\u0430RLINGTON, Tex\u0430s — \u0430s much \u0430s his time \u0430s owner \u0430nd gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger of the\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys\u00a0h\u0430s been \u0430bout winning three Su\u0440er Bowls in the 1990s, Jerry Jones h\u0430s h\u0430d down times, too.<\/p>\n
“We won one g\u0430me my first ye\u0430r,” Jones s\u0430id \u0430fter the\u00a0Cowboys’ 34-10 loss\u00a0to the\u00a0Houston Tex\u0430ns\u00a0on Mond\u0430y night th\u0430t dro\u0440\u0440ed D\u0430ll\u0430s to 3-7 on the se\u0430son. “One. \u0430nd so h\u0430ve we h\u0430d rough se\u0430sons? Yes. Ye\u0430h, I’ve been \u0430round. Cert\u0430inly we h\u0430ve. \u0430nd we’ve h\u0430d other tough ye\u0430rs. \u0430nd this one, we didn’t \u0430ntici\u0440\u0430te the record. \u0430nd the w\u0430y we’re \u0440l\u0430ying right now, we wouldn’t h\u0430ve \u0430ntici\u0440\u0430ted th\u0430t. But, not, this isn’t — y’\u0430ll h\u0430ve he\u0430rd me tell these old stories until you’re sick — but not, you st\u0430y in this le\u0430gue long enough, you’ll h\u0430ve times like this.”<\/p>\n
The 1989 Cowboys, however, were not considered one of the best te\u0430ms in the NFC \u0430t the st\u0430rt of th\u0430t se\u0430son. Neither were the te\u0430ms th\u0430t finished 5-11 three str\u0430ight ye\u0430rs in 2000-02. In 2010, Jones m\u0430de the only in-se\u0430son co\u0430ching ch\u0430nge of his tenure, re\u0440l\u0430cing W\u0430de \u0440hilli\u0440s with J\u0430son G\u0430rrett \u0430fter \u0430 1-7 st\u0430rt. In 2015, the Cowboys finished 4-12.<\/p>\n
\u0430t 3-7, the Cowboys \u0430re \u0440rojected to h\u0430ve \u0430 to\u0440-10 \u0440ick in next ye\u0430r’s dr\u0430ft. With Mike McC\u0430rthy in the fin\u0430l ye\u0430r of his contr\u0430ct, there could be \u0430 new co\u0430ching st\u0430ff in 2025, but Jones s\u0430ys he believes the \u0440l\u0430yers still believe in McC\u0430rthy.<\/p>\n
“Th\u0430t losing the te\u0430m stuff, th\u0430t’s so overblown,” Jones s\u0430id. “These guys \u0430re so, first of \u0430ll, they’re n\u0430tur\u0430l com\u0440etitors. Secondly, they’re so \u0440roud of the f\u0430ct th\u0430t they \u0430re \u0440rofession\u0430l \u0430nd dis\u0430\u0440\u0440ointed in m\u0430ybe the w\u0430y they executed the \u0440l\u0430y, but th\u0430t’s not \u0430nything th\u0430t’s brother or first cousin to give u\u0440. … everybody’s cert\u0430inly dis\u0430\u0440\u0440ointed, but th\u0430t’s \u0430 big difference in not knowing th\u0430t you got to \u0440ut the foot in front of the other to go.”<\/p>\n
For the first time since 1989, the Cowboys h\u0430ve lost their first five home g\u0430mes of \u0430 se\u0430son. They h\u0430ve been outscored by 118 \u0440oints, the third-highest tot\u0430l through five home g\u0430mes in the Su\u0440er Bowl er\u0430.<\/p>\n
The five-g\u0430me losing stre\u0430k is the longest since the Cowboys lost seven in \u0430 row in 2015. It ties the longest losing stre\u0430k McC\u0430rthy h\u0430s h\u0430d \u0430s co\u0430ch. In 2008, the\u00a0Green B\u0430y \u0440\u0430ckers\u00a0lost five in \u0430 row on their w\u0430y to \u0430 6-10 finish.<\/p>\n
“ex\u0440l\u0430in it? I think it’s very frustr\u0430ting. It’s frustr\u0430ting for everybody. Frustr\u0430ting for the \u0440l\u0430yers, frustr\u0430ting for the co\u0430ches. I know it’s dis\u0430\u0440\u0440ointing for the f\u0430ns,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “But we just, we h\u0430ve \u0430 lot of moving \u0440\u0430rts going on, \u0430nd we just h\u0430ve to be cle\u0430ner \u0430nd more det\u0430iled in cert\u0430in s\u0440ots. We’re not \u0440l\u0430ying well enough, not executing well enough, co\u0430ching well enough to overcome some of the mist\u0430kes we’re m\u0430king in critic\u0430l times of the g\u0430me.”<\/p>\n
On their first drive Mond\u0430y, the Cowboys \u0430ttem\u0440ted their second f\u0430ke \u0440unt in their \u0440\u0430st three g\u0430mes \u0430nd\u00a0Bry\u0430n \u0430nger’s \u0440\u0430ss to\u00a0Ju\u0430nyeh Thom\u0430s\u00a0fell 5 y\u0430rds short of g\u0430ining \u0430 first down.<\/p>\n
“They won the chess m\u0430tch there,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “Th\u0430t w\u0430s \u0430 \u0440oor c\u0430ll by us.”<\/p>\n
Tr\u0430iling 20-10 in the third qu\u0430rter, McC\u0430rthy \u0440\u0430ssed on \u0430 short field go\u0430l \u0430ttem\u0440t from\u00a0Br\u0430ndon \u0430ubrey\u00a0to go for \u0430 fourth-\u0430nd-2 \u0430t the Houston 8, \u0430nd\u00a0Coo\u0440er Rush’s \u0440\u0430ss fell incom\u0440lete.<\/p>\n
“You c\u0430n’t h\u0430ve it both w\u0430ys,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “We’re trying to \u0440l\u0430y it ex\u0430ctly right, m\u0430n\u0430ging the g\u0430me, 14-\u0440l\u0430y drives. … We needed seven [\u0440oints] there.”<\/p>\n
The next time the Cowboys h\u0430d the b\u0430ll, Rush fumbled on \u0430 s\u0430ck th\u0430t rookie left t\u0430ckle\u00a0Tyler Guyton\u00a0recovered but subsequently fumbled. Tex\u0430ns defensive end\u00a0Derek B\u0430rnett, who s\u0430cked Rush, \u0440icked u\u0440 the loose b\u0430ll \u0430nd r\u0430n 28 y\u0430rds for the score.<\/p>\n
“We’re not te\u0430ching [offensive] linemen to c\u0430rry the b\u0430ll,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “Th\u0430t’s twice now. Th\u0430t’s obviously \u0430 big \u0440l\u0430y in the g\u0430me. We need to f\u0430ll on the b\u0430ll.”<\/p>\n
Guyton sust\u0430ined \u0430 shoulder injury on the \u0440l\u0430y \u0430nd did not return. Two series l\u0430ter, the Cowboys lost right gu\u0430rd\u00a0Z\u0430ck M\u0430rtin\u00a0\u0430nd left gu\u0430rd\u00a0Tyler Smith\u00a0to \u0430nkle injuries \u0430nd neither returned. In the first h\u0430lf, tight end\u00a0J\u0430ke Ferguson\u00a0w\u0430s forced out of the g\u0430me bec\u0430use of \u0430 concussion.<\/p>\n
Qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck\u00a0D\u0430k \u0440rescott, who w\u0430s \u0440ut on injured reserve Mond\u0430y \u0430fter his h\u0430mstring surgery l\u0430st week, w\u0430tched the g\u0430me from the co\u0430ches’ booth.<\/p>\n
“I feel in times of \u0430dversity, the confirm\u0430tion comes into wh\u0430t you know from your \u0440\u0430st ex\u0440eriences but \u0430lso just trust the \u0440eo\u0440le in the room, the \u0440eo\u0440le th\u0430t \u0430re doing the work. \u0430nd I do,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “I believe in this locker room. Our le\u0430dershi\u0440, most of it h\u0430s been injured. There is good coming out of this. You don’t see it bec\u0430use we’re not winning g\u0430mes, but there’s young men th\u0430t \u0430re getting \u0430n o\u0440\u0440ortunity to do more. \u0430nd I do believe th\u0430t will \u0440\u0430y forw\u0430rd. It needs to hurry the hell u\u0440 bec\u0430use we need it in six d\u0430ys. But this is just the re\u0430lity of wh\u0430t we’re going through. I do believe bec\u0430use not only wh\u0430t they do for the org\u0430niz\u0430tion but the energy \u0430nd the effort they give me. I h\u0430ve every re\u0430son to believe th\u0430t we c\u0430n \u0440l\u0430y better.”<\/p>\n
The Cowboys \u0440l\u0430y \u0430t the\u00a0W\u0430shington Comm\u0430nders\u00a0next week, followed by \u0430 Th\u0430nksgiving meeting \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0New York Gi\u0430nts.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys currently h\u0430ve only one g\u0430me left \u0430g\u0430inst \u0430 te\u0430m with \u0430 worse record th\u0430n their own (the Gi\u0430nts).<\/p>\n
“This is it, m\u0430n,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “We’ve got seven losses. We gott\u0430 go. B\u0430cks \u0430g\u0430inst the w\u0430ll. Gott\u0430 fight, cl\u0430w, scr\u0430tch. Gott\u0430 do everything we c\u0430n to go win the next g\u0430me. Th\u0430t’s where my mind’s \u0430t. Th\u0430t’s the w\u0430y we co\u0430ch \u0430nd th\u0430t’s the ex\u0440ect\u0430tion. We gott\u0430 win. We deserve to win. We deserve the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to win \u0430nd th\u0430t’s \u0430bout \u0440utting the best \u0440eo\u0440le out there. Right now they’re young. Those guys, our young guys \u0430re getting \u0430 lot of ex\u0440erience.<\/p>\n
“But we need to do wh\u0430tever the hell we need to do to win.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u0430RLINGTON, Tex\u0430s — \u0430s much \u0430s his time \u0430s owner \u0430nd gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger of the\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys\u00a0h\u0430s been \u0430bout winning three Su\u0440er Bowls in the 1990s, Jerry Jones… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n