He's right.  Jerry Jones is the NFL's version of George Steinbrenner, but thankfully he can't try to buy championships and spend like crazy every year because the NFL has a salary cap.

WRONG.  Even when wasn't a salary cap, the Cowboys had tons of homegrown talent. Easy to just thrown down those comparisons when you don't back it up.

I believe that Harbaugh is coming from having faced the Cowboys twice a year maybe 10 years ago. Anyone that's familiar with the Cowboys knows the mess the team was in when Irvin got injured and Aikman and Smith retired within a few years. He has a point, Jerry Jones really messed things up and tried to bring in washed up talent to make up for actual player development.

I like this line: "As a longtime Jerry Jones critic who bemoaned the signings of Deion Sanders, T.O., Keyshawn Johnson, Pacman Jones, Drew Bledsoe and many more, let me just say, 'Well said Coach!'"

This is such clueless statement. Two of these guys were PARCELLS acquisitions, hardly star-grasping by Jerry Jones. And T.O.? Wasn't this all started from an EAGLES coach's quote? I forget, who did T.O. sign with before the Cowboys? Help me out here. And Pacman signed for a year for preeeettty close to the vet min. yup, another HUGE bloated contract given out by Jerry.

If yours was the team who had all those big names,and your owner wanted to fork out the bucks to get such names...I think you would be singing a different tune.  As far as the coach and his thoughts...ask me if I care.

With the salary cap,it is only YOUR teams  that don't want to pay out and get such a talent.  You never know if all that talent will take or not....but you don't know if you don't try.

These WHINERS about the Cowboys and Yankees are just that...cry babies, let me hand ya a box of kleenex.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Cowboys fan, but I think Jerry Jones is an idiot, plain and simple!

OK, Keyshawn was a Parcells signing, but part of the reason Parcells left was because JJ acted as GM, bringing in TO, Bledsoe, and others that Parcells didn't want on his team but were there because Jerry Jones, in his twisted thinking as GM/Owner/Football god figured they could contribute if he overpaid them by millions.  And if you'll remember, TO was unceremoniously booted from the Eagles in mid-season when he ceased to be a team player.  And regardless of their pay, they were all "name" players Jerry Jones brought in based on their past, not their potential.  Oh yea, I forgot to mention Roy Williams, who cost several high draft picks, got a new contract and has contributed...what? Either way, they were all players who were overpaid and/or overhyped who haven't helped the Cowboys win a championship....

That said, I can't argue with the development of the some of the recent draft picks but you know damn well, if there's a name free agent out there, Jerry Jones will pursue him with a wad of money, regardless of whether said player can still play or whether he's actually needed on the Cowboys.  Jerry Jones' track record has pretty much etched that fact out in stone...

I'm pretty sure the Redskins are what's wrong with football.

Dont expect Jerry Jones to hire John Harbaugh anytime soon.

You don't write these books when you're still coaching.  It just seems strange.  Since John Harbaugh is really into ethics and morality, how does he explain away Ray Lewis' history?

how many championships does john have?

very frustrating post. Harbs isn't writing a book, he was asked for a comment in a book about the Eagles. And what in the world does Ray Lewis' history have to do with Harbs? that was 10 years ago, why would he have to explain anything? Does Steve Spagnulo have to explain Leonard Little?

John Harbaugh is just trying to get someone to buy his book.  He has no clout and he's a wannabee!! You never hear anything from these people until they have something to sell!!

Look, even Cowboy fans hate the way the team's handles themselves...but to say they are all's that wrong in the NFL?  Have we've been caught taping the other team's plays?  Do we bemoan at every little action since we coach in a town where you're NOT even popular as the head coach?  Harbaugh's looking for a hand-out, and that's because is brother was a better player and now a bettert coach than he his...turd!!

That's because he's FORCED to do that since the NFL has a salary cap.  Look at how much the Cowboys are worth, how much money Jerry Jones has laying around, there's no way anyone can say with a straight face that if the NFL salary cap was lifted, the Cowboys wouldn't become the Yankees of the NFL overnight, because we all know it's true.

 I didn't agree with those signings personally. But to blame them for what's wrong with everything in the NFL is a bit much. What a crybaby. And I doubt very seriously that he would turn down the job if it was offered to him.

The Cowboys ARE what is wrong with the world.  PERISH IN FLAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another person whose team has never won the big one!!

I would say the Redskins are what is wrong in the NFL.  The Cowboys just cant cope without Sean Payton running the offense. Nothing but sour grapes...

Next season with no salary cap will be interesting, but I can assure you Harbaugh's team won't be involved

Bledsoe was a Parcells signing too, or did you forget that Parcells coached him for years with the Pats?

T.O. was booted by the Eagles, but also picked up by the Eagles after not being a team player for the 49ers. They took a chance on him, just like the Cowboys did. the Cowboys booting T.O. too, which you neglected to mention.  Whatever the Cowboys are guilty of in the last few years, the Eagles are just as guilty. Both employed T.O., both signed high priced free agents, both took on criminals (the Eagles are still EMPLOYING theirs).  AND they haven't won a championship either, as if that makes it all better. You're argument is weak in context of THIS quote from Harbaugh, because it's coming from the T.O.-acquiring, Kearse-signing, Vick-employing Philadelphia Eagles.

Like I said, if we're talking late-90s, early 2000s Cowboys, fine. Jerry messed a lot up. But if we're talking the last 5-6 years, THIS IS A WEAK ARGUMENT.

Ouch, but accurate.

This is your argument? The NFL does have a salary cap and the Cowboys don't have a star player that they haven't developed on their own. You're just speculating.

We didn't have a salary cap when the Cowboys drafted and developed Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin...

Sounds like people in this thread are talking about the Redskins, who haven't drafted and developed their own talent for  a loooong time...

Talk to me when the Cowboys DON'T have a top-5 offense.

But then Jerry bought the team and they won 3 more Super Bowls and developed 4-5 Hall of Fame players. oh boo hoo.

I think Harbaugh should worry about his own team. 

We'll have to agree to disagree but remember that Jerry also gave T.O and Bledsoe raises when no other team even wanted them. And the Roy Williams trade?  A first round pick and a third round pick when they already had Austin, Crayton, and TO?  Tell me that's not getting a star (and I use that term laughingly in Williams' case) for the sake of getting a name player??

Nor am giving the Eagles a free pass, but you look at the record of the Eagles versus the record of the Cowboys in the context of Harbaugh's statement and the facts speak for themselves.

Honestly I hope I'm wrong and one day all of Jerry Jones' idiotic machinations pan out.  But until that day, his record continues to speak for itself...

It is foolish to think that the Cowboys are somehow not a truly incredible team. I think Romo needs to be reined in at times because what he does off the field can often spill over onto the field. I personally could care less about star power. It's results that speak and carry the big clubs.
That said they have the right to draft, buy, trade or whatever, whenever they wish.
Pouring money into the players picks may seem tacky but then again I come from the Patriots way of doing things. Although to be honest cheap seems to the tune of the Pats. Here it is not the money but the prestige associated with the organization that often brings in incredible talent like Moss, Welker, Brady, and most others. They take cuts in pay or lower caps because that is what Old Bill and kraft want. Fact is it seems to work pretty well.
When you build a team on it's potential abilities instead of how much star power, money or fame that can be gotten it (in my opinion) makes for a much more dedicated, lean mean fighting machine.
Brady, Faulk, Moss, Welker, Seau, and a lot more truly gifted and money potential players have opted for lower salaries for the hope of making a team that wants to play for love of the game and team solidarity all in hopes of winning the golden goose at the end of the season.
The Cowboys come from money to begin with and that's fine. What they want to do with their money and players is up to them. They certainly have built a hell of a team. They certainly are not what is wrong with the NFL. Ryan and his arrogance seems to be what makes the league often look like all they want is to be famous and this is now showing in the latest stats and game results. The Colts are not unlike the Pats in that they have players that are there for love of the game and loyalty to the team.  It shows in everything they do. Payton could, like Brady name his price but the love of his team and the want for excellence is what makes him and his team the winners they are right now and in the past.
My point is that all the teams have their way of building a club. When things go wrong and your big money potential players end up being duds you have clubs that unfortunately end up like the Bucs and others that are now struggling because the star power they bought has turned out to be star  dust.

Regardless of how a team is built it's success or failure ends up in the hands of the coaches and whether or not they can do the job of making a team do their will.. The Jets, a few games ago thought that Ryan walked on water. Walking on water is not so impressive when the team takes on the attitude of the coach and starts to become a losing team because they cannot live up to the hype of their leaders.The whole of the team takes on the coaches attitude and so goes the team. They had it all or so they thought until they started losing. Bragging. Bad mouthing your opponents can end up back firing when you do not have the where with all to produce what you are hyping 
My point is this. The Cowboys have had some success this year and last because they had hand picked the best they could buy. But in the end money is only a small part of what makes a team win games. The rest is attitude developed by hard work, ability and excellent coaching. We are lucky. We have stars who signed on not just to make money. Wilfork, Brady, welker and others mentioned have been the successes they are by working as a unit. No one person, including Brady makes the team a winner. Working their asses off and sacrificing their lives to make the team a wainner is what nends up being the l;ife blood of a winning team.

Having the big names can help, but going for someone just because he's a media whore big name isn't. Each player has a style of play, and if your big name doesn't fit into the style of play your team uses, you won't do as well. I'd rather have a bunch of good players with the same style than one great player with a different style.

do explain how tom brady some 6th round draft pick won super bowls WITH no name receivers... 3, may i add. to the point at hand Jerry Jones does like throw money around at players who did big things in their past. reminds me of dan snyder :(

and i love you too, but Moss wasnt there when Tom and the pats won the super bowls....remember, deion branch was there who by the way played off and def.  last time i checked damn near the whole pats defense is very young which means not so much money. I'm just trying to say the pats won their titles without spending mucho dinero.

randy had a great season and helped take them but they lost to the giants.

this was originally written as "jim harbaugh"...good catch by the post-production editing dude!

I agree of the fact that Jerry Jones a complete idiot, and alot of dumb moves wer emade on his part. I do also feel that the Cowboys would be muh better off without him as CEO. But Just because those wrong moves were made dosent mean that the cowboys as a team are at fault. Its not the teams fault its whose leading it and operating it upstairs! They are the best team because they work together AS A TEAM and all they do is done as a team  especially on the field, win or lose.

I inferred that the team as a whole is not paid a lot of money and I stick by that. It is as you say hard to win a ring without spending serious dollars. When they won their first ring Tom was still making next to nothing compared to his counterparts. What I said about the rest still holds true as well. If you look at the bucks these guys get as compared to other teams and this includes Brady they do not make as much. They do not starve either. My point was that they get new talent, often for a song and they get a year or two on the cheap. I would be really surprised if Jarvis Green Ellis, Meriwether and a couple others did not demand a better cut and they will get it. They better because I like to see my team win. I like to see them make incredible plays and do it over and over and that is what I see whenever I watch these guys play at their best.
Like so many of you I love my team and I think they are the best. I do because they are a cut above many who play the game these days. They are made that way by so many factors that it can be hard to pin any one thing they do down as the most obvious reason for their success. I'm just glad that this year is turning out to be a lot better than the first two games foretold. That we have Bob Kraft and not Jerry Jones. That although we may not always win a ring the fans seem to always remain proud of these guys. Why not. After all they are the best. Or so I say.

"The Eagles sucess"??? How many Super Bowls have they won?????????
Gosh, I didn't know it was the NFL goal to be just good enough to finish 2nd or 3rd.
 

Dan S, not the REDSKINS. The team doesnt sign the coaches or call the plays. the redskins issues come from snyder and his buddy cerrato.