NFL

Is signing Pacman Jones a gamble worth taking for Dallas?

So, it seems like it may be only a matter of time before suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones takes his act from the Music City to Big D.

The extremely talented, extremely controversial cornerback has made no secret of his desire to play for the Dallas Cowboys, and reiterated that desire this week when he went on Michael Irvin’s radio show.

And from the looks of it, the Titans and Cowboys are more than happy to make his wish a reality.

It was reported last week that the Cowboys and Titans had held preliminary trade discussions involving Pacman, and on Thursday, Titans coach Jeff Fisher gave Pacman the all-clear to pursue a trade, which if one Jones gets his way, the other Jones will get his as well.

We all know that Jerry Jones isn’t one to shy away from someone because of their past, and sometimes even because of the present, depending on the circumstances, so Dallas’ apparent interest in Pacman is anything but a surprise.

The Cowboys have had their share of controversial players on their roster throughout the years, from Thomas ‘Hollywood’ Henderson in the late 70s, to Irvin, who both had well-known issues with drugs. The most recent example is defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who the Cowboys signed last year while he was still serving his suspension for multiple off-field issues relating to his affinity for firearms.

However, just as was the case with Johnson, who, so far, has put the past behind him and has made the most of his second chance, Jones will have to go in with his nose clean and keep it that way, not only for the sake of his hopes of playing for his dream team, but for staying with them - and in the league.

There’s no telling when he’ll be reinstated, but he’s going to have to stay out of trouble for an extended period of time to make sure Roger Goodell has any faith in him to stay on the straight and narrow, and after he gets reinstated, may it be before the start of the 2008 season, or at some point during or after the 2008 season, he’ll have to continue to stay out of trouble, or he may well just forget about playing in the NFL for a good long while, if ever again. You’d like to think that he has no interest in be the next Quincy Carter, Maurice Clarett, or Lawrence Phillips, but then again, you would’ve thought those three would have had no interest in ending up like they have.

Therein is why signing Pacman - whoever does it, and someone will, may it be the Cowboys or someone else - is a big, big gamble, because what if he screws up again? You just wasted your time and money on a guy whose actions show obvious selfishness (note: I am not calling Pacman selfish, I’m simply saying that if he goes off and acts up again, then he clearly is).

But that gamble, while a big one no doubt, could pay off big dividends, if Mr. Jones repays the team’s faith and investment in him in full.

Being out of the game for quie a while, you have to wonder just how good he’s going to be, and there will certainly be some rust. However, if he commits himself to fulfilling all of the potential he has, he could pick up where he left off after a second season that saw him pick off four passes and record four return touchdowns (one INT, three punt) and be a solid contributor.

While the amount of faith and confidence that would be put into signing Jones is quite an investment, the tangible investment doesn’t stand to be much. The compensation that has reportedly been offered by Dallas is a late-round pick and a player (likely a backup, I’m assuming), an offer that might hook the Titans. Along with that offer, Pacman’s contract will end up being reworked to where it’s a relatively inexpensive, short-term deal (at least initially), where if he does well, it could mean an extended deal and more $$ (which he hopefully won’t use to make it rain, and if he does, it best be in his own house, without guns or any illegal activity involved).

Even if Dallas does sign him, that shouldn’t change their likely plan of drafting a cornerback in the first round, because frankly, it’s best to have more than enough than not enough, especially in the secondary, where Anthony Henry and Terence Newman were both injured last season.

So, there are quite a few reasons why making a deal for Pacman could turn out to be a great bargain down the road.

At the same time, there are plenty of reasons why it could end up being the biggest mistake Jerry Jones has ever made.

Will Jones take the gamble on Jones?

We’ll find out soon enough, and let’s hope his roll of the dice doesn’t come up snake eyes.

Related posts on The Red Zone Report

• Big-spending Raiders at it again, The Rainmaker headed to Dallas? (0)
• Cowboys don’t want veteran WR Horn anymore than Falcons do (0)
• Terry Glenn says he wants out of Dallas, then changes tune (0)
• Mock Draft Shakeup: Texans sign RB Brown, Stewart goes on the shelf (0)
• Dallas’ secondary a primary strength in 2008? (0)