Never believe in the Dallas Cowboys. Words to live by after their fourth-quarter collapse against the Cardinals on Sunday. They are now 3-5, and while there is still a glimmer of hope that they can win the worst division in football, they've given us zero reason to believe they can catch the Giants.
From Jerry Jones down to Brian Schottenheimer, the 33-30 defeat has brought out the worst in everyone. Schottenheimer, solver of zero problems, called himself a problem-solver, while Jones is adamant that firing Schottenheimer won't solve anything. Stephen Jones got in on the fun, calling the Cowboys "close" to righting the ship.
While nobody can say anything good right now, Dallas' figures of leadership are only making a further mockery of the franchise. Jerry Jones, specifically, was on the worst kind of heater in his Tuesday hit on 105.3 The Fan.
We'll get into that, and more, and this mid-week Cowboys news roundup.
- Jerry Jones lies about coaching salaries
- Brian Schottenheimer points the finger
- Update on Lockerroomgate
- Injury roundup
Jerry Jones lies about coaching salaries
“There’s zero correlation between how much you pay a coach or how many coaches you have, as to winning," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "There’s no correlation. That’s a random sample of years and all 32 teams involved, so put that in your hopper and smoke it."
It is remarkable that someone who has been around the game for more than 30 years can have absolutely no idea what is going on around him. Quite literally, the opposite of what Jones said is true.
The highest-paid coaches in the NFL tend to have the most success.
The Giants have finally escaped hell after paying John Harbaugh $20 million per year in the offseason. The Bears look like a Super Bowl contender in Year 2 of Ben Johnson, who makes $13 million a year.
Andy Reid ($20 M), Sean Payton ($20 M), Sean McVay ($19 M) and Kyle Shanahan ($19 M) all helm the sport's most consistent franchises. And no one would bat an eyelash if they hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.
Ben Johnson's Bears just went into Seattle and dismantled the defending champions on Monday night to improve to 6-2. The following morning, Jones goes on local radio to triple down on his philosophy of cheaping out on head coaches.
It's a sad, yet perfect encapsulation of the current state of the Cowboys franchise.
Brian Schottenheimer points the finger
Schottenheimer was asked what he could do better to help Dallas string some wins together. His answer:
“Well, there’s a number of things for us all to do better. You go back to the word consistency. You can’t go into Philadelphia and run the ball for 202 yards and then come out and rush for 2.2 yards per carry. There were a lot of things that we as a football team can do better. Didn’t think we did a good job tackling. I certainly think I could do better in all facets. Number-one being finding a way to finish the game and give us a chance.”
Did the Cowboys' head coach misunderstand the question? He wasn't asked what the team could do better. And yet, his first instinct was to zoom out and point to things his team didn't do well. Intentional or not, this is another really bad look for Schottenheimer.
There's never any accountability. We get fleeting moments of self-reflection, but those inevitably devolve into monologues about Schottenheimer being an "elite play-caller," a "good head coach," a "problem solver" or how nobody works harder than he does.
Again, nothing Schottenheimer says right now will resonate. But it's bad leadership not to take ownership while throwing your players under the bus, for lack of a better term.
Update on Lockerroomgate
The Cowboys were scheduled to hold locker room availability on Monday, but most, if not all, of the roster had already left the facility by the time reporters arrived. Not a single player was interviewed, a rare occurrence that fueled speculation on social media in the aftermath of Sunday's unforgivable loss to Arizona.
The sentiment? Players have quit on Schottenheimer and are so checked out that they couldn't be bothered to fulfill their media obligations. While the locker room may be grumpy, The Athletic's Jon Machota later clarified that it was a misunderstanding.
"The Cowboys had a player development meeting that got out before media was brought down to the locker room," Machota shared on X. "Media relations said we should’ve been brought down earlier than we were."
This was not the five-alarm fire it initially appeared to be. It's important to remember that the Cowboys are 3-5. As horrific as the vibes are right now, the season is far from over. Sunday's loss was embarrassing, but if this locker room has already mailed it in before the second week of November, the entire coaching staff should probably be shown the door.
By all accounts, however, that isn't what happened here.
Injury roundup
Caleb Downs is in concussion protocol. The rookie DB left in the fourth quarter and was evaluated for a concussion. He did not return and now faces a race against time to clear the multi-step procedure in time to face the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
Jake Ferguson avoided the worst with his ankle injury after leaving in the first quarter against the Cardinals. He only played four snaps, but Schottenheimer said he has a chance to play this week.
Malachi Lawrence faces a multi-week recovery from an ankle injury suffered vs. Arizona. The team will run more tests, but Schottenheimer said, "It could be a few weeks" before we see the rookie edge rusher again.
P.J. Locke is also in concussion protocol, per Schottenheimer. The veteran safety had just returned from a spell on injured reserve with a torn plantar fascia. With Downs also in protocol and Jalen Thompson (hamstring) needing to be activated off IR, Dallas' safety room is once again in bad shape.
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