Another week meant another embarrassing loss for the Cowboys. Even though Dallas had more first downs, all purpose yards, and possession time “America’s team” fell short against the Atlanta Falcons 21-27. The decisive play occurred when the mastermind himself and coach of the Cowboys, Mike McCarthy called a fake punt on his own 38 yard line. The play was a total disaster with punter Bryan Anger throwing an incomplete pass 3 yards short of the intended receiver. Atlanta then scored a touchdown and extended their lead to ten points without even having to convert 3 first downs.
This year the Cowboys are sitting at 3-5, are third in the NFC East, and every day their playoff hopes seem further and further out of reach. The Cowboys struggle in nearly every facet of the game but their defense in particular has no glimmers of hope. Being ranked 27th in the league should be out of the question for a defense featuring Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs. It could be that something deeper is at play that revolves around the team’s relations.
On a podcast last week, Parsons and Diggs discussed the contenders for the top 5 quarterbacks in the country, they listed the regulars; Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen but they also mentioned names such as Matt Stafford and Sam Darnold. The two superstars decidedly left out teammate Dak Prescott which could signify rocky territory in the Dallas locker room. Pairing this with the news that Ezekiol Elliot was prevented from traveling for disciplinary reasons points to the fact that this football team is not a team at all. A house divided cannot stand, but unfortunately for the Cowboys it seems their own proverbial house has collapsed upon them.
However some of the blame should be placed on the fact that the roster lacks depth. Tragically, it seems like it was yesterday when Derrick Henry voiced his interest in joining the franchise yet Jerry Jones claimed they didn’t have cap space. This is laughable since running backs were coming at an extreme discount this season and Dallas could have cut back in other areas of their roster. Stephen A. Smith ranted “What he has done this off-season is a dereliction of duty…Derrick Henry lives in Dallas in the offseason and he wanted to be a Cowboy”.
A couple of weeks ago the Cowboys were humiliated against the Detroit Lions in a 47-9 decimation. Following the game a local radio show host asked Jerry Jones “what happened last week?” The controversial owner answered with a minutes-long rant that was both inappropriate and unpredictable. During the interview he even threatened to have the man fired which is odd considering the question didn’t criticize any of his decisions. This orwellian approach to shutting down questions has caused major voices in the media to speak up. Shannon Sharpe said “If the Cowboys don’t win another playoff game or another game as long as Jerry Jones is the owner, I’ll be the happiest man in the world.
Jerry Jones is 82 and is the only owner who doubles as a team’s general manager. Although his heart may be in the right place it is quite clear he has made terrible managerial decisions as well as headaches for the public relations department. More importantly he lacks the young spark that this team needs to boost morale as the Cowboys lack a sense of fervor. After all he hasn’t won a Superbowl since 1996 and has never won a Superbowl without quarterback Troy Aikman. If the Dallas Cowboys want to change for the better they need new leadership, and it starts with Jerry Jones firing himself as General Manager.
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