For Jerry Jones, it’s another one of those pivotal moments in his life as owner of the Dallas Cowboys. His last three coaching hires — four if you count the couch potato, Barry Switzer, as most do — haven’t exactly turned out as he’d hoped.

Chan Gailey, the former Pittsburgh Steelers’ assistant, was an offensive guru and took the Cowboys to the playoffs twice, but coming off three Super Bowls in four years, that wasn’t good enough.

Dave Campo, the Cowboys’ own defensive maestro, had no magic as a head coach.

Bill Parcells definitely brought the Cowboys at least back to some respectability after three straight 5-11 seasons, but still posted no playoff wins in four years.

Jones, in other words, hasn’t been able to find another Jimmy Johnson and chances are, he never will.

So here’s my advice as Jones searches for only the seventh coach in Cowboys’ history, but the sixth since Jones bought the team back in 1989:

He needs to do what feels right in his gut, just like he did 18 years ago.

If Jones does that, then Norv Turner should be the next head coach of the Cowboys.

I know what the knock is on Turner. He’s had two chances to win, in Washington and in Oakland, and failed. Why should Jones believe that anything would be different in Dallas?

There’s a simple answer to that question, though. Dallas isn’t Washington and it isn’t Oakland.

Turner could be exactly what the Cowboys need after the dour disposition of Parcells regularly drained the team of its energy and fire in December.

Hire Turner and beg him to do with Tony Romo what he once did for Troy Aikman.

That’s the lure for Jones, of course. Turner is a link to the Cowboys’ success of the early ’90s, when Aikman and Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were helping them win Super Bowls. Yes, Johnson was the head coach and a brilliant one, but it was Turner who ran that Cowboys’ offense and it was Turner to took Aikman under his wing and helped him become a Hall of Famer.

JT THE BRICK ON THE NFL Tuna will return Look for Parcells to coach Giants or Chargers in 2008

There’s a reason that Aikman chose Turner to introduce him at last summer’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“Like I said then,” Aikman said during a recent radio interview, “Norv and I are like brothers. I would love to see him back with the Cowboys and I think he would do an outstanding job.”

I have a hunch Jones thinks so, too, if he can simply get past Turner’s two previous failed stints as an NFL head coach.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Texans boot chances to beat rolling Titans Trash Talk: Thanksgiving games are just turkeys   PFT: Jets say someone hacked Clowney’s Twitter account PFT: Batch out — Steelers start to make calls PFT: Roethlisberger ‘appears well enough’ to play Rosenthal: Steelers’ playoff future slipping away PFT: Belichick says Saints are best team in football PFT: Lions coach takes issue with Mangini’s comments PFT: Bills contact Cowher, who says no ... for now PFT: Rams’ Bulger out 3-6 weeks with fractured knee NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: