Jerry Jones

On January 31, 2004; MARGARET E.; beloved wife of the late Edward Jones. She is survived by five sons, Andrew Pearson, David Jones, Kenneth Jackson, Jonathan and Jerry Jones; one daughter, Darlene Tisdale; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Alethia Ringgold and Ellin Brown; two brothers, Frank and John Brown; nieces, nephews, cousins, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law; one sister-in-law; one brother-in-law, other relatives and...

He must delegate Aaron Wilson Baltimore Sun The myth that Jerry Jones tries to perpetuate goes like this: Former Arkansas guard, self-made billionaire and boss of "America's Team" actually has it all figured out. Well, not so fast. Bill Parcells acquired a lot of talent still on the roster, and Jones still has plenty of competent, low-key football people advising him behind the scenes. Can the Cowboys keep climbing with Jones running the show? Yes and no. It all depends on how he delegates when cameras aren't watching.

Owner can't be trusted Kevin Van Valkenburg Baltimore Sun Never trust an oil man to tell you the truth. Not in business, in politics, and especially not in matters pertaining to football. Of course there is a chance Jerry Jones will still fire Wade Phillips before the season ends. He can argue otherwise until his face lift is blue, and I'm still not buying it. True, the Cowboys' season is pretty much toast. And despite what every fantasy wonk or ESPN analyst — most notably former players like Keyshawn Johnson — are saying, this team isn't that good.

In the NFL, everyone tries to keep up with the Joneses. And for good reason. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has transformed a franchise that was losing $1 million per month in 1989 into the league's richest team, one valued by Forbes at $1.8 billion. Despite their struggles on the field, the Cowboys are routinely at the top when it comes to number of prime-time games, sponsorship revenue, TV viewership numbers and merchandise sales. In fact, their cheerleaders outsell many NFL teams in merchandise.

He must delegate Aaron Wilson Baltimore Sun The myth that Jerry Jones tries to perpetuate goes like this: Former Arkansas guard, self-made billionaire and boss of "America's Team" actually has it all figured out. Well, not so fast. Bill Parcells acquired a lot of talent still on the roster, and Jones still has plenty of competent, low-key football people advising him behind the scenes. Can the Cowboys keep climbing with Jones running the show? Yes and no. It all depends on how he delegates when cameras aren't watching.

Give Garrett fair chance Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times With Wade Phillips as coach, Cowboys fans were left to ponder the otherwise unthinkable: Does the brown paper bag go under or over the 10-gallon hat? That puts Jason Garrett in a very difficult spot because a significant portion of that fan base looks at him as part of the problem and not part of the solution. That said, if the Cowboys win five of their final eight games, I'd keep Garrett as coach for at least another season to give him a fair chance to implement his plan.

A lot of Washington Redskins season-ticket holders plan to get their money's worth tonight: They're staying home and skipping the final exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at RFK Stadium.The Redskins, who don't require their season-ticket holders to buy tickets for exhibition games, drew only 40,778 for their first home exhibition game and aren't expected to do much better for this one.The Redskins usually sold out preseason games in the Joe Gibbs era, but they're not as much of an attraction now that the team is losing.

Jerry Jones has a way of irking his NFL "partners." That would be the other 31 owners in the league. Going back more than 10 years, Jones cut deals with Nike and Pepsi that ran contrary to agreements that the NFL had with other sporting goods companies and Coca-Cola. The league even went to court over it.

Body parts Between Tom Brady's right foot and Peyton Manning's left knee, the NFL's two best quarterbacks didn't play a snap during the preseason. Both injuries were shrouded in mystery by the Patriots and Colts. There was even speculation Manning (above) had two knee surgeries in the offseason. The AFC crown could hang in the balance. Feeling the heat The Dallas Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996, a drought that covers five losses. Jerry Jones (above) shelled out $70 million in guarantees to keep seven players and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and added Adam Jones.

Cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones won't be disciplined by the Dallas Cowboys for a scuffle with his bodyguard that team owner Jerry Jones said resulted from joking banter that got out of hand and was quickly settled. "They were literally kidding each other," Jerry Jones said yesterday. "They were jiving around ... and all of a sudden one of them started saying some things, and here you go." Dallas police were called to an upscale downtown hotel because of the disturbance late Tuesday night.

The Cowboys thought they might be the last team standing. Now they could be the first team drafting. So how does a proud franchise miss the mark in such a spectacular way, following its most promising season in a decade by losing seven of its first eight games? Is it all coaching? What role does owner Jerry Jones play? How do those players — essentially the same group that won a playoff game last season — allow themselves to be embarrassed the way they were last Sunday in a 45-7 loss at Green Bay?

Give Garrett fair chance Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times With Wade Phillips as coach, Cowboys fans were left to ponder the otherwise unthinkable: Does the brown paper bag go under or over the 10-gallon hat? That puts Jason Garrett in a very difficult spot because a significant portion of that fan base looks at him as part of the problem and not part of the solution. That said, if the Cowboys win five of their final eight games, I'd keep Garrett as coach for at least another season to give him a fair chance to implement his plan.

Owner can't be trusted Kevin Van Valkenburg Baltimore Sun Never trust an oil man to tell you the truth. Not in business, in politics, and especially not in matters pertaining to football. Of course there is a chance Jerry Jones will still fire Wade Phillips before the season ends. He can argue otherwise until his face lift is blue, and I'm still not buying it. True, the Cowboys' season is pretty much toast. And despite what every fantasy wonk or ESPN analyst — most notably former players like Keyshawn Johnson — are saying, this team isn't that good.

N ews item : Former major league outfielder Curt Motton, a member of the great Orioles teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s, died Thursday after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer. He was 69. My take: The testimonials from his former teammates speak for themselves. Curt was a nice player, but - more importantly - he was one of the nicest people ever to wear an Orioles uniform. Godspeed. News item: During his season-ending news conference Tuesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh would not rule out the possibility that the team would bring back kicker Matt Stover next season.

• BOXING : A former employee of Miguel Cotto filed a sexual harassment lawsuit seeking more than $500,000 from Puerto Rico's most popular boxer. The lawsuit by Martha Chacon Acevedo argues that Cotto made unwanted romantic advances when she worked as an administrator of a residential property owned by the fighter. It says Chacon, a Venezuelan, gave in to Cotto's advances over two months out of fear of losing her job, and was fired in October 2008 after breaking off the relationship.

Cowboys owner: A. Jones reinstated by league nfl The NFL is giving Adam Jones another chance. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said yesterday that the suspended cornerback has been reinstated by league commissioner Roger Goodell, but he must miss two more games - Sunday and the next game on Thanksgiving. He will be back Dec. 7 at Pittsburgh. "He much appreciates the Cowboys and Jerry Jones for standing behind him and encouraging him, and he's grateful to the commissioner," said Worrick Robinson, Adam Jones' Nashville-based attorney.

Cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones won't be disciplined by the Dallas Cowboys for a scuffle with his bodyguard that team owner Jerry Jones said resulted from joking banter that got out of hand and was quickly settled. "They were literally kidding each other," Jerry Jones said yesterday. "They were jiving around ... and all of a sudden one of them started saying some things, and here you go." Dallas police were called to an upscale downtown hotel because of the disturbance late Tuesday night.

Body parts Between Tom Brady's right foot and Peyton Manning's left knee, the NFL's two best quarterbacks didn't play a snap during the preseason. Both injuries were shrouded in mystery by the Patriots and Colts. There was even speculation Manning (above) had two knee surgeries in the offseason. The AFC crown could hang in the balance. Feeling the heat The Dallas Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996, a drought that covers five losses. Jerry Jones (above) shelled out $70 million in guarantees to keep seven players and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and added Adam Jones.