Dallas Cowboys: Will Jerry Jones Become This Generation's Al Davis?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that he has no intentions of letting anyone else run the show...ever. He has been the general manager for the Cowboys since taking over ownership and firing Tex Schramm in 1989.

I can't help but wonder if Jones will end up becoming this generation's version of Al Davis. After all, there are many ties that bind the two great men.

Davis will forever be remembered as one of the great innovators and founding fathers of the NFL as we know it today. Jones will be forever known as the man that resurrected "America's Team" from the ashes.

Like Davis, Jones has a staunch belief in his own abilities to evaluate and collect elite talent. Like Davis, Jones also refuses to be bullied into doing anything other than what he's set his mind to do. 

Both owners have had success with boisterous, bold coaches (John Madden, Jon Gruden, Bill Parcells), and both owners have had trouble keeping coaches around.

Jones also has never been afraid to roll the dice and go after a player he liked, despite popular opinion. He has been successful at luring top players to the Cowboys, much like Davis did in Oakland.

Both owners brought success to their teams with style and through savvy front office decisions, and both owners are known for sticking to their guns no matter what. 

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When I bought the team I said that there's no way I could make the kind of commitment that I'm making to buy the team ... and not have the final say relative to the kinds of things that general managers decide, Jones said. So, I don't see that at all. What I do see is a better straight line way of making decisions and that has born out over the years. Now we need to win a Super Bowl.

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The thing is, the Cowboys haven't gotten close to the Super Bowl since the mid-90s, and the team is threatening to miss the playoffs altogether this year. Jason Garrett looks like he's in over his head, and Jones could keep the turnstile going and hire another coach after the season is done.

Jones and the Cowboys also need to make a big decision this offseason about their situation at the quarterback position. Tony Romo has been one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to consistently play the joker just when his team needs him to be the king.

Jones has been responsible for drafting players as well as bringing in free agents, and the Cowboys haven't been particularly good in that area over the last 10 years. Sure, they have had some players that went on to be fantastic, but Jones has also had some colossal misses.

While Jones will go down in history as one of the greatest owners in the history of the league, it seems like he might end up suffering the same fate as Davis did towards the end and drive his team into becoming a byword for ill-conceived front office decisions.

Don't get me wrong, I don't wish this to happen. But I can see the writing on the wall.

Jerry Jones would be wise to set his ego aside and  hire some football people who know the NFL of 2011. If he doesn't do this, the Cowboys will continue to put together disappointing seasons and Jones will continue to become more and more like Al Davis did at the end of his days in Oakland.