Daily Times (Primos, PA)

Jones tries everything, but Cowboys can’t get it right

- By Schuyler Dixon

Jerry Jones tried ripping the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys after the first loss in the current three-game skid, then took the gentle approach following the second.

The team’s owner and general manager just looked mad at the world on an embarrassi­ng night in Chicago and didn’t seem to care that Dallas was still in first place in the NFC East after a 3124 loss to the Bears that wasn’t nearly that close.

“Until we can win a football game, I don’t care what kind of contention we’re in,” Jones said. “We’ve got to start playing and winning a football game so that we can play better than we played tonight.”

The anger was still evident a day later when Jones didn’t like the way his radio show started Friday and cursed several times. He appeared to hang up after one of the expletives, but it was explained that the system cut off the call because of the language. Jones was reconnecte­d, and the mood wasn’t much lighter for the rest of the show.

“Now, go on with your question, but I’m going to give you the answer I’m going to give you this morning,” Jones said early in the call. “I don’t like your attitude. I’ve been traveling all night and I don’t have the patience to jack with you today.”

The Cowboys (6—7) have never made the playoffs in a season with two losing streaks of at least three games. The first skid came after a 3-0 start. Despite seven losses in 10 games, Dallas will be no worse than tied with the Eagles for the NFC East lead with three games remaining.

Just as he did after a Thanksgivi­ng loss to Buffalo, Jones said he wasn’t going to fire coach Jason Garrett before the end of the season. A 24-7 deficit to the Bears fanned those flames, and led to questions of whether Garrett’s players have quit on their coach, who is in the final year of his contract.

“That’s false, false as ever,” quarterbac­k Dak Prescott said. “And when you get to the playoffs, all of that is gone. It is washed out the window. We believe in our coach. We believe in his message.”

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