DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ weekly appointment on the Shan & RJ show on 105.3 The Fan came once again on Tuesday, where Jones talked about the latest with a team that continues to be winless at home and is on their longest losing skid since losing seven in a row in 2015.
In this installment, the owner talked about the most recent loss, a 34-10 defeat to the Houston Texans, where the team’s injuries were a big factor in the loss, and quarterback decisions could be coming moving forward.
Takeaways from a blowout loss
“Probably showing the injury results,” a resigned Jones concluded. “We were staying in the ballgame early; we were in striking distance at halftime. But when you see us have the issues in the second half that we’re having, that speaks to our depth and the toll of the injuries showing up.”
Jones didn’t use injuries as an excuse for the team’s performance but added that the health issues will be part of evaluating the coaching staff and the team in the future.
How injuries have impacted the offensive line
“By having a young offensive line, apparently, the nuances of making the calls [is impacted] and having more than one rookie up there at the same time,” said Jones after All-Pro guards Zack Martin and Tyler Smith left Monday’s game with ailments. “Those guys are a team within a team, and we’re not doing a very good job of it. One of the surprises of the year is that we’re not getting the coordinated play on the offensive line.”
One of the more underrated issues with the Cowboys has been the poor job that OL coach Mike Solari has done. In all the finger pointing as to what’s gone wrong with the team this season, more should be made of Solari’s failure to coach up the talent on the offensive line.
Jones was pressed about making a change at left tackle and replacing rookie Tyler Guyton, to which Jones responded, “no.”
Is it time to give Trey Lance a shot?
“I don’t know that, I thought Rush had improvement from the game before,” Jones said after Rush produced 354 yards in the air on Monday after just 45 yards in the loss to Philadelphia in Week 10. “Frankly, there were times in that ballgame that it was really coming to him. I would like to stick with the experience.”
The GM was asked if Lance not playing meant there was a misevaluation, to which Jones disagreed and admitted that, although Lance had improved dramatically, it was more important to try to win the last few games and they like their chances more with Rush. Jones also admitted that they aren’t at the point where they’re interested in “evaluating” Lance more yet.
Who is at fault for the execution problems?
“Do you want a walk-around coach, or do you want someone who’s in front of the team and he puts an emphasis on one side of the ball?” Jones asked back as failure to execute the game plan has been another reason for Dallas’ current slide. “You’ve seen it both ways, I’ve always felt the coach that was making the calls gained credibility.”
It doesn’t seem as though Jones has an issue with McCarthy’s role as play caller nor his ability to be a head coach, as well as an offensive coordinator at the same time. However, the Cowboys continue to be hurt by the same unforced errors and have been poor coming out of halftime after making adjustments which has led to criticism of McCarthy.
Does it hurt seeing empty seats in the stands?
“I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen it with most teams,” Jones replied as Texans fans filled out sections of AT&T Stadium for Monday’s game. “I’m disappointed that we’re bringing a team that we are to the field. We’ve got to improve on this, that’s unacceptable.”
It’s not acceptable to ticket buyers who have stopped showing up, but then Jones went on to say that the Cowboys were the fifth winningest team in the NFL in the last 15 years, although he admitted it hasn’t resulted in championships.
This is the type of bragging that is a staple for Jones but increasingly rings hollow to Cowboys fans. Tidbits of superficiality over striving for excellence has been the name of the game in Dallas for decades now.
Ultimately it was a shorter stint on the show today for Jones, perhaps to avoid the beating of a dead horse, and as it ended, Jones offered up his sentiments on the season without even needing to be asked.
“Boy, this is a serious disappointment,” Jones bemoaned. “Make no mistake about it. Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s no sympathy out here for what we’re into. The bottom line is, we’ve got to get better. We will get better. There are better days ahead.”
Following Week 11, at 3-7, and winless at home, it’s hard to see the better days ahead this year, unless Jones is talking about next season for his Cowboys where there is untold amounts of work to be done to see those days come to fruition.
Do you think the Cowboys will finish winless at home this season? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
