Jerry Jones on optimism for Cowboys: ‘I have to believe 1 and 1 is 3. I can’t operate where 1 and 1 is 2.’

Life as a football fan can be rough. More directly put, it can be devastating pain and misery. That is, of course, just one side of the spectrum. Life as a football fan can also be joyful and full of victory. As Dallas Cowboys fans specifically, we have had pockets of fun over the last quarter century, but a certainty for that entire timeframe has been that it has all ended in pain and agony.

But you know what? On Sunday the Cowboys will run out onto the field inside of AT&T Stadium and on some level we will all be convinced that this year not only can but will be different. Optimism is beautiful in that weird sort of way.

Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones can be a different kind of optimistic at times, though. By Jerry’s own admission, he can often be too optimistic. He said when training camp opened this year as an example that one of his flaws in life is that he doesn’t necessarily recognize the negative things that happen.

Nobody is suggesting dwelling on the negative, but negative experiences (pain in general) can be used as a learning tool. We can recognize mistakes and pitfalls that we encounter in life and hopefully grow into people who don’t commit them again in the future.

During his Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jerry was asked about his optimism specifically for the 2022 Dallas Cowboys season and whether or not it is different than it ever has been. His answer was... unique.

105.3 The Fan

The spirit of this message is a bit nice if you allow yourself to feel particularly bright and sunny. Jerry is saying that for most people “1 and 1 is 2” meaning that the vast majority of people (in this case NFL teams) look at things one way and therefore live and operate in that world.

Jerry’s disposition has always been that of a risk-taking nature. You can’t will “1 and 1 into 3” but sometimes when you put your money in the vending machine a second bag of potato chips falls out and you get more than you paid for. Anyone who has followed the Dallas Cowboys over the last 30 years is well-aware that this is how they have chosen to operate from an overall philosophical standpoint.

Ultimately, not recognizing that “1 and 1 is 2” is unwise if we are being honest. While there is beauty and hope in optimism, it has very often been noted by people that hope is not a strategy. In order to play properly by the rules of engagement you have to, you know, understand and acknowledge the rules of engagement. Pretending that the yield can be 3 as opposed to 2 ultimately actually inhibits the ability of, in this case the Dallas Cowboys, to find the proper result.

Welcome to football season.