Nothing motivates Jones more than proving people wrong.

“It’s more of a ’show ’em’ than a ’stick it to ’em,”’ he said, wanting the distinction to be clear.

When he took over the Cowboys, Jones was thrilled to finally be in the NFL. Determined to succeed or fail his way, he didn’t give a hoot what anyone thought about his tactics.

He looks for football talent the same wildcat way he sought oil.

“We’re a franchise of risk-taking,” said Jones, who celebrated Friday the 18th anniversary of his best deal, the Herschel Walker heist with Minnesota.

“When we haven’t had success is when those risks don’t pay off. Quincy Carter is a perfect example. If you really pinpoint it, all of (the struggles this decade) started with the Quincy Carter business.”

Eager to make a quick transition from Aikman to a new era, Jones gambled that he could get first-round quality out of Carter’s third-round talent. Splitting the difference, he drafted the quarterback in the second round.

The 2001-03 seasons revolved around Carter — and the other guys Jones signed to hedge his bets. The list includes baseball players Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson and monumental draft bust Ryan Leaf. Post-Carter, Dallas went with Parcells retreads Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe. Then the coach tried an undrafted kid from Eastern Illinois who’d spent 3½ years on the payroll without throwing a pass.

The Romo experiment has turned out just fine. As thankful as Jones is to have lucked into an heir to Aikman, the whole mess was a reminder about his stance on risk vs. reward: “I’ve had more success taking risks in quality areas than I have when bargain-hunting.”

The best example is buying the Cowboys.

Jones could have spent less for a team with less tradition and history. Maybe he would’ve turned them into winners, too, but it wouldn’t have had the same impact.

Tampa Bay, Baltimore and St. Louis all have won a Super Bowl more recently than Dallas. Atlanta, Tennessee, Carolina and Seattle have all played in a Super Bowl more recently.

Yet it’s the Cowboys that consistently draw boffo TV ratings. It’s the Cowboys that Forbes economists and the Harris pollsters rank No. 1. And, Jones points out, los Vaqueros are No. 1 with Hispanics, the nation’s fastest-growing demographic.

“Franchises that have a longtime fan interest, when they are down or not performing at a championship level, they don’t ever dip as low as teams that haven’t enjoyed that,” Jones said. “Then, when that success hits, it reaches higher peaks. Much higher.”

And with that, his pencil moves again.

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