First things first: fire the GM

OK, here comes an admission: I know little about the sport that is the subject of this blog post ... that is to say I don’t about the nuts and bolts of it.

Here’s what I do know. I know that the owner of the Dallas Cowboys thinks he’s an expert on the sport his team competes in, except that he doesn’t.

The Cowboys opened their training camp in Oxnard, Calif. and have begun preparing for the 2026-2027 NFL season. Some pundits, who think they know enough about the sport of pro football, think this “might be the year “ for the Cowboys to break their three-decade drought since their latest Super Bowl victory.

I just have one piece of advice for the owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones. He needs a new general manager.

Oh, wait! I damn near forgot! Jones is the GM. He’s the owner and the top executive.

I am aware of one pro football owner who’s doubled as GM and been successful at it. Al Davis -- the owner and GM of the Oakland Raiders -- comes to mind. Davis ran the show in Oakland just as Jones does in Texas; I can’t refer to them routinely as the Dallas Cowboys because they quit playing tackle football in Dallas since they left the Cotton Bowl in the 1970s.

Well, anyway ...

If Jones really thinks he knows how to draft players, negotiate contracts with his star players, hire head coaches and stay out of their way while they coach the team, then I will eat my words.

I don’t think that will happen.

Jerry Jones is a brilliant man. He made a fortune in business. He then spent part of it to buy the Cowboys. I just figure that someone who is as smart as Jones is would know what he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know pro football the way a seasoned general manager knows the sport.

The owner of the team just should step aside, hire a seasoned general manager, then sit back, count your money and let the GM and the head coach take all the credit for whatever success they earn. And sure, the owner can share in it ... just not hog all of it.