The “Gambler” Craps Out

If you haven’t watched America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys on Netflix, do it. The focus of the documentary is Jerry Jones and his beloved Dallas Cowboys.

I don’t know if this documentary was sanctioned by Jones, but he is the program’s epicenter. He’s the gambler and is presented as a cool under pressure, sharp-eyed, a risk-taker who plays every hand dealt his way as if it was his last. With a Cheshire cat-like grin, Jones seems most at ease when the stakes are the highest.

Jones’ pride and joy are the Dallas Cowboys who are portrayed as a collection of ultra confident players with the swagger of western drifters wearing the bold blue star like a badge of honor.

In the collective eyes of the Cowboys’ faithful, these players and coaches sit upon a pedestal as heroes – a collective source of civic pride. To those non-card-carrying members of Cowboys Nation, they are villains, a self-absorbed posse, a band of cocksure wranglers.

Jerry Jones and band of law bending swindlers were once called America’s Team. Maybe because the franchise was once such a spectacle, forever on center stage under the bright lights with much as stake. America tuned in for their story to eagerly see them attain glory or wishfully waiting for their fall. Foe or enemy, you get the feeling that Jones enjoyed it either way.

I’m not among the Cowboys faithful. I was a big fan of the 49ers from the days of the Colts departure to Indianapolis to the arrival of the Baltimore Ravens. So for me, the Cowboys were NFL miscreants. Whether on the field or off, save for Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, I loathed every single one of them. Nothing changed while watching America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. If anything, the disdain heightened.

Yet I couldn’t stop watching.

Jones relishes in being the center of attention. He craves it. And make no mistake about it, he is this program’s star. If only he spent as much time trying to be an effective GM and not honing his acting chops, “America’s Team” wouldn’t be America’s laughingstock today. Yesterday Jones greenlighted the trade of the Cowboys’ best player, a generational talent.

Micah. Parsons.

See. You. Later.

Michael Irvin one minute before the trade news dropped:

“I guarantee Micah Parsons is not going anywhere”

pic.twitter.com/5TxILVj8Fe

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 28, 2025

Parsons was traded to the Packers for two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark, a 3-time Pro Bowler. Clark turns 30 on October 4 and is entering his 10th year in the league. Last season he experienced a drop off in tackles and had just 1 sack compared to 2023 when he had 7 ½ QB takedowns.

A pair of first-round picks that are likely to fall into the mid 20’s and a DT on the backside of his career for a player who has produced 12 or more sacks over his first 4 seasons – a feat accomplished only by the late, great Reggie White? C’mon man!

And why now? If you aren’t going to get a deal done with Parsons, why not make the deal before the 2025 NFL Draft. Then, teams have more cap space and there would be more suitors. More suitors would have increased Jerry Jones’ leverage resulting in a better haul of picks and players. AND… one or more of the picks could have been 2025 picks, resulting in players that could contribute immediately.

What does a move like this say to Jerry’s players?

Cowboys fans after Jerry Jones traded Micah Parsons to the Packers pic.twitter.com/ydDSpbRzPn

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) August 28, 2025

If there’s no loyalty to a player like Parsons, how can the other guys in the locker room willingly want to invest their futures in an organization that can’t get out of its own way. They are completely hamstrung by a narcissistic owner whose guiding hand as the team’s GM has helped lead them to five playoff wins in 29 seasons. During that time, they never advanced beyond the Divisional Round. During that time, the Jacksonville Jaguars have 6 playoff wins.

The struggles won’t change anytime soon.

The Gambler just played another losing hand.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/08/29/lombardis-way/jerry-jones/