Jerry Jones’ decisions over the last calendar year wouldn’t fool any serious person focused on winning actual football games, yet he still pretended to be “all-in” with a desperate search for a Super Bowl trophy.
After the latest embarrassing Cowboys loss, there’s no questioning who is to blame. Jones’ single-biggest offseason decision after falling asleep at the wheel, hiring defensive coorindator Mike Zimmer to replace the departed yet undeniably successful Dan Quinn, is perhaps the worst choice any decision-maker made.
Zimmer’s defense has been routinely torched, capped by an unacceptable 47-9 loss at the Lions’ hands. Detroit has wise coaches in place. Jones has forfeited such opportunities to save a few bucks with shocking regularity.
Jerry Jones Must Own This Week 6 Cowboys Disaster
Few ever thought that Jones was a wise football mind. His decisions on Dalvin Cook indicate just as much, though Dallas fans are justifiably angry with the organization’s continued commitment to mediocrity.
Lions’ coach Dan Campbell showed a level of impressive aggression early on, unafraid to challenge Zimmer’s defense. Once considered one of the brightest defensive minds in the NFL, Zimmer now leads a defense that ranks 13th in the league in opponent yards per play (5.3).
That sounds fine on its face until you realize they’ve surrendered 7.7 yards per play at home with four straight losses. Cowboys fans deserved better. Jones isn’t capable of delivering improvement unless he actually prioritizes on-field performance instead of off-field theatrics.
Dallas’ schedule doesn’t get much easier moving forward. The Cowboys take on the 49ers, Falcons, Eagles, and Texans in consecutive weeks. Within less than a month, we could be hearing demands to remove McCarthy and Zimmer.
There’s no excuse for how poorly Zimmer’s defense has fallen apart. It’s difficult to make Parsons look like an undrafted player, yet Zimmer has accomplished that impossible goal, removing the All-Pro from a bonafide Defensive Player of the Year candidate to a massive disappointment. After watching the Quinn failures and Zimmer meltdowns, it’s clear there’s only one scapegoat left.
McCarthy will be fired at the end of the season, yet Jones obviously deserves the bulk of the blame.
