DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The player at the forefront of Cowboys fans' frustrations with the defensive struggles is linebacker Jaylon Smith.
On Monday, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan defended Smith, saying he didn't understand why he's taking so much heat.
“This is the honest truth. ... I don’t know why Jaylon takes the criticism he does,” Nolan said. "He’s a good football player. He plays extremely hard. I think he has improved. Look, I’d be the first to say it. I always call it like I see it, but Jaylon, look, nobody has played a perfect game for us thus far, and I don’t think they will. And, naturally, as bad a game as (Sunday) was, certainly no one played a winning-grade performance.
“But as far as Jaylon goes, we grade guys a lot of time a ‘winning effort,’ ‘losing effort’ or ‘just did your job.’ And thus far, I can’t say he’s had a game of the four that he’s had a losing effort. I think all of his games have been ‘do your job’ or a little better. Again, I think he’s doing all the things we’re asking of him, or at least trying to do, and I believe he’s just going to get better as the year goes along.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also threw his support behind Smith on Tuesday.
"I think Jaylon Smith has been courageous, I'll use that word right there, in his performance," Jones said on Shan and RJ on 105.3 The Fan. "He gives you everything that he's got... I'll say without question he has the talent to be the middle linebacker on a winning, championship team."
Smith was blasted on social media by NFL analysts that went back and reviewed the tape of Sunday's 49-38 loss to the Browns.
On one particular play, Smith was slammed for appearing not to give effort on the game-sealing 50-yard touchdown run by Odell Beckham Jr.
At his press conference Monday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy defended his team's effort in the game.
“You’ve got to be really careful when you start challenging professional athletes about effort, especially from a distance,” McCarthy said. “We don’t have an effort issue. If we had an effort issue, that game would have been over in the middle of the third quarter [when trailing 41-14]. Our guys fought all the way to the end. And they made a huge play there down the stretch with the reverse for the touchdown.”