What does the Cowboys’ collapse mean for Mike McCarthy? Jerry Jones’ admission of regret provides insight into the answer

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jerry Jones couldn’t hide his frustration.

The fourth straight loss and fifth straight home loss for the Dallas Cowboys “wasn’t fun” and “wasn’t pretty,” he said.

“Without winning games, there’s no joy here,” Jones said after the Cowboys’ 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “And I’m very sorry for our fans. Very.”

Jones’ regrets will impact how he manages his developing 3-6 team. But don’t expect those regrets to translate into an upcoming decision about head coach Mike McCarthy.

Because the team owner, who is also the general manager and main decision-maker of the Cowboys, also regrets his past there.

Jones values ​​second chances and optimistic outlooks. He loves to mention the slim, but not yet zero, possibility that the fairytale ending he’s looking for is still out there.

In cases where he acted rashly or even proportionately, he still carries feelings of guilt about his personnel changes.

“I don’t even understand that there is no hope,” he said.

Let’s explain.

Some may view Jason Garrett’s 10-year tenure as generous in a league where coaching and front office turnover is rampant. Garrett won 55.9% of games during those years (85-67 record) and made the playoffs three times. But the Cowboys’ 2-3 playoff record under Garrett never included a win or Super Bowl appearance or even an NFC title game appearance.

Still, Jones feels more comfortable not renewing Garrett after 10 years than firing Wade Phillips after a 1-7 start in his fourth season. He also fired Chan Gailey after an 18-14 year term in the late 1990s.

“I changed coaches during the season with Wade and always regretted it,” Jones said Sunday night at AT&T Stadium as an open elevator door waited for him. “And actually after two years I made a change with Chan Gailey. I regretted that. That’s not enough. You have to give yourself a chance.

“I’ve had a lot more ropes in my time. I’ve never experienced anyone withholding anything from me.”

Jones’ outlook appears to indicate that McCarthy, who won 46 of 76 regular season games with Dallas (60.5%), will coach the remaining eight games of Dallas’ season.

But players are familiar with McCarthy’s coaching stint in the final year of his current Cowboys contract.

And their varied comments after the game reflected uncertainty over who will lead them next season.

“That’s above my pay grade [whether] “Mike will be training again next year,” said edge rusher Micah Parsons. “When it comes to coaching, Mike can go and go wherever he wants. Guys, I’m kind of sorry [are veteran right guard] Zack Martin and guys who may be in their senior year or just getting there. Because I wanted to hold the trophy for him.”

Teammates expressed the need to “fight” for McCarthy as long as he is head coach.

But at least one of the team’s stars sees a closing window when it comes to the men in the locker room.

“You want to win games and do great things with legends like that who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did,” Parsons said, without clarifying whether he was referring only to the Cowboys’ tenure. “These are the guys I feel so much pity and pain for.”

The Cowboys’ offense gave the team no chance against the Eagles

As the playing time thankfully dwindled, McCarthy knew the result was unacceptable. He also knew that the recipe that led to the 28-point defeat was even more troubling than the result in a vacuum.

“You can’t win games by passing the ball five times – I don’t give a fuck whose turn it is,” McCarthy said. “We can’t turn it around and that’s something that affects these last two home games – our fans should be angry.

“That’s not what we’re concerned about.”

For months, the Cowboys have been dealing with one-sided losses full of penalties and turnovers, especially at AT&T Stadium.

Since the Green Bay Packers beat the Cowboys 48-32 at home in the wild card game, Dallas hasn’t broken the JerryWorld curse. The Cowboys, who trailed 48-16 in the fourth quarter of that game, were the only home team not to advance to the divisional round.

Since then, they have lost at home to a similarly strong New Orleans Saints team 44-19 and to the Baltimore Ravens 28-25. The Detroit Lions beat the Cowboys a whopping 47-9… and the Eagles came to town 34-6.

The Cowboys had five turnovers against the Lions with Dak Prescott and five without him against the Eagles. Miscommunication, a lack of discipline and a lack of pressing were already problems – and as Prescott likely recovered from a season-ending hamstring tear, those problems were compounded.

There were turnovers when Cowboys center Cooper Beebe and quarterback Cooper Rush botched a quick exchange and when running back Ezekiel Elliott lost the ball while plowing into the end zone. They came when Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff beat Rush with a strip sack and when tight end Jake Ferguson tried to catch a one-handed pass but then deflected it. Backup quarterback Trey Lance threw an interception to complete the gift.

“This is unacceptable,” McCarthy said. “There’s no way you can sugarcoat it.”

And for the eighth straight time, the Cowboys failed to score in the third quarter. Their trifecta of three-and-out plays in the third quarter increased the Eagles’ lead from eight points to 22. In the second half, the Eagles outscored the Cowboys 20-0.

Rush and Lance combined to complete 17 of 29 pass attempts for a total of 66 yards.

“What do we do halfway to get the water out of the tub?” Jones said. “Halfway, third quarter? That’s really the mystery.

“I don’t know what we’ll be drinking when we come out in the third quarter. But it doesn’t work.”

Even the optimistic Jones has trouble finding the silver lining for the Cowboys

Jones was more testy than usual in his postgame interview, his public patience appearing to wane even as he preached measures that stayed the course.

When asked what a gloomy day said about Prescott’s role on the team, Jones said he “didn’t mean to be sarcastic, but do you have the same math skills as me?” We won three games with Dak, okay? So all I’m saying is we didn’t play well with Dak at all.”

He avoided a question about Elliott because he didn’t want to “single anyone out” on the flop. “More than the rest [grading] Fs and Ds, did anyone have a C-minus? Who cares?”

And as for the coach’s role in the Cowboys’ loss, Jones said that “everyone has a part in it,” including players, coaches and the front office. He didn’t want to blame the sun that blinded each team on some plays, but otherwise he wanted to spread accountability.

“It’s no consolation for anyone to come here and tell the fans, ‘This is my fault.’ “I’ll take this one,” Jones said. “What does it make? This doesn’t win the game. And that’s why I’m not trying to put out that nonsense.”

As McCarthy spoke at the podium and Cowboys players answered questions in a locker room devoid of music and chatter, the man most responsible for franchise-making decisions laid out criteria for evaluating his coach for the rest of the season.

Jones wants to see not only what teams’ results are, but also “how we play” and whether the coaching staff is giving its players an advantage. Are they competitive? Are they competitive when it comes to making up a deficit?

All of this and more will play a role.

The Cowboys’ three consecutive 12-win seasons and playoff berths during McCarthy’s tenure will impact whether he receives an extension offer. Their dramatic playoff exits and current obstacles will also be weighed.

“Mike is a great coach,” Jones said. “In my opinion he is a great coach.” [who] We should have the opportunity to do better than we are currently playing.

“As I said, I didn’t have good experiences with a coaching change in the middle of the season.”

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis said the Cowboys will continue to fight in a season that somehow still has eight games left to play.

“We have to go out there and fight for him every day [and] Translate it into wins,” Lewis told Yahoo Sports. “At the end of the day we have to go out and fight.

“Coach is still at the helm and we have to fight for him.”

Positivity and light are key to that fighting spirit, Parsons said. He put his own spin on the message he heard in the team band this weekend.

“Be the light,” Parsons said. “Even when it’s damn dark, shine, bro.”