It's been 30 years since Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys last appeared in the NFC Championship. That's the same year they last hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy, and even one former Super Bowl champion has already grown tired of Jerry Jones' narrative.
Former Cowboys defensive tackle Tony Casillas appeared on KDFW Fox 4 in Dallas and called out his former boss for continuously saying how close he is to winning a Super Bowl. Cowboys fans have felt this for three decades, but it always speaks volumes when a former champion of America's Team echoes exactly how fans are feeling.
"How close are you, Jerry?," Casillas asked. "You're 7-9-1. We saw that Giants game. They didn't play to win. If you're playing for the fan base, then try to go out there and win a game against the Giants and win against an NFC rival division opponent. To me, that's showing the fan base, we're still going to play. We're not going to surrender and throw up the white flag. To me, I just don't think that sits very well with the fan base."
Former Cowboys DT Tony Casillas says Jerry Jones is miles away from winning a Super Bowl
In Tim Cowlishaw's Dallas Morning News article, Jones said that he looks forward to being back in the NFC Championship and beyond, starting next year. Of course, Jones has to say that to keep the fan base engaged, but he must find a defensive coordinator who will stay longer than a season and some new pieces on that end to seriously have a chance of competing.
Even after the Panthers' loss, when Rico Dowdle ran circles around the Dallas defense for 239 scrimmage yards, Jones still tried to find a way to spin an embarrassing loss into a positive tone about their history. It showed how disconnected Jones really is from the fan base.
How close does Jones really think he is? Not giving up 511 points in a season would be a start. A winning season to get off of back-to-back losing ones is another step. Giving up some decision-making to head coach Brian Schottenheimer would be an even bigger step.
That's a lot of things that need to be fixed. If the defense can be in the middle of the pack, this Cowboys team could be a force. Fans aren't asking Jones to build the Doomsday Defense of the 1970s again, but they want to see their high-powered offense get some help.
Dak Prescott is playing his best football in his career, but his window is closing quickly. Tony Romo never got the help he needed, and the fan base would never forgive Jerry if Prescott comes up empty with the weapons he currently has.