There’s been a lot of talk in Dallas this offseason about how much longer this core group of players and coaches will be competitive. Owner Jerry Jones has said the team needs to win this year because there may not be many more opportunities, but quarterback Tony Romo has said the window isn’t closing.
Jones, however, made perfectly clear exactly where he stands today: The window may close rapidly, and anyone in Dallas who doesn’t think so should remember that Jones is the one who decides just how long anyone keeps his job with the Cowboys.
“There is an urgency. It’s my perception that decides when the windows are and where they are,” Jones said. “With that in mind, I’m saying that we need to get out here, get down to business, get in some playoffs and get knocking on the door.”
That could be interpreted as a shot at Romo, and perhaps a warning that if the Cowboys don’t win this year, Jones will close Romo’s window whether Romo thinks he’s done in Dallas or not. But Jones, who will turn 70 this year, said it’s not just Romo’s window or coach Jason Garrett’s window that’s closing. It’s Jones’s window, too, and that’s why he so desperately wants to win now.
“I think about it in everything I do,” Jones said. “I remember when I was younger I wanted to be older so people would pay more attention and I could talk to them better. So it seems like we’re always referring to that, experience or age, but from my perspective right now, I don’t have time to have a bad time.”
And if Jones has a bad time watching his team this year, some of the people who work for him are going to find that their windows have closed.