The Dan Reeves Fallout: From Al Davis to Jerry Jones

I may be too young to remember when the Raiders dominated the NFL and Al Davis was considered a genius because of his forward thinking ways. However, I appreciate and understand his legacy to the NFL and his beloved silver and black.

From Al Davis, to John Madden, to Jon Gruden; the Raiders have a history steeped in tradition.

The same goes for Jerry Jones. Just like Al Davis, he has won Super Bowls. Just like Al Davis, some consider him a genius in the way he innovated the way NFL did its business. (Remember the Pepsi fallout?)

The only difference between these two greats is that Al Davis actually coached his team and Jerry Jones did not. They are both controlling figures within their teams and command respect from anyone who steps foot in their compounds.

Last week it was reported that Dan Reeves was close to signing a deal with the Cowboys to become a consultant. Reeves recently interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with the 49ers and is looking to get back into coaching. Everyone figured the deal was signed as Reeves was seen around Valley Ranch breaking down game film and meeting with players.

Coach Reeves would serve as a new voice within the Cowboys organizations; maybe set a tone of discipline and vigor for a team that fell apart last season due to disarray and locker room chemistry.

But at the 11th hour, Reeves was out. He packed up what little stuff he brought to Dallas and went back home. Turns out, Reeves had a disagreement with Jones over the language of his contract.

Mr. Jones wanted a stipulation of hours in Dan’s contract. Reeves had to work a certain amount of hours each week in order to fulfill his contract requirements with the Cowboys. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Anyone that knows Jerry Jones isn’t really surprised by his latest move.

Maybe Coach Reeves would have been that steady hand the Cowboys actually needed. We all know that Wade Phillips has no control over his players and his locker room, so Reeves could maybe tame the likes of Terrell Owens, Terrance Newman, and Roy Williams.

But with Reeves decision to leave instead of playing by the rules of Jerry, does this signal the downfall of America’s favorite franchise?

In the ongoing saga that is Jerry Jones, he’s starting to remind me more and more of Al Davis as the days go by. Al can’t seem to make up his mind on head coaches, so he hires and fires them every season.

Jerry can’t find the right mix of players, so he trades for the ones that have character issues and lengthy rap sheets.

Al Davis hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1983 and Jerry Jones hasn’t won a playoff game since 1996.

Starting to see a trend here? Sorry for hopeful Cowboys fans, but it seems that Jerry is headed down the road to Senileville with huge glasses and more plastic surgery than Joan Rivers.

While there is still hope for both franchises, the long term outlook does not look that grand for either. The Raiders have a promising backfield in JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden and the Cowboys have bona fide superstars in Tony Romo and Marion Barber. But with discord in the locker room and front office for both organizations, who’s to say these teams won’t dwell in the seller of their respected divisions next season?

With respect to both men, as they have six Super Bowls in between them, maybe it’s time to loosen the reigns a little and let your teams breathe. The Raiders need a new voice inside their walls and maybe Jerry should let son Stephen have more control over his organization.

The league is better when both teams are in their primes, but was that prime 10; maybe 20 years ago?

-JH