FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys operate differently than the other 31 teams due to Jerry Jones.
No other NFL owner or general manager is as regularly accessible to the media than Jones. He talks after every home game and has regular chats with local radio stations in the Dallas area. This week, he followed in his former Hall Fame quarterback Troy Aikman's footsteps by pointedly critiquing head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff for the Cowboys' 3-3 start. Jones did also take some of the blame for the slow start by referencing the younger talent Dallas is working with after an inactive offseason, but it's incredibly rare to hear an NFL owner or GM criticize their head coach in the way the Cowboys owner did Tuesday.
"We're designing bad plays, or we're designing bad concepts," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "The facts are that there's some of that, but there's also some execution [issues]. There's some of the talent. I like our talent, I really do like our talent. I like our young talent, but young talent has a few more mistakes associated with it than if you're dealing with a veteran player."
Dallas' offense has taken a step back in 2024 from its league-leading production in 2023 (29.9 points per game, best in the NFL), but McCarthy chuckled when discussing Jones' assertion about some of his play calls and concepts.
"I talk to Jerry all the time. We have time to go through self scout, so I didn't see the comments specifically. I don't think we have bad concepts and bad plays. I'll go back and check," McCarthy said while chuckling on Wednesday.
| Cowboys offense since 2023 (NFL Ranks) | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 29.9 (1st) | 21.0 (20th) |
Total yards per game | 371.6 (5th) | 336.5 (12th) |
Drive score percentage (rate of drives that end in touchdown or field goal) | 50.6% (1st) | 42.2% (12th) |
Offensive expected points added/play | 0.10 (2nd) | -0.07 (23rd) |
McCarthy did acknowledge his team isn't where it wants to be, referencing a specific play from his rushing offense in Dallas' 47-9 meltdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 6. The Cowboys are averaging 77.2 rushing yards per game in 2024, the worst in the NFL and Dallas' worst through six games since 1989. That was the first year of Jones' ownership and Aikman's rookie season. The specific run play McCarthy referenced was a one-yard run to the right by running back Rico Dowdle. Dallas' offensive line is one of the younger units in the league as they're starting first-round rookie Tyler Guyton at left tackle and third-round rookie Cooper Beebe at center in their preferred offensive line starting five.
"We're not where we want to be. It ultimately is my responsibility. I'm fully aware of that," McCarthy said. "We are very diligent. We're on top of what we want to do. Just like anything, I just came from a walkthrough. The walkthroughs have been good. It always goes back to communication. Just going back to the Detroit game, I know it was the first run of the game. We practiced it a number of times. I got the look we were expecting, and we had the wrong declaration based on communication. So at the end of it, we just got to tighten up our communication and make sure our guys are playing fast. The ability to play faster than the opponent. With that comes confidence, which you're clearly working towards. That's what we want to do Sunday night and get that win."
All three of the Cowboys' victories this season have come on the road, a trend they will look to continue against their bogeyman, the San Francisco 49ers, in Week 8. That will be a tall task considering the last time these two teams played in 2023, the 49ers delivered a 42-10 beatdown to the Cowboys in Week 5 on "Sunday Night Football." San Francisco has won three in a row against Dallas for the first time since the 1994-1995 season with victories in postseason matchups in 2021 and 2022, plus the regular season meeting last year.