The 10 biggest what-ifs in Dallas Cowboys history
• What if Tony Romo was healthy in 2016?
• What if the refs knew what a catch was?
By Randy Gurzi
7. What if Jerry Jones got his way in 2016 or 2014?
There was a time when Jerry Jones made all the calls. There's still a narrative he does, and he feeds that narrative claiming he has the final say. But then, he contradicts himself when things don't go his way.
For example, Jones was furious when the Cowboys selected Zack Martin over Johnny Manziel. He even said he got more upset every day with his son, Stephen Jones, for not choosing Manziel.
"I'm still so damn mad at Stephen... I get madder, every day, about missing (Manziel)." — Jerry Jones via ESPN
Those words don't sound like they came from the man who unilaterally makes decisions. Clearly, Stephen Jones has more control than Jerry wants us to believe and it wasn't only in 2014 when that was evident. It became apparent again in 2016 that Jerry has oversight (thank the lord).
This year, he was all-in on Paxton Lynch from Memphis and wanted to trade up for him. The Cowboys did try and make the move but in the end, Stephen wasn't willing to pay the price. Again, Jerry was angry and said they should have "overpaid" for the young signal-caller.
Again, this worked out perfectly for the 'Boys as they landed Dak Prescott in Round 4. He's still their starter whereas Lynch has been gone from the NFL for a while.
But what if Jerry Jones did get his way?
The landscape would be much different for Dallas. There's no way they take Prescott in Round 4 if Lynch is there and there's also no way Lynch would have done any better in Dallas. In fact, they likely would have fallen off the map in 2016 when Tony Romo and Kellen Moore were injured if Lynch started.
Same goes for Johnny Manziel. If he would have been selected, the 2015 Cowboys would have still been awful but they would have also been a PR nightmare with Manziel leading them to loss after loss.
This is one of those "what-ifs" that can be scary to think about. So next time anyone feels like bashing Stephen Jones, think about these two gaffes he kept his father from making.