Jerry Jones Question

[TruBlueCowboy]

Originally Posted by Jon88

How about his comments after that last second loss to San Francisco 2 years ago. Something along the lines of, "That was a stupid f****** ballgame! The players played well enough to win, we f***** it up!" He obviously wasn't including himself in the "we" when he said that.

I forgot about those comments. Those were very un-Jerrylike. LOL Jones is the eternal optimist so it's always strange when he gets down on the team.

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by Jon88

How about his comments after that last second loss to San Francisco 2 years ago. Something along the lines of, "That was a stupid f****** ballgame. The players played well enough to win, we f***** it up."

He obviously wasn't including himself in the "we" when he said that.

I knew there would be some evidence.

Okay, so he's human.

[junk]

Originally Posted by Hostile

Okay, so he's human.

Are you sure? After the surgery, I am not so sure anymore.

[Bluefin]

Angry Jones hints at coaching breakdowns

Cowboys waste late 10-point lead, chance at third straight win

12/9/2002

By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News


IRVING – A visibly angry Jerry Jones stormed out of the locker room following San Francisco's 31-27 win over the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 64,097 at Texas Stadium.

The Cowboys' owner was in no mood to answer questions.

"That was a stupid [expletive] ballgame," Jones said from a stairwell in the stadium's bowels. "The players played well enough to win. We [expletive] it up."

Then he turned and stalked off.

So was Jones talking about defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's scheme that left seldom-used cornerback Dwayne Goodrich covering Terrell Owens – widely considered the game's best receiver – with 15 seconds left, even though he was supposed to have safety help?

Or was he talking about coach Dave Campo's decision to let Billy Cundiff attempt a 47-yard field goal that would have given Dallas a 30-24 lead with 2:16 left? Cundiff is 3-of-8 beyond 40 yards this season.

Or was he fed up with yet another key breakdown by special teams coach Joe Avezzano's unit, which allowed a 42-yard kickoff return that helped San Francisco regain momentum after Dallas grabbed a 27-17 lead?

This much is clear: The Cowboys blew a 10-point lead in the final 6:56 and wasted an opportunity to win three consecutive games for the first time since the start of the 1999 season, a span of 58 games.

The Cowboys have had only three two-game winning streaks since 2000, when Campo became coach.

Campo's coaching future is in jeopardy again.

Dallas is 5-8 this season and 15-30 under Campo. The Cowboys must win two of their last three games – against the Giants, Philadelphia and Washington – to avoid three consecutive seasons with at least 10 losses, something that has never happened in the franchise's illustrious 43-year history.

New Orleans' win over Baltimore on Sunday officially eliminated Dallas from the playoffs.

The Cowboys have not made the playoffs since 1999 and have not won a postseason game since 1996. Emmitt Smith was the only player on the active roster Sunday to win a playoff game in a Cowboys uniform.

But Jones has made it clear from the start of the season that he was not in the mood to make changes and hire a new head coach. He even supported Campo when the Cowboys lost four consecutive games to fall to 3-7.

His comments after the game, however, suggest Jones was furious with some aspect of the coaching staff.

During his tenure, Campo has often been criticized for his game-day decisions.

"No decision he makes unless it's a winning decision is going to be correct," Smith said. "His decisions are always going to be questioned by people who think they have the answers. ... No matter what he calls, we as players have to execute it."

The Cowboys' inability to convert on third-and-1 with 2:29 left put San Francisco in position to win the game.

Smith was stopped for no gain up the middle, so Campo elected to give Cundiff a chance to extend the lead to 30-24 instead of going for it on fourth down.

Cundiff missed wide right. Campo refused to second-guess himself.

"That was a coaching decision by the entire coaching staff," Campo said. "You have to go up by six. That's why we have the young kicker. That's why we put him out there. Obviously, he didn't deliver today."

Campo also refused to second-guess Zimmer's decision to have Goodrich, nearly released in September, covering Owens.

Goodrich, the Cowboys' first selection in the 2000 draft, was only in the game because cornerback Derek Ross bruised his hip early in the fourth quarter on Owens' three-yard touchdown catch that gave San Francisco a 17-13 lead.

Tai Streets' 23-yard touchdown catch over Goodrich pulled the 49ers within three, 27-24, with 5:26 left. Owens' eight-yard touchdown catch in front of Goodrich with 12 seconds left won the game.

"We just have to go back to work. That's all we can do," defensive tackle Brandon Noble said. "It's not the end of the world. The sun will still come up in the morning. We've been in this situation before, unfortunately."

Now, the Cowboys must regroup. Their new goal is reaching .500. They must sweep their final three games to do it.

Campo believes they can.

"It [Sunday's loss] shows we can stay with a playoff team – and that's a team that can go all of the way," Campo said. "If we can stay with those types of teams, it shows we're making progress. Now, we have to find a way to win in the fourth quarter."

His future may depend on it.