Officially, Stephen Jones holds the titles of Cowboys chief operating
officer, executive vice president and director of player personnel.
If anything, his role in the organization will expand even more. He has
become the Cowboys' point man for the new stadium in Arlington in
addition to everything else.
He talked about the stadium, the team and life with his father, owner
Jerry Jones, and coach Bill Parcells in a telephone interview Thursday:
While the Cowboys always want to win, is there more pressure to win
now? You have the stadium deal in place, and you've spent more than $30
million in free agency this off-season.
There's always pressure to win. But with all the moves we made in free
agency and the money we spent and the draft and the good off-season –
and, of course, with Bill Parcells here – I think there is a lot of
pressure. Then you put that with the fact we will be moving toward our
new stadium. We want to create a lot of excitement about this football
team. We're not only going to have a good team this year, but it will be
a building block, and we will continue to have success as we move toward
the opening of our new stadium.
Are you more optimistic for this season with the acquisitions than,
say, the past couple of years?
I think we've improved every year in terms of getting good, young
players. We had another good draft this year. We were fortunate the
first year that Bill was here that we ended up with a winning record.
Last year, we had some injuries and trip-ups. But I do think we're
getting much better. Personally, the only concern I have is, obviously,
always at quarterback. We need Drew Bledsoe to have a great year. You
put that with the fact we're going to have new schemes with our defense.
You go through some growing pains in terms of learning a new system to a
degree. If we overcome that, there's a chance we'll have a great year.
A number of new, state-of-the-art NFL stadiums have been constructed
in the last five to 10 years. What will make the new Cowboys stadium
unique?
I wish we were the last ones to go because we feel so excited about some
of the things and designs that we've come up with. Everybody seems to
take the last stadium done and improve on that. I think we're going to
have some great iconic-type designs in our stadium that are really going
to separate us from any stadium that's been built to date. With some of
the things we're doing for our fans, with some of the things that's
going to be in the architecture, I think people in this area are going
to very pleased and very proud of this new football stadium.
With plans becoming formalized, has any decision been made about
moving the practice facility from Valley Ranch to Arlington? That would
seem to be a logical progression.
That ultimately could happen, and we went over that with the mayor. But
right now, our resources are focused into the game experience itself.
And we have such a state-of-the-art facility at Valley Ranch. We want to
put our resources into making this the greatest stadium that we can
possibly do. Then, at some point, if it makes sense for us to move the
practice facility and do something along those lines, that would come at
a later date. I certainly don't see that coinciding with an opening in
the real near future.
From the outside, it seems like you've been a calming influence
between your father and Bill Parcells, two people with strong
personalities. How is that relationship, and have you been forced to
play peacemaker at all?
You're dealing with very bright people in general, not to mention their
background in the NFL. It's just been a joy for me to get to work with
two people like that. I'll say this about them – they never get
careless. I think it's been very fortuitous for both of them. I think
they both learned a lot from each other. At times, when you do get into
any sensitive issues in any relationship ... it's nice to have somebody,
in this case like myself, to help bounce things off in terms of getting
something accomplished. I don't think they could have asked to have a
better relationship.
Your dad doesn't show any signs of slowing down. But have you two
ever talked about the day where he might step down and how that
succession would go?
He shows no signs of even thinking about that or even letting up. It's
nothing we spend any serious time on. He's thinking positive about how
we're going to make this franchise successful. I'm very fortunate to
have a prominent role as it is.
As the father of four children, you've taken a crack at coaching
youth sports. How did that work out?
I've coached them all. After a certain age, especially with soccer,
where you just teach them to keep their eye on the ball, hustle and run,
my expertise runs low, so I have to turn them over to more skilled
coaches.
You've got a degree in chemical engineering. Tell us something we
don't know about oil and gas exploration.
[Laughs] It's been a long time. I spent a lot of my time on our company.
We were selling our business, and I was in reservoir engineering. When
you're selling, you want to maximize each and every well that you have
to let them know how much reserves you have. But ultimately the oil and
gas business got us involved in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys. It's
still a business we're very fond of and stay involved with.
E-mail ccarlton@dallasnews.com
Born: June 21, 1964, in Little Rock, Ark.
Family: He and wife Karen have four children: Jessica, Jordan,
Caroline and John Stephen.
Did you know? Jones played four years as a linebacker on Arkansas
teams that played in four consecutive bowl games for coaches Lou Holtz
and Ken Hatfield. "You get a chance to play and become friends from
people from all walks of life," Jones said. "What I take away the most
is how you learn to communicate and work as a team and respect your
teammates."
To-do list: Jones will be busy this month negotiating contracts
for the Cowboys' draft picks, including first-rounders Demarcus Ware and
Marcus Spears, before training camp opens.
