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One month after saying this wouldn’t be an “Armageddon year” for coach Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was careful Tuesday not to take the bait when asked if he has a “set expectation” for the team this season.
But even though no bar was put in place for Garrett to hurdle, Jones made it clear that after his “daylight and dark” revamping of the coaching staff in the offseason it would be difficult for him to stomach another disappointing season. The Cowboys finished 8-8 the last two years after losing finales to NFC East foes with the division title and a playoff berth at stake.
“The bottom line is we can compete,” Jones told Dallas’ KRLD-FM. “We’ve competed with a lot of the players we have right now. Over the last two years, a lot of people would say, ‘I don’t call 8-8 competing,’ and they’d be justified in saying that.
“We were real close to getting down there at the end of the year. We were very close to getting in the tournament and maybe doing some good things.
“Now, ‘maybe, ‘close,’ ‘hopes,’ all those things, they’re hard to chew after you sit back and look back on it after the season is over. That’s what we’re trying to reverse.’ ”
So why doesn’t Jones do his part and reverse his meddling ways, which resurfaced again last week in Arizona?
In losing 12-7 to the Cardinals, Dallas committed six turnovers, including a fumble by Lance Dunbar after the jitterbug back took a swing pass 43 yards only to lose the ball inside the 5-yard line. Dez Bryant also fumbled in Arizona territory after a 27-yard pass reception.
Afterward, Garrett struck the right tone, firmly calling the turnovers “inexcusable” and focusing on the mistakes made by Dunbar and Bryant rather than on what they did right leading up to the miscues.
“When we watch the tape and see how our team played, there are going to be some positive things in there, no question,” Garrett said. “You can have all those good things, but if you give the ball away six times, you have no chance of winning.”
Minutes later, the media heard a different message from Jones when he was asked about Dunbar, who suffered a foot injury on his long catch-and-run that could sideline him for the Sept. 8 opener.
“Totally forgive him,” Jones said. “I’m so glad our fans got to see him. He’s quick, fast and makes plays.”
While there is indeed reason to be excited about Dunbar, Jones shouldn’t give him a pass for the fumble. Dunbar is a young player who has done nothing yet in the regular season to warrant that kind of respect. But beyond that, Jones undermines Garrett’s authority when he publically coddles players rather than holds them accountable.
While all this was going on, a much different scene played out down the hall. In the home locker room, the only guy doing the talking for the Cardinals was coach Bruce Arians, who delivered what The Arizona Republic called a “tongue-lashing” to Larry Fitzgerald for a mental error committed by the star receiver in the red zone.
Asked why he would come down so hard on a Pro Bowl player, Arians said, “You’ve got to stress them out. If you don’t stress them out, they don’t grow. If you don’t push them, you don’t know how good they can become.”
Garrett gets that, but Jones apparently doesn’t. Instead of forgiving players for mistakes his coach won’t tolerate, perhaps
Jones should stick to finding help for the club’s injury-riddled offensive line.
Now that would be a reversal.
Continue reading...
But even though no bar was put in place for Garrett to hurdle, Jones made it clear that after his “daylight and dark” revamping of the coaching staff in the offseason it would be difficult for him to stomach another disappointing season. The Cowboys finished 8-8 the last two years after losing finales to NFC East foes with the division title and a playoff berth at stake.
“The bottom line is we can compete,” Jones told Dallas’ KRLD-FM. “We’ve competed with a lot of the players we have right now. Over the last two years, a lot of people would say, ‘I don’t call 8-8 competing,’ and they’d be justified in saying that.
“We were real close to getting down there at the end of the year. We were very close to getting in the tournament and maybe doing some good things.
“Now, ‘maybe, ‘close,’ ‘hopes,’ all those things, they’re hard to chew after you sit back and look back on it after the season is over. That’s what we’re trying to reverse.’ ”
So why doesn’t Jones do his part and reverse his meddling ways, which resurfaced again last week in Arizona?
In losing 12-7 to the Cardinals, Dallas committed six turnovers, including a fumble by Lance Dunbar after the jitterbug back took a swing pass 43 yards only to lose the ball inside the 5-yard line. Dez Bryant also fumbled in Arizona territory after a 27-yard pass reception.
Afterward, Garrett struck the right tone, firmly calling the turnovers “inexcusable” and focusing on the mistakes made by Dunbar and Bryant rather than on what they did right leading up to the miscues.
“When we watch the tape and see how our team played, there are going to be some positive things in there, no question,” Garrett said. “You can have all those good things, but if you give the ball away six times, you have no chance of winning.”
Minutes later, the media heard a different message from Jones when he was asked about Dunbar, who suffered a foot injury on his long catch-and-run that could sideline him for the Sept. 8 opener.
“Totally forgive him,” Jones said. “I’m so glad our fans got to see him. He’s quick, fast and makes plays.”
While there is indeed reason to be excited about Dunbar, Jones shouldn’t give him a pass for the fumble. Dunbar is a young player who has done nothing yet in the regular season to warrant that kind of respect. But beyond that, Jones undermines Garrett’s authority when he publically coddles players rather than holds them accountable.
While all this was going on, a much different scene played out down the hall. In the home locker room, the only guy doing the talking for the Cardinals was coach Bruce Arians, who delivered what The Arizona Republic called a “tongue-lashing” to Larry Fitzgerald for a mental error committed by the star receiver in the red zone.
Asked why he would come down so hard on a Pro Bowl player, Arians said, “You’ve got to stress them out. If you don’t stress them out, they don’t grow. If you don’t push them, you don’t know how good they can become.”
Garrett gets that, but Jones apparently doesn’t. Instead of forgiving players for mistakes his coach won’t tolerate, perhaps
Jones should stick to finding help for the club’s injury-riddled offensive line.
Now that would be a reversal.
Continue reading...