Randy Galloway had an intriguing suggestion to make to the Dallas Cowboys this weekend in the Fort Worth Star–Telegram.
His proposal? Trade quarterback Tony Romo to the Houston Texans for the #1 pick in this spring's NFL draft.
Houston, Galloway says, is a club that is ready to win ... except it needs a veteran quarterback. Romo is a veteran quarterback — who might benefit from a change of scenery. (Sometimes that is all it takes. Witness Alex Smith in Kansas City after an unproductive career in San Francisco.)
"Tony can play," Galloway writes. "Don't give me any back talk on that. Tony can play."
(A disclaimer is necessary here, you see. There has been some disagreement in these parts about Romo and whether he actually can play, at least at a level that is worth that huge contract that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave him nearly a year ago.)
Jones, Galloway writes, "knows he's not going anywhere with Tony. Not anywhere except the proven 8–and–8. Mr. Jones needs new blood at QB. And he needs out from under that stupid contract he gave Romo last summer."
I'll admit, it sounds pretty fantastic, doesn't it? But, with Romo's contract, Galloway observes, "he's already the second–most powerful person at Valley Ranch." That's second — behind Jones, ahead of the coach.
I've been observing Jones since he bought the Cowboys in 1989. I even covered Jimmy Johnson's first press conference after he was named Tom Landry's successor — by Jones.
And I have reached some very definite conclusions.
One of which is this: Jones is all about power and control. His ego demands frequent stroking — and his preferred form of stroking is to be told that he alone is responsible for all the good things that have happened to the Cowboys since he bought the team — the three Super Bowl wins in the '90s in particular — and anything bad that has happened is someone else's fault.
Anyone whose power rivals his own is a threat to Jones — on many levels — and he will only be patient for so long. His patience with coaches — even big–name coaches like Barry Switzer and Bill Parcells — lasts about three years at best.
He has tended to be a little more patient with players — but few players during Jones' tenure have been regarded as "the second–most powerful person at Valley Ranch." That designation usually is reserved for the head coach.
And Jones is jealous about power.
It's an interesting idea, this trade suggestion from Galloway. It's one that Jones should consider — seriously.
