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Jones says coaching didn't win Bowls for Cowboys

By Don Pierson / Chicago Tribune

Jerry Jones once said there were 500 football coaches who could coach his Dallas Cowboys, not including himself. In other words, he never viewed Jimmy Johnson as a miracle worker after two Super Bowls followed their 1-15 record in 1989.

He uses the same logic in assessing why former Johnson assistants Dave Wannstedt and Norv Turner have sub-.500 records since leaving Dallas and why Johnson has a .500 record himself.

Jones reminds that the Cowboys got to three Super Bowls with draft picks obtained from Minnesota in the Herschel Walker trade, as well as their own picks.

"Also, the day we got here in 1989, we had the No. 1 pick in our little hands and Troy Aikman sitting there," Jones said. "Give any team this year's No. 1 pick, Peyton Manning, and then for the next three years give them the advantages we had in that system and see what Dave, Norv, Jimmy or anybody else looks like."

That said, Jones praised Wannstedt.

"I consider him a good friend," Jones said. "We don't have anything approaching what he and Jimmy have, but we're friends. The reason I think he's a champion is because of (wife) Jan. In a demanding situation, he has done as good a job as I've observed of having involvement with his family. He's an outstanding coach. Fans in Chicago have to look and see we had hard times here. People and coaches like Dave Wannstedt don't come along."

That endorsement was in lieu of a public vote of confidence by Wannstedt's current boss, Michael McCaskey.

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Jones and the other NFL owners met in Dallas last week and talked about their new network TV contracts, among other things. A $4.4 billion deal with Fox, NBC, ABC, TNT and ESPN expires this year, but owners have no concern about ratings that dropped last year or a rising number of no-shows and blackouts.

Raiders owner Al Davis was called crazily optimistic by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen a year ago for predicting the rights fee might double.

Now listen to Jones: "What I think is as likely as anything is for it to double. Not just double, but being north of doubling."

With more media competition, including expanding and merging communications companies fighting for programming as their stock value increases, the NFL has more leverage than ever. Especially with CBS wanting back in on pro football.

"I know what's happened to the value of television stations and media stocks," Jones said. "That's why I can say you can look to increases that exceed 100 percent and not be off the mark."