Jerry Jones: Cowboys don't have leadership void
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refused to chalk up his team's struggles to a lack of leadership during a Tuesday appearance on a local radio station.
"Where would you have a leadership void? Is it an experience void? Is it a talent void? I'm not trying to be cute here. The answer is no," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.
The Cowboys have failed to live up to expectations through seven games, stumbling to a 2-5 record under new head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy has seemingly struggled to win over the locker room, and two players anonymously blasted him and his staff after a Week 6 blowout loss.
"When I go into the locker room, I don't see a leadership void," Jones said.
The Cowboys fell 25-3 in Week 7 to the Washington Football Team, which hadn't tasted victory since the season opener. Along with the game, they lost quarterback Andy Dalton, who was concussed on a dirty hit.
McCarthy admitted afterward he was disappointed in the lack of response from Dalton's teammates. Dalton joined Dak Prescott and a slew of offensive linemen on the injured list.
"We have almost 45% of our salary cap that isn't on the field," Jones said. "We have it in critical areas that we counted on - that offensive line and the running game was going to be the strength of what we have. We knew going in, you better be careful counting on your top quarterback being a running threat because what? He'll get hurt."
Despite the poor start, Jones is still confident in McCarthy, a former Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers. Dallas selected McCarthy in January as the replacement for Jason Garrett, who served as the head coach for a decade.
Entering a pivotal Week 8 contest with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys rank last in points allowed per game and own the worst turnover differential in the NFL.
"We wanted someone that in case the you-know-what hit the fan had the credibility and had the (ability) to do what? To stand tall and strong as head coach," Jones said. "And he's doing that."