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Jerry Jones continues to insist AT&T Stadium’s blinding sun is a home-field advantage and doesn’t want a curtain
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Jerry Jones continues to insist AT&T Stadium’s blinding sun is a home-field advantage and doesn’t want a curtain

Jerry Jones is a glass-half-full type of guy.

Where others, including players from one’s own team see a literally glaring problem with a simple solutionhe sees the good side.

Two days after extolling the virtues of AT&T Stadium’s giant west-facing window, the Dallas Cowboys team owner doubled down Tuesday while continuing to insist that blinding sunlight that it provides constitutes a sort of advantage on the field. Jones made his point on his weekly radio appearance with 105.3 The Fan.

“Every venue has certain things that at certain times and in certain ways in the competition can create an advantage,” Jones said. “It really falls into the category of home-field advantage. … I don’t want to adjust it for just one reason, because it’s an advantage for us.”

Jones made his point following a 34-6 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that sent an already spiraling season further into the mire. The sun was a topic of conversation as it almost certainly cost the Cowboys points in the loss.

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb got open for what should have been an easy touchdown. But he lost the ball while looking at the sun and never got his hands on it.

A touchdown there wouldn’t have made much of a difference in the 28-point loss. But the missed opportunity certainly didn’t help the Cowboys’ cause.

After the game, Lamb was asked if the stadium would be better equipped with curtains to lessen the impacts of the late-day sun.

“Yes, 1000%” Lamb said.

The scenario elicited this response from Jones during his post-match media scrum:

“We know where the sun will be when we decide whether or not to flip the coin,” Jones said. “So we know where the damn sun will be in our own stadium.”

Jones said this as if opposing teams didn’t win draws and were also aware of the setting sun.

Jones then entered a bizarre and spontaneous rant about the destruction of the stadium, a clear sign of latent frustration with the failure of the Cowboys’ season.

Jerry Jones doesn't seem willing to admit that opposing teams also know when and where the sun sets. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)Jerry Jones doesn't seem willing to admit that opposing teams also know when and where the sun sets. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Jerry Jones doesn’t seem willing to admit that opposing teams also know when and where the sun sets. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Then came Tuesday’s discussion after two nights of sleep following Sunday’s loss and plenty of time to calm down. This time, there was no criticism of the destruction of his beloved stadium.

But Jones continued otherwise, refusing to admit that opposing teams also know when and where the sun sets when facing coin toss decisions. He compared the glaring sun to dead spots on basketball courts that give home teams an advantage over visitors who don’t know their court as well.

“But more important than anything, in basketball, we know where the dead spots are on the court,” Jones continued. “That’s our advantage. That should be our advantage. We can play there more and we have the advantage. It’s been an advantage for us to know where the sun is. I don’t want to change that. “.

For obvious reasons, this comparison is not relevant. And that continues to beg the question: Why is Jones so insistent that the setting sun is a home-field advantage instead of what it actually is? At its core, this is an element of chaos that makes football worse for all teams involved, including the Cowboys.

One possible answer that stands out is pride. Jones built his state-of-the-art sports palace as a beacon of his own and his franchise’s success. This continues to be a source of pride. Fifteen years after its opening, AT&T Stadium remains a marvel and a model for modern arenas and stadiums.

Jones had a few things in mind when designing the stadium, sunlight being one of them.

“All I can say is the stadium was built to feel like it was outside when it was inside,” Jones said Tuesday. “It was built to let in sunlight in every way possible, so you can display it as if it were outdoors, while still being indoors. It’s the largest space air-conditioned in the world.”

Jones is not interested at this point in questioning the virtues of the sun’s impact on games. And he certainly doesn’t want to hear excuses from Cowboys players about why they’re not able to play.

In a season that seems lost halfway through, the sunshine of AT&T Stadium is at the bottom of a myriad of Cowboys concerns. But Jones’ stubbornness on the subject speaks volumes about how he manages the team.