Jeff Pearlman writes for the WSJ:
If there was a key moment in Mr. Jones’s rise from laughingstock to laudable, it came in January, 2003 when he hired Bill Parcells as head coach. Unlike Mr. Johnson, who insisted on 100% control over all things football-related, Mr. Parcells was willing to confer with the owner; to sit down and discuss strategy; discuss scouting; discuss what he was looking for in a player. Though the two often butted heads, Mr. Jones was well aware of Mr. Parcells’s knowledge. "What better teacher could Jerry have?" says Mr. Woodson.
Though Mr. Parcells’s four-year tenure resulted in uneven on-field results, those who know Mr. Jones say he emerged with a new level of confidence and — if this is possible — swagger. It was Mr. Jones, after all, who took one of the great personnel risks of the last decade, signing free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens in 2006 to a three-year, $25 million contract after he had been released by the Eagles for multiple infractions. Immediately after the deal, Mr. Jones was again ridiculed throughout the league for having the temerity to add a player who spit in the face of discipline. Few, however, are mocking Mr. Jones today. Now in his third season with Dallas, Mr. Owens has regained his spot among the league’s elite.
