But we're better than we were if we were playing these guys at the opening game or the first of
10:58the year.
10:58We should be, and we are.
11:00We're relatively healthy.
11:02And so those things.
11:04And plus, most of any character building, most of anything that have really contributed to something good in my life
11:17have come about not through good times but adverse times.
11:22And it's building on learning those lessons in adverse times.
11:27Well, we have certainly given everybody a big dose of adverse times this year.
11:32We've been in the foxhole, been shot at and hit.
11:35Let's come out of here and do something that could reverse this against a great team.
11:39Yeah, I would absolutely love some of those party times, Jerry.
11:43Let's get those rocking.
11:44And I guess that's the – do you think a win against San Francisco, one of those teams that's considered
11:50one of the best in the league right now,
11:52do you think that could help maybe change the momentum of this season, turn it around completely?
11:57Yes, I certainly do.
11:59Yes.
12:00I think that's kind of what I've been alluding to this whole time with you this morning.
12:06It could be dramatic.
12:08It's a – we step up a good team.
12:11We should play to our competition.
12:14I expect this bunch to do it.
12:16But if we should do it successfully, there's no question it would provide energy as we go forward.
12:24You know, a lot of people have had praise for some time for the 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan,
12:31especially when they talk about the advantages that he can bring their team against opponents offensively.
12:37Is there anything particular over the last couple of years or the last year and a half you've zeroed in
12:42on Brian Schottenheimer where you feel like he gives the team a fundamental advantage going game to game?
12:48Yeah, I think he's in the exact – I believe they're in the same body.
12:54I believe they're in the same mind.
12:55I think he's step for step with our quarterback, Dak.
12:59Dak, that's a plus.
13:01That's a plus.
13:04They're right in sync.
13:06They're on the same page.
13:08That's a big plus.
13:10When one exhales, the other one inhales right behind him.
13:14So that's really because Dak is the key to be trite, but that mirrors itself throughout that offense.
13:24I'm talking about execution now.
13:26I have always believed that if a coach can be one of the coordinators, that he can gain on being
13:37able to influence the team
13:38because what he's doing is technically contributing very visibly to the success of the team.
13:47All of that works great with Schottenheimer, Dak, and then carry it right on through the rest of the offensive
13:53side of the ball.
13:54He is a very veteran in the NFL world, going back to his dad and everything, but still a newer
14:02head coach, Schottenheimer.
14:04That is, do you believe he needs to or will develop more of a kind of killer instinct when it
14:11comes to his play calling?
14:12Because there's been a couple of different times this year where it really feels like the Cowboys have eased up
14:17when they had an opportunity to put an opponent away for the day.
14:21Given the ability to live to tell about it, Brian will be a year from now, two years from now,
14:30three years from now,
14:31he'll be much more seasoned and much more, if you will, sensitive to the kinds of challenges that a head
14:43coach has.
14:44In other words, there's no question you pay a price when you're doing it for the first time.
14:49On the other hand, if you've had a background, and this is the key, that you've been shot at and
14:55hit,
14:56you've seen some hard times, you've had the want-tos but couldn't get there,
15:01all of that usually is over-attributed to youth.
15:05And where he is, he was so seasoned in the NFL, the bet was that he could come in here,
15:13use the first time that he's ever had a chance to be a head coach, use that, use this personnel,
15:19use this team,
15:21use that, and do something that's difficult for first year, second year, third year ever head coaches to do.
15:29That was our bet.
15:31I still like the bet.
15:32And that bet looked pretty good last year offensively.
15:36That was the strength of this team.
15:38Jerry, you've talked about it many times.
15:39Maybe you expected the defense to be a little bit better earlier and got a little ahead of our skis
15:45on that one.
15:45The offense has kind of had some moments, though, where you've been like,
15:50hold on, we thought the offense was our strength.
15:53Do you know what the strength of this Cowboys team is right now?
15:57Yeah, I really, it's going to surprise you, but I count as one of our top strengths.
16:04I go to quarterback, I go to receivers, then I go to the offensive line.
16:11That sounds, because the last two or three games, we haven't played as well there as we should play.
16:19We can play that well.
16:21We have the talent there to do it, and we've got the experience as we've moved along to do it.
16:26All of that starts gelling, and plus, it's important to know that you've got to change things up.
16:34You can't be exactly the same offensive team in schemes and plays in the playoffs that you were in the
16:43early part of the year,
16:44or at the end of the year, or for that matter, maybe at the middle of the season.
16:48And so you've got to have some change-up going on there, or they'll read you,
16:53they being the defenses of the opposing team, they'll read you, and they'll stop you.
16:58And so we've got to make sure, but by the way, that was anticipated, that was thought about in the
17:05spring,
17:05those options were thought about then, and how to change it up.
17:09I like the idea that you can change it up.
17:12One of the things I liked about Belichick so much is he'd change it up at the half,
17:17and that's not necessarily done a lot.
17:20And he'd come out there and look different in the second half, visibly so.
17:23So that's hard to do, that doesn't work with the limited time you've got in the week to put a
17:29game plan,
17:30but it can be doable.
17:32So I think that with the depth of Schottenheimer's background on offense,
17:37the time that he's had with our offense, with our quarterback,
17:41I think we've got a chance to solve some of our problems
17:45by changing it up on him as we go on forward.
17:47And you definitely talked about, like, I think that's interesting about changing it up going forward.
17:51You talked about it happening and the discussions happening in the offseason.
17:55Do you feel like you have seen, to this point, a lot of that change implemented,
18:01or do you feel like it's been stagnant at all and now we need more change?
18:05Well, no.
18:07I'm just giving you what you need to expect.
18:11Gotcha.
18:12And that it's not uncommon.
18:14In the NFL, you play 17 games.
18:16You've heard me say many times, way back, 10 games was the season.
18:22So many.
18:23So you've got almost twice as many games.
18:25A player, a veteran player, going over the course of a season,
18:31can start the season off at one level of ability
18:34and decline as you get near the playoffs because it's almost two college seasons.
18:41So you've got to anticipate those kind of changes.
18:44Same thing with a young player.
18:46He'll start off as a rookie, picture him as a freshman,
18:49and by the time you get to the playoffs or in that range,
18:52it's like his junior year in college.
18:55So you have that much to anticipate of change.
19:01You want it for the better.
19:02You have to deal with the attrition,
19:04have to deal with your injuries during that time,
19:06but all of that is involved in changing.
19:10I'm just thankful that we've got some breath,
19:14some breath, not breathing room,
19:17but we've got a breath of potential to get in this thing.
19:21And a lot of people would say,
19:23boy, that's a bad draw to be playing San Francisco this Sunday.
19:27It's not.
19:28It's important that we have a game like this.
19:30By the way, it's been a minute since we asked you about this.
19:33When you talked about the expansion of the schedule over the years,
19:37do you think this league is far away from 18 regular season games?
19:41I'm a big no.
19:43I don't think we're far away from it.
19:45I don't know what is far away.
19:48Next month, no.
19:50Next year, maybe.
19:51Next year, maybe.
19:53That has to be negotiated with the players.
19:55But it's in everybody's best interest.
19:57You'd cut back on the preseason games.
19:59You'd have teams more develop in the first few games
20:03as the type of thing you were trying to get done at preseason.
20:07But it's in everybody's interest,
20:09and it certainly is in the players' best interest in my mind, for sure.
20:13And having said that, I would anticipate that coming.
20:17You mentioned it would have to be negotiated and everything.
20:20I've always wanted to ask you this.
20:22Do you pay attention to other leagues' labor strife?
20:27Obviously, we're going through the potential for something in Major League Baseball.
20:31And do other players' unions or reps or anything from other sports
20:35ever reach out to the NFL or you or the commissioner
20:38to kind of get any discussion points or advice about labor negotiations?
20:43Yes.
20:44In general, yes.
20:46All of that is part of it.
20:49First of all, the interest is keen relative to how other sports
20:54and how they evolve, especially the ones that are involved with labor agreements,
20:59which most of the professional ones are.
21:01But, yes, very much.
21:03For instance, Monday or Tuesday of last week,
21:10I met with the new head of the NFL labor.
21:13I met with him out here, and we had a good visit
21:17and had our ownership there to meet with him.
21:19And then he spoke to the entire players' team
21:23and went in and visited with them while he was there that day.
21:26But beyond that, it's an integral part of getting to play football.
21:33And so from the get-go, I've always been involved
21:37because I think I have something to offer relative to just my passion.
21:43Like them, they probably couldn't sit in front of, in my view,
21:51players or their representatives.
21:53If they're talking to me, they would have trouble finding someone else
21:59that has had a more benefit out of football in my life,
22:03finding another person that could match me.
22:07Football's been wonderful.
22:08We appreciate the time, the info.
22:11Best of luck on Sunday.
22:12Get in that win, and we'll catch up with you again next week.
22:15Thanks, guys. Let's get them. Bye-bye.
22:17There you go.