Jerry Jones has seen the loss, felt the frustration, and he is not firing anybody yet. The Cowboys owner told reporters after Sunday’s collapse against the Cardinals that the 33-30 overtime loss is an indictment of the whole show and a criticism of everyone. In other words, he is not pointing at head coach Brian Schottenheimer alone.
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So, when asked about a coaching change, Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris: “That’s not in my mind at this time.”
However, the owner was visibly frustrated with the loss, and it is hard to blame him for being angry. Dallas had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and was facing backup quarterback Gardner Minshew after Arizona benched Jacoby Brissett. The Cowboys still lost.
That was the first time since 2000 that Dallas lost a game with a 14-point lead at any point in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys had won 69 straight in that spot. Now they are 3-5. Jones spread the blame around, and he made it clear he thinks the players share it with the staff.
“Well, I will say that a lot of people let Brian (Schottenheimer) down today. And so, for whatever criticism we’re going to have of Brian, we can all get in line. And that was a total, to use a cliché, that was a total team effort out there for us. And we have to be, for our fans, we have to be better than that when we’ve got our hands on the win and then drop the ball.”
Jones said he is not pointing at anyone in particular. He admitted the whole organization has to look in the mirror. He also said he is not proud of the in-season change he once made with Wade Phillips. In 2010, the Cowboys had a 1-7 record when Jerry Jones replaced Wade Phillips with Jason Garrett. Garrett went on to serve as the team’s full-time head coach from 2011 to 2019.
“I made a change and I don’t want to mention it because I’m not proud of it,” Jones said. “But I made a change with Wade Phillips there in the middle of the season and I don’t see that here.”
The numbers are not helping the coach. Schottenheimer is 10-14-1 through Sunday, and Dallas has lost its last five games (a concerning losing streak) against Arizona. Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat sacked Dak Prescott to end the Cowboys’ first overtime possession.
Prescott finished with 195 passing yards, while Arizona’s patchwork offense piled up close to 500. That is why the quarterback had plenty to say when he got a question about the coach.
“It’s all of us. Don’t put the blame on one person. I think that’s weak. I think that’s cowardly,” Prescott said. “This game is about all 11 of us that touch the field and every person that has a part in it, coaches and support staff. It’s never just one person’s fault.”
He also had a message for the people looking for an easy target.
“Don’t take the easy and cheap way out. This is about us and backing him up and one another up.”
The Cowboys now have to regroup quickly. Jones may have shut down the idea of a change for the moment, but another loss like this could change that conversation fast.
For now, both Jones and Prescott are standing behind Schottenheimer. The question is how long a 3-5 record will let them.