As the owner of the most valuable franchise in professional sports, Jerry Jones has earned the right to talk when he wants to. There is rarely a dull moment when the Cowboys owner speaks, but even Jones does not do one thing — provide his own team with bulletin board material — that is, until now.
To be fair, it is no secret that Jones loves his team and has the utmost confidence in them. So, you may wonder what he could say that could be construed as ‘bulletin board material’ by his own team.
To be fair, what he said, many would not consider bulletin board material. They would instead call it the truth or an honest assessment of the situation. But hardcore, dedicated fans and some players could see it as a perceived lack of confidence and a slight.
So — what did he say?
Late last week, Jones talked about the Cowboys’ season opener against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is what he had to say while appearing on Back Together Sunday:
“We’re going to have a lot of prayer, so we could get the courage to show up. Let me tell you this: world champion Tom Brady, Tampa, great atmosphere — what a better opportunity to step up there and be David against Goliath.”
If the Buccaneers wanted to, they could see this as bulletin board material since Jones seems to think it will take something as simple as the NFL’s equivalent to a slingshot to beat them. But that would be a bit of a stretch.
However, from the perspective of the Cowboys locker room, it could be taken as a sign that he lacks confidence in his team. Not because they are the little guy (David) in this scenario; David wins, which makes that comparison a good thing.
But by comparing his team to the ultimate underdog, Jones could be perceived as saying that his team does not look like a winner on paper. He could be saying that it will take a lucky shot (like a stone to the forehead) for the Cowboys to beat the Buccaneers since Dallas is the ‘smaller and weaker’ team.
It is a rare moment for Jones, who typically is never short on swagger and confidence when talking about his team. But since every sportsbook in the country has the Cowboys listed as 6.0 or 6.5-point underdogs, most would agree with him.
However, Jones has also said that he would be willing to do whatever it takes to get back to the Super Bowl. While a win in Week One will not guarantee the Cowboys a spot, a win would give off the perception that the Cowboys are a team to be reckoned with this season.
If acting like he is not 100 percent confident in the team can help motivate his team to an upset win — do not put it past Jerry Jones.