IRVING, Texas -- It took six coaches, one playoff win in 17 years and a generation of kids who view the Dallas Cowboys as synonymous with losing, but Jerry Jones finally changed his ways.
Let the church say, "Amen."
Look at the way the man we've called a football idiot at least a couple of times over the past 15 years is conducting his business these days. The reality is the things he's doing are pretty much standard operating procedure for most good GMs, but Jerry has never really fit into that category until now.
He's doing everything in his power to make a 12-4 season -- that included an NFC East title and a playoff win as the start of something special -- not a one-year aberration.
"We're set up so that I can be a very good listener," Jerry said. "If someone has done the work and done their homework, I can respect their opinion and actually listen to them."
We all know Jerry hasn't respected the position of head coach since Jimmy Johnson left after the 1993 season, which is why Jason Garrett is the first coach to last more than four years.
Garrett signed a five-year deal worth $30 million. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan each signed a three-year contract that makes each of them among the game's highest-paid assistants.
But it's also the money he's not spending that tells the tale of Jerry's transformation from one of the NFL's worst GMs to a man the Pro Football Writers Association of America named executive of the year on Thursday.
"More and more what I've learned," Jerry said, "is not to be, maybe, as aggressive as I've been in the past."
In previous years, the Cowboys probably would have been having news conferences throughout the season to announce a litany of players with new deals.
You know receiver Dez Bryant would already have a deal. Running back DeMarco Murray, too. Defensive end Tyrone Crawford probably would have already been signed to a contract extension and linebacker Rolando McClain would have already signed a new long-term deal.
And, just to be clear, there's no way the old Jones would have waited until the end of the season to hand out a new deal to Garrett.
No more.
Not after Marion Barber flamed out. And Miles Austin's hamstring quit on him. And DeMarcus Ware faded at the end of too many seasons. And Jay Ratliff quit on the franchise.
You can say a lot of things about Jerry, but you can't say he doesn't learn from his mistakes. Perhaps it takes him longer than most when it comes to football, but eventually, he gets it.
The Cowboys have been in and out of salary-cap hell for years, and it's clear Jerry has no intention of returning there any time soon.
"A lot of successful people were motivated by being poor and being without," Jerry said. "Even though they're successful, they're still as tight as they can be. They watch every penny as though they're not going to have any the next day.
"When that cap makes you poor and you don't have the money and you don't have the flexibility, if you can revisit how you felt, that'll make you be a little more prudent about the cap, when you've had a lot of years when you've paid the piper.
"At the time, you made a decision that you thought would help you win a Super Bowl, but you didn't do it and that dream went out the window, but you're still paying the bill on it."
Bryant is worthy of making $12 million per year as part of a long-term deal, but the Cowboys don't seem interested in giving him that because they can use the franchise tag on him in hopes he'll agree to a less lucrative deal.
The same is true for Murray.
Garrett loves Murray and speaks passionately about his mental and physical toughness. Still, Jerry doesn't seem inclined to pay Murray anything close to what the league's top running backs make -- even though he gained 1,845 yards last season.
Murray carried the ball 392 times last season, and history suggests runners who carry the ball that much decline rapidly. Jerry is not interested in having a potential runner with diminishing skills taking up a large chunk of salary-cap space.
Especially since it seems as if a team can find good running backs in the second or third round of the NFL draft, just as the Cowboys found Murray in the third round.
"As a manager, I'm a lot different than I was 25 years ago when I bought the Cowboys," Jerry said. "It wasn't that the keeper of the gate -- Stephen Jones was prudent -- he was the same guy who pushed me against the door and had his forearm on my throat when we were doing Deion's [Sanders] contract."
Those types of theatrics are no longer needed because Jerry is no longer a football idiot. He's a pretty good GM listening to the smart folks he has hired.