The Cowboys owner also discussed the importance of Tony Pollard reaching 1,000 rushing yards.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks on the field before the start of the Dallas Cowboys at Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla..(Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently joined the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] to discuss how Dallas would react if Philadelphia takes a large lead during Sunday’s regular season finale.

Here are some highlights, edited for clarity:

Would you have Darren Woodson as your leader of the human resistance against an alien invasion?

Jerry Jones: ““I’ll go right along with your sentiment there, and more sentiment. He’s never wavered. He’s been so consistent. Darren seemed like the first time that he walked on the field for the Cowboys that he was the way that he is now. But he’s solid, he’s sensitive, but make no mistake about it: there is a tremendous Hall of Fame football player inside apart from his demeanor and his leadership skills.”

Is it safe to say you feel the same about DeMarcus Ware’s Hall of Fame worthiness?

Jones: “It’s almost trite for me to speak about him being eligible or being a logical choice to the Hall of Fame when we’ve all seen it. Anybody that’s kept up with NFL and certainly kept up with the Cowboys would, in my mind, have been blind not to see that he was a Hall of Fame player when he played.”

Would you sit out starters if scoreboard watching revealed the Eagles blowing out the Giants on Sunday?

Jones: “No, no. That’s a real good question, but no. We don’t go beyond what’s between the lines out there on the field at the time of the game and in general looking ahead at all would be specifically in the best interest of the club. Well, you say, ‘Couldn’t you get a little of that indication from another game that’s going on?’ But as to how we play this game, I’ve never been in a situation where another game going on at the same time impacted the game you’re playing in.”

Do you get more nervous for the postseason as a fan than you did playing for a national title at Arkansas?

Jones: “Yes, yes, of course. I was always more worried about getting my man or making my own physical performance or not messing up or not getting a penalty. And certainly I was aware. Just all you had to do was run out on the field and you were aware you were getting to be a part of something special. And, so, I just let that be a part of be a part of making me try to go a level above what I was capable of. We used to have 1,000 to 2,000 people watch us practice and be 30 feet from you at practice.

“And I’ve often said that I don’t know if I could have played at a lesser level because that made me much better than I was, to be that close, 30 feet away from fans on a spring afternoon make you have a spring practice as though you were in the Super Bowl. And, so, I was motivated by my surroundings at Arkansas.”

How big of a deal is it for Tony Pollard to get 1,000 rushing yards? Is it still a big deal in 17 games?

Jones: “I think it is really notable that you got Zeke [Elliott] in our running game as well. And he’s a part of our offense that has two really — including himself of course — and to me that’s notable, big time. To step up there and have those 1,000 yards with the back sharing the load with you like Zeke really is notable. So, he’s talent wise, he’s certainly — this isn’t an aberration. He’s certainly capable of having that kind of production.”

Did you imagine in January 2020 that hiring Mike McCarthy would bring the type of stability that comes with winning 13 games?

Jones: “Well, let me start off by saying huge, huge. The 13th win of the season is every reason that you could want to not have this ‘getting ready game’ for something else. Thirteen wins is a big deal. And I know we’re playing 17 this year, but it’s still a big deal. We don’t have many of those in my past obviously as far as I don’t want to use my, I, me, but still, I don’t. The facts are we don’t have many of them. And you ask this question of Mike as the subject and Mike McCarthy, and it’s great for him to put a 13-win season on his resume. And it’s great for me to put it on my general manager’s resume. It’s just important.

“Now, we know what’s important is it usually means you’re getting into the playoffs, and now you say, ‘Well, that’s important.’ Well, I’ll tell you this. You go through the stat books and you look at coaches’ records and you look at team records. And there is a lot of stuff in there about how a franchise has done, how a team has done, or a coach or a player has done that aren’t playoff games. And why is all of that in there? It’s because it’s important.”

Source: https://www.dallasnews.com/