Dallas Cowboys fans are disappointed after their poor start to the 2024 season and are pointing the finger at owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas opened the season with a win over the Cleveland Browns, but then suffered back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. Now, they have a crucial Thursday Night Football game against the New York Giants.
Amid the tensions, a WFAA-TV poll in Dallas showed 70 percent of voters blamed Jones for the rocky start to the campaign.
Jones didn’t berate fans for their feelings, saying on 105.3 The Fan’s ‘Shan and RJ’ show: “That’s very fair.”
‘It is well known that ultimately no decision is made on what I have accepted or approved. That is quite fair.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says it’s “fair enough” that fans are pointing fingers at him
Cowboys fans have been in a bind after last season ended with another playoff loss.
“How can you think otherwise, whether it’s about who’s training, who’s playing, or the stadium you get into? Whatever it is, that’s how it is here.
“Now, let me say this: Do I have a big say in making those decisions? When they’ve done their homework, they have a big say in me, and we have a lot of people on the Dallas Cowboys who have had input.”
This season is not unique in terms of criticism of Jones, who took the brunt of the criticism after taking over the team as owner and general manager in 1989.
But fan frustration has been particularly high following the loss to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs in January, which brought Dallas’ Super Bowl drought to 28 seasons.
“I guess I was baptized when I first came to Dallas and bought the Cowboys and we won a football game,” Jones told The Fan.
‘We made changes, we changed the only coach for 29 years (Tom Landry), and we received enormous criticism and the kind that would make what we’re seeing now a piece of cake. … We’re dealing with anything but a lot of emotion about our team.
‘It never ceases to amaze me, both in the state of Texas in the case of the Cowboys, and across the country in the case of the Cowboys, and it’s there because they want to see us get beat up or because they’re following us.
“What inspires me the most is the emotion it produces in me, but I am certainly aware of it, I am aware of the criticism, but not more aware than that goal at the end of the match. Let’s put it that way.
Jones has been the focus of criticism every time the Cowboys have lost since he purchased them in 1989.
So far this year, Dallas’ run offense and defense have been among the worst in the NFL.
“I realize you can get a lot of criticism. I was born with that mentality here with the Cowboys. You can get a lot of criticism and you can end up flaunting those trophies. And that’s what it’s all about.”
So far, Dallas has struggled particularly when it comes to the running game on both sides of the ball, ranking last in the league in run defense and third from bottom in run offense.
Despite these glaring issues, Jones still believes the roster has enough talent to function on its own.
“I think while we’re disappointed for sure and we can really see how we need to improve this as a team, in a more coordinated way, and I don’t just mean defense, but defense, offense, the whole area,” Jones said.
“I think we have the opportunity to improve in this, and that is the most important thing. We are not giving our best. If we were, it would be very worrying.”
Dallas’ last 1-3 start was in 2020, which was the first season with Mike McCarthy at the helm. They finished that campaign with a 6-10 record.
With the game against the Giants at the Meadowlands approaching, Jones stopped short of saying a “must-win” was necessary for his season prospects.
“They’re in our division, that’s enough, and we need a good game,” Jones said, adding: “What’s there to win? We played 17 games.
The Cowboys haven’t started a season 1-3 since Mike McCarthy’s first season in 2020.
‘In some sports you play more than 150 games. In those that play 150 games, you get down to two or three games and you can look back and say, ‘They have to win. ‘ And for me, when I think about it, that’s the case.
“You can look back and say that’s a game where you made a difference, a game where you made that happen. And I don’t want to sound arrogant when I say that, but, boy, every possession is an important possession for us and for every player.
“And that’s the trick, to play with possession, to do the best you can. When you play knowing that everyone else will do the same, good things happen.”
