IRVING, Texas -- The biggest Dallas Cowboys fan sits in the owner's box each game at AT&T Stadium.

He signs all of the checks, raps and dances in commercials, and has the final say on 99.9 percent of all decisions. Rumor has it Jerry Jones did let his lovely wife, Gene, make the ultimate decision on the Sky Mirror.

Jerry Jones' handling of the Jay Ratliff situation couldn't have been much worse. AP Photo/James D Smith

Jerry loves the Cowboys more than anyone else. He has the most sweat equity, and he's the most emotionally invested.

It's also why he's been a poor general manager.

A GM can't be a fan. It's not a job conducive to sentimentality.

At times, a GM must be ruthless. He must be pragmatic. He must make the most difficult decisions without flinching until the moment of truth ends. He can't sign players to fat contracts based on past performance. Or pay aging stars, as he's done so many times.

The best general managers have no issue lying to us, but they never, ever, under any circumstances, lie to themselves. Jerry lives in a world of lollipops and gum drops, where kids eat cake and ice cream for dinner and adults spend every weekend on the French Riviera.

It's all poppycock.

There's zero wrong with being a fan -- unless you're the GM. Fans, by the very definition of the word, are fanatics. All they want is for their home team to win. Fire this coach. Cut that guy. Trade for this star. Sign this dude. Who cares if it makes salary-cap sense? Or common sense?

Is that any different, really, than Jerry demanding a change from the 3-4 defense to the 4-3 defense because the Cowboys lost to the Washington Redskins in the final game last season and didn't make the playoffs?

Is that any different than hiring a 73-year-old defensive coordinator who had been out of the NFL since 2008 and experienced mixed success at USC just because he used to be one of the best? Did you catch what Jerry said about the Cowboys' defense after the 45-28 loss to the Chicago Bears? He said the defense needed to be more complicated and blitz more. Heck, Jerry fired the guy, Rob Ryan, who excels in that type of defense, because he needed a scapegoat after the Cowboys missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.