If the Houston Astrodome was the eighth wonder of the world in its day, then the new Cowboys’ Stadium has to be the marvel of the modern era. Having toured the stadium twice in the past month, I am impressed more than ever with Jerry Jones as a visionary and marketing genius. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude, architectural ingenuity, and pure elegance of the place.

Master Builder?

Cowboys stadium is the Crystal Cathedral of football venues.

There is, however, a couple of troubling, nagging questions gnawing at the back of my brain.

First, does Jerry Jones see his new stadium as the crowning achievement of his NFL career?

I mean, he already has his Super Bowl trophies. He bought himself enough good will in the early 90s to see him through the late 90s and early 2000s. Sure, he wants more. Of course, he would like to hoist another trophy or three. But maybe, just maybe, he realizes that in the grand scheme of things, in the world beyond the NFL, that building is the one achievement likely to make him an international darling.

Second, does he spend more time, energy and personal resources on ensuring that the biggest in outlay of cash he will ever make pays off?

The stadium tour guide makes sure you know that the place cost 1.4 billion to build. He also makes sure you know that the city of Arlington had a hard cap of 325 million that it was willing to contribute. The rest came straight out of Jerry’s coffers.

In a global economy that smells like the soured milk I dumped down the sink the other day, that is a ton of cash. Heck, in a robust economy with no money worries anywhere, that is still a handsome sum.One cannot help but wonder how much of Jerry’s mind is occupied with hosting thrilling boxing matches, a BCS game, a U2 concert, an NCAA basketball final, a Republican National Convention, a World Cup, and so on.

Now, you, as a Cowboys’ fan, may say, “Yeah. So?”

So, I will tell you my concern. Maybe Jerry is going cheap this off-season because he has looked at his bank account and said, “Whoa!”

Exhibit A: O.J. Atogwe. Here is a proven safety, as good a center fielder as there is in football, a ball-hawking, play-maker at the position that happens to be your team’s last line of defense before the opponent hangs six on you, and Jerry says, “Meh.”

Is that not a little weird to you? Do you really believe that Jerry is that confident in the undersized Alan Ball and the unproven Michael Hamlin?

In the past, if you gave Jerry an opportunity to upgrade a position like that and all it would cost was money, he would pull that trigger every time. Every single time. And now here he sits in an uncapped year, with the biggest question mark on his entire team being at the safety position, and a plum like Otogwe falls on his plate, and he pushes it aside.

“No thanks. I’m full. We’re good where we are.”

Really?

That kind of anti-Jones behavior is enough to raise a red flag. Is Jerry hurting for money? Is he pinching pennies? If so, how much will the on-field product suffer while he waits for his glorious new stadium to pay for itself?

This is just conjecture, of course. Maybe this is nothing. Maybe Jones and Coach Wade Phillips have seen enough of the kids to really believe they will be as good as or better than Atogwe. Maybe.

But, maybe not.

Say what you want about Martellus Bennett, but the guy does have a sense of humor…and bubbles over with personality. Hot on the heels of his highly controversial “Black Olympics” comes the one-of-a-kind MartyB Stadium Tour. Enjoy…

Jerry Jones likes to make a splash. With the impending opening of his new stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Cowboys’

Bigger is Better

owner will do just that.

One of the most impressive features of the Jones Mahal is the world record-setting scoreboard, which stretches from twenty yard-line to twenty yard-line. Andrea Ahles of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Stephen Jones told the University of Texas at Arlington Business Week audience:

“It cost $40 million to build Texas Stadium. At the new Arlington stadium, the scoreboards alone cost more than $40 million.”

Once the scoreboard is installed and operable, Mitsubishi intends to apply to the Guiness’ Book of World Records to have it listed as the world’s largest. In her report, Ahles reveals the following data concerning the scoreboard/replay screen:

• Each sideline display is 160 by 71 feet, and contains 10.5 million LEDs
• The area of each sideline screen is 11,393 square feet
• The end zone screens are a mere 50 by 28 feet
• Total weight about 390,000 pounds

As a Cowboys fan, I say that all of that is well and good. This is Texas, and we always like to do things bigger. My biggest concern, however, is to know that we will see seventy-one foot tall Cowboys scoring more TDs than their giant opponents on those screens.

Texas Stadium was unique, original, and a marvel in its day, too. The thing that made that place special, however, was that it housed one of the NFL’s greatest teams, a team that made eight Super Bowl appearances, won five rings, set a record for consecutive winning seasons, and was labeled by NFL films as “America’s Team.”

If the Cowboys lay an egg this year the way they did last year, it will be a world record-sized egg. The Jones family just raised the stakes on their own success. If they fail to deliver a winner, they will turn their dream into a giant nightmare, reminiscent of those grainy old Japanese Godzilla flicks.

Jerry and company ought to know that around here a Mitsubishi triumph is far less impressive than a Lombardi Trophy.