Jerry Jones: Fair to blame me for Cowboys' 1-2 start
Jerry Jones is accepting responsibility for the Dallas Cowboys' 1-2 start after 78% of respondents to a WFAA-TV poll blamed the team's owner and general manager for the poor performance in September so far.
"That's very fair," Jones said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. "It's well-known that no decision is ultimately made here (unless I) have acquiesced (to) or approved it. That's very fair. How could you think otherwise, whether it be who's out there coaching, whether it be who's out there playing, whether it be the stadium you're walking into? Whatever it is here, that's the way it is."
The Cowboys' defense received 12% of votes, followed by the coaching (6%) and the offense (4%), according to The Athletic's Amos Morale III and Jon Machota.
Dallas' defense surrendered a league-high 185.7 rushing yards per contest through three games, including over 190 yards in consecutive losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. After the Cowboys' 28-25 loss to Baltimore on Sunday, defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence voiced his disappointment and called out his teammates.
The Cowboys have also struggled to establish their own ground game through three weeks. Dallas' by-committee approach has produced the league's 30th-rated rushing attack, averaging 73.7 yards per game.
Jones remains confident in the team's personnel despite the performance and record to date.
"I think what we didn't fix against the Ravens will ultimately get fixed. That's not just optimism, I like our personnel," Jones told The Fan, per The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Lawrence Dow. "I like the way we're going about fixing it. It's pretty apparent we got some pretty glaring areas that we can get better in, and I think we will."
Dallas will attempt to avoid its first 1-3 start since 2020 when the team plays the New York Giants (1-2) on Thursday. While Jones highlighted the NFC East division matchup, he stopped short of calling it a must-win.
"They're in our division; that says enough right there, and we need a good game," Jones said, according to Archer.