I know he takes a lot of shit and he deserves most of it. But the one thing you can't deny is the passion of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
It was on full display again during Sunday night's 60 Minutes story on CBS. At one point Jones' eyes were watering as he talked of being motivated - still, as a billionaire - by the fear of being broke.
"I don't want to go back that far," he says. "So yeah, I run scared."
Jones makes mistakes and as a general manager he said New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner would've long ago fired him. But when you see Tashard Choice asking for an opponent's autograph on the field after a loss and then listen to Jones, you appreciate just how damn much the owner cares:
Highlights of the piece ...
*He admits "stats are for losers."
*Says the Cowboys got too full of themselves.
*Says as the GM he's "getting a real going over" by critics.
*Grades himself with an F, or D-minus this season.
*Totally accepts blame: "The way this thing is structured it is my fault."
*And, in the end, manages to throw himself one bone by saying "If you're going to be in the fox hole with somebody you want to be in there with me."
Certainly I'm disappointed at a disastrous Cowboys' season. But I'm also sympathetic toward Jones.
You?