Following Sunday’s 47-9 beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Lions in Jerry’s World, the Dallas Cowboys are at a crossroads. The team is now 3-3 and has been manhandled in all three losses, which have also occurred at home. The team’s three wins have come against the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants who have a combined 7-11 record.
Sunday’s blowout loss to the Lions shed light on the Cowboys’ deficiencies, while also humbling the team’s fan base and decision makers who believed they had enough to make a Super Bowl run this season.
Just six games into the season, that’s not out of the question, but the likelihood isn’t promising.
The loss really bothered team owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones, who for years has had his eye for talent or lack of quality free agent moves questioned.
Jones Threatens Radio Host
During the now 82-year-old owner’s weekly guest appearance on the “Shan & RJ Show on 105.3 The Fan,” Jones took offense to questions by the hosts which were directed at the team’s offseason lack of aggression to improve their roster. An irritated and extremely defensive Jones issued a fiery rebuttal.
“This is not your job,” Jones began. “Your job isn’t to let me know all the reasons that I did something and I’m sorry that I did it. That’s not your job. I’ll get somebody else to ask these questions. I’m not kidding. You’re not going to figure out what the team is doing right or wrong. If you are, or any five or 10 like you, you need to come to this NFL meeting I’m going to today with 32 teams here, you’re geniuses.”
“You really think you’re gonna sit here with a microphone and tell me all of the things I’ve done wrong without going over the rights?” Jones groused. “Listen, we both know we’re talking about a lot of great fans, a lot of great listeners. And I am very sorry for what happened out there Sunday. I’m sick about what happened Sunday.”
While Sunday’s beatdown was bad, it’s been that way all season for the Cowboys at home. They’ve been blown out by the Lions and Saints, and thoroughly outplayed by the Ravens even though a couple of late scores made the final score look respectable. A lot of the issues stem from Jones’ lack of aggression in the offseason in key areas of need for the team. That, along with the four-year, $240 million extension signed by quarterback Dak Prescott, and the four-year, $136 million extension signed by star wideout Cee Dee Lamb has the team in a bit of a quandary.
Jones Says Mike McCarthy Is Safe, But Is He?
Jones was all over the place in the video. He mentioned Prescott playing better, but also said the entire team must step up and play better. Following Sunday’s loss, Jones was quick to dispel any notion of McCarthy being on the hot seat, and on Tuesday his son Stephen piggybacked those same sentiments.
“We’ve got real pros all in this building,” Stephen Jones said. “You start with Mike McCarthy, he’s got the skins on the wall. He’s been through this. Mike Zimmer has been a head coach of quality teams up in Minnesota. We’ve got people. We’ve got one of the best special teams coaches in the league. We’ve got the right kind of guys on the staff.”
Shannon Sharpe Blasts Jerry Jones On First Take For Threatening Radio Host
Shannon Sharpe said on ESPN’s First Take that Jones’ actions are the last straw for him.
”Put a man in fear of his job. I despise. I detest people who pray on the weak,” Sharpe said on the show. “That tells me a lot about a man that has power ….and would abuse that power.”
Dallas Cowboys Struggling But In NFC East Contention
Right now, the Cowboys have been the prey of teams this season. The bright spot is that despite the chaos, the team is just a game out of first place in the NFC East. And just maybe Jerry has learned his lesson from his firing of Wade Phillips during the 2010 season in favor of Jason Garrett, who led the team until McCarthy’s arrival in 2020.
Jerry’s an emotional leader, and with being emotional comes decisions that sometimes that make matters worse. That in many ways makes McCarthy a lame duck coach if things don’t get turned around soon.
