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Sunday, December 14, 1997

Cowboys deal with a lost season

By Bart Hubbuch / The Dallas Morning News

CINCINNATI -- The head coach may change. The style of offense probably will change. The roster? That most certainly will have a new look.

What won't change during the Cowboys' most critical off-season in nearly a decade is how they go about evaluating, drafting and signing players.

Despite a steady drumbeat of criticism in NFL circles that their personnel system is too unwieldy, not focused and lacks an experienced "football man" at the helm, the Cowboys insist their decision-by-committee approach will endure.

"Our personnel system is not going to change one bit," said executive vice president Stephen Jones, who is second in command of the entire franchise. "We're committed to this system. It's been successful for the most part."

In short order, that means Stephen Jones, who is owner Jerry Jones' son, will continue as the club's director of player personnel; the embattled Larry Lacewell will remain as scouting director, and the staff of six scouts won't be expanded.

Most of all, Jerry Jones will continue -- and probably increase -- his role as the team's general manager and ultimate authority on all personnel decisions.

The elder Jones, whose 6-8 team faces the 5-9 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in a meaningless game at Cinergy Field, has even talked of assuming a bigger role in the coaching booth next season.

The steadfast support by Jerry and Stephen Jones of the Cowboys' personnel operation is the strongest sign yet that if Switzer goes, his replacement won't be given wide-ranging control over how the team is constructed.

Neither Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones nor Lacewell will discuss the beleaguered Switzer's job security. But anyone hoping for a return to the days of Jimmy Johnson -- when Johnson was perceived as the Cowboys' primary decision-maker -- probably will be disappointed.

"With all the success we've had with this system, we're not going to change just because we had one year that we're not pleased with," Jerry Jones said.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, memories of their 1990s Super Bowl glory years are all they have to savor at the moment. Dallas is mired in fourth place in the NFC East and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990. That was the second year Jerry Jones owned the team.

The Cowboys' steep plunge in the 22 months since beating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 has brought heavy scrutiny and criticism around the league, not only of Switzer, but of the Cowboys' crowded personnel department.

Unlike Green Bay, Carolina and others, the Cowboys don't rely on an experienced NFL general manager to run their personnel operation. Instead, it has been in the hands of Stephen Jones and Lacewell -- with increasing input from the scouting staff, assistant coaches and Switzer -- since Johnson was fired in March 1994.

Neither Stephen Jones, 33, nor the 60-year-old Lacewell had NFL personnel experience before coming to the Cowboys. In fact, of the Cowboys' entire, nine-man personnel operation, only scouts Jim Garrett, Bobby Marks and Walt Yowarsky worked for another NFL team before coming to Dallas.

"I don't buy that Ôstrong football man' business at all," Lacewell said last week. "You can't tell me we don't have strong football people in here already. It's ridiculous. I'll put our (personnel) record up against anybody."

Stephen Jones doesn't take the sniping as seriously.

"When you don't do well, you're going to get criticism," he said. "Everybody has ups and downs, but you have to look at our track record. Look at the Super Bowls we've won."

One AFC pro personnel director, whose team is playoff-bound, said most of the skepticism of Stephen Jones and Lacewell comes from their 1994, '95 and '96 drafts. Otherwise, the younger Jones is viewed as one of the top salary-cap experts in the NFL, the team official said.

Just 11 of the 26 players drafted by the Cowboys from 1994-96 are still on the roster, and both Stephen Jones and Lacewell willingly admit the '95 draft that produced just three current players (Sherman Williams, Eric Bjornson and Charlie Williams) was a disappointment.

But if the Cowboys' confidence in Lacewell ever wavered -- which is doubtful, considering how deeply he is trusted by Jerry Jones -- then he bolstered it with last spring's draft.

Stephen Jones speaks glowingly of the Cowboys' 1997 draft, which produced a potential star in linebacker Dexter Coakley, as well as immediate contributors in tight end David LaFleur, defensive tackle Antonio Anderson and safety Omar Stoutmire.

"Our rookies had an exceptional year," Stephen Jones said. "When you add that to our existing talent base, then you've got to say we have a solid foundation."

So, if the Cowboys have so much talent, how are they under .500 and home for the holidays? Stephen Jones says that question is causing many a sleepless night, both for him and for his father.

Stephen Jones second-guesses his performance in free agency, where the Cowboys only added the disappointing Anthony Miller at wide receiver and brought back linebacker Vinson Smith, who never cracked the starting lineup.

"You always look back and ask yourself what more you could have done," Jones said of free agency. "It's very frustrating. The bar is very high around here, and there's no way any of us saw this coming. It causes you a lot of tough nights, wondering what you could have done differently. But we're going to stay the course."

No matter what the rest of the NFL thinks.

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(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

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