Jerry Jones on "enthusiasm" at Dallas Cowboys training camp, new head coach and "Landman" appearance

CBS News

6 days ago

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones sat down for a one-on-one conversation with CBS Sports Texas' Bill Jones at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif. over the weekend.
Watch the full interview in the player above.
Bill Jones remarked to Jerry Jones that he has been coming to training camp for more than 40 years, and does not recall a training camp with as much energy as this one.
"I happen to agree with you. First of all, I know it's never been more beautiful out here," Jerry Jones said, praising the facilities and beauty in Oxnard.
"Then you add Brian Schottenheimer's new juice coming in, enthusiasm, those young coaches bouncing around here. It's contagious for the players. And then when the players start acting like that, we all get to thinking we could step out there and catch a pass."
Jerry Jones made waves earlier this year when he decided to hire Brian Schottenheimer as the Cowboys' head coach. The 51-year-old has been an assistant coach his entire career, spending the past two seasons as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator under the offensive-minded former head coach Mike McCarthy, who called the plays.
Jones said he was originally considering tapping Schottenheimer to take over the offense and call plays under whatever new coach was hired.
"All of a sudden, you realize you've got somebody sitting there with almost 30 years of experience coaching in the NFL, yet he was still, relatively speaking, just a pup, really. And, he hasn't head-coached. I'm a big believer in someone that has their shot. And I remember telling him, 'Brian, you're not Brian Schottenheimer anymore. You're now the coach of the Dallas Cowboys,'" Jones said.
One of the biggest moves the Cowboys made in the offseason was trading for wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens has plenty of talent to line up opposite of CeeDee Lamb, totaling 174 catches and 12 touchdowns over the first three years of his career. But he also developed a reputation for causing issues in the locker room for his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That, Jones said, is what gave the Cowboys the opportunity to make the trade.
"There's no question that he could contribute to our success. But I like his attitude. And, a lot of people might say, well, he had some off-the-field issue ... but that's just exactly where you get opportunity," Jones said. "You'll see, he's going to make a big impact."
The lack of a contract extension for Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons has been the talk of training camp. The team is no stranger to the situation, with similarly drawn-out contract talks with Lamb and QB Dak Prescott in 2024.
Bill Jones told Jerry Jones that Lamb admitted in hindsight that his lack of participation in training camp last year affected his chemistry with Prescott. Bill Jones then asked how much time Parsons would need to be ready for the Cowboys' first game on Sept. 4.
"I'm glad that CeeDee said that, and he needs to tell it to everybody. And, if you've got a contract, come to camp," Jerry Jones replied. He did not directly address the negotiations with Parsons.
Aside from football, Jones got attention earlier this year for his appearance on the Paramount+ series "Landman." In his scene, Jones gives life advice to the character played by actor John Hamm while he was recovering the hospital, with the script centering around spending time with his kids.
Jones said he was surprised about how much attention the scene received.
"It reminds me again, it's the subject matter. If you talk about kids, are you talk about the right subject. Now, you may string some strums of some hearts that otherwise wouldn't be listening. And in that case, the part was about, kids and who's going to be with you when you are in the hospital for the last time. All of that was there. We practice that without a doubt," Jones said.