At a time when rumors about the draft should waft through the air like hot dogs on a warm summer's eve, Jerry Jones has hijacked the NFL's news cycle by releasing Dez Bryant. Everything is going to plan.
The NFL Draft is two weeks away and Jones has been able to divert the collective attention from the entire NFL-world from the draft to "What will the Cowboys do in the draft?"
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Jones' manipulation is something he has mastered in the almost 30 years he's been in the NFL.
Unlike anywhere else in sports, Jones–the owner–is the most famous person in the franchise. Even when George Steinbrenner was at his peak "The Boss" hubris, there were still players in Yankee pinstripes that dwarfed Steinbrenner in stature and fame. No one has been able to do that with Jones.
Jones's intentions have been clear since the moment he bought the franchise. Soon after becoming the Cowboys owner, one of his first orders of business was firing the figurehead for that franchise and the only Dallas coach ever to that point–Tom Landry. He became front and center shadowing the ubiquitous Star. He took ownership of everything, even if he was not the one responsible.
When Jimmy Johnson was brought on and helped turn the franchise around in a matter of minutes–in NFL years–it was Jones who tried to take credit. When Johnson stood up to him, Jones did the only thing possible to continue his stranglehold on the franchise–he fired Johnson.
At the height of Deion Sanders' popularity, it was Jones who was co-featured in a Pizza Hut commercial.
Years later, it was Jones who put his face and name on Papa Johns Pizza.
It was Jones who has been featured on numerous television shows and whose name has become as much in the pop culture lexicon as the team he owns.
When it was time to build a new stadium, "Jerry's World" became the Taj Mahal of football stadiums. He made Cowboy Stadium a destination. Jones focused on accessories to make it unique, including the largest screen ever seen in a stadium. This was no longer the Dallas Cowboys, it was Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas will be the sight of this year's NFL Draft. You can bet that Jones will not let this moment pass. Jones has already made the first move, releasing Bryant and causing an avalanche of media attention his way. You can only expect more from a man who–through shrewd moves, media-savvy and a thirst for the spotlight–turned a once-middling franchise into the most valued sports entity in the entire world.
The draft is what Jones has been waiting for. The only NFL event on the schedule, all eyes will be on Dallas and by default Jerry himself. Like any other circus promoter, anything and everything is possible. Jones would rather sacrifice logic and a pragmatic approach to the draft to dominate the narrative from the moment the draft opens until Mr. Irrelevant is picked.
The Cowboys are two years removed from being one of the best teams in the league. Their roster is full of homegrown talent with just a few holes. One of those holes in their roster just got a little bigger. What it does though is open Jones to a wealth of opportunity.
It would be highly conceivable to watch Jones decide to fill one of its few remaining holes and take an interior defensive lineman with its first pick, then use one of his nine remaining picks to get back into the first round to select a wide receiver. He could also trade down to get two first round picks to again fill some of those needs. He could also–but not likely–play it safe and stay put and hopefully draft by need with all 10 selections. In Dallas, with the lights on, is the kind of attention Jones covets. His impetus not necessarily to walk away a winner, but to dominate the attention on his home turf.
Last year the President had some inflammatory comments that united the NFL. Owners scrambled on how to accurately toe the line between supporting the players while at the same time not alienating a powerful politician many supported. While Sunday's news cycle was flooded with responses from players to coaches to various owners, Jones had his own plan.
On Monday Night Football, with the entire football world watching, Jones knelt with his team before the Anthem. With the rest of the team's head bowed, Jones' looked right into the camera and gave a subtle smile. In a way, it was a nod to everyone. Jones was playing the game, and he was winning.
The same strategy will probably take place. The first move has been put into motion. Whatever Jones' does next will continue his mission to make the Star–both Jerry's and the Cowboys'–number one…one way or another.
