By taking the blame for the Cowboys' problems, Jerry Jones protects Stephen

A recent WFAA poll found that 78 percent of respondents blamed owner and GM Jerry Jones for the Dallas Cowboys' current situation. Jones called it “very fair“to put the responsibility on him.

It is also very safe.

It's easy to have responsibility without having to be accountable. Jones won't face consequences for mismanaging a franchise that hasn't been to an NFC championship game since 1995.

Sure, blame me. What are you going to do about it?

Michael Holley and I resolved the situation on Wednesday PFT Live. As I was talking about this, something occurred to me: Where is Stephen Jones in all this?

A decade ago, Stephen (and others) successfully kept Jerry from drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel. What has Stephen done since then to point his father in the right direction or steer him away from the wrong direction?

Jerry made bad decisions. He waited too long to pay receiver CeeDee Lamb and re-do the deal with Dak Prescott. Last year, Jerry gave running back Tony Pollard the franchise tag and paid him well over $10 million as he recovered from a broken ankle. Previously, Jerry gave receiver Michael Gallup a five-year, $57 million contract as he recovered from a torn ACL.

What was Stephen doing at the time Jerry made these decisions? As for Lamb and Prescott, was Stephen trying to make it clear to Jerry that a delay wouldn't help winning football games, or was he telling his father to stand his ground? Regarding Pollard and Gallup, was Stephen insisting that Jerry was paying too much?

Is Jerry protecting Stephen by taking the blame? It's not like Stephen, now officially the chief operating officer and co-owner, would be fired by Jerry. But Jerry needs the fanbase to accept Stephen when he eventually takes over. If Jerry takes the blame for the team's current state, Stephen will have more of a clean slate when he starts his time.

Regardless, Stephen certainly has an influence on Jerry. As Jerry took stock of the failing franchise, he mentioned that he receives a “huge amount” of “very influential” input.

How many of Jerry's decisions were the result of Stephen's influence? How does Stephen feel about the various things Jerry has done?

These are legitimate questions. Stephen will one day take over the leadership of the team. Unless he has persistently tried to get Jerry to make different decisions than the ones he is making, Stephen is just as responsible for the current chaos as Jerry.