DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Cowboys COO Stephen Jones had a message for fans of the team after they fell to 1-3 on the season after Sunday's 49-38 loss to the Cleveland Browns at AT&T Stadium.
"I just think that we're not as far away as it seems, but we do have a lot of work to do. And we're very confident in this football team in spite of what we've seen in the first four games. We really believe we've got a great head coach, a great staff, and a great group of players that will get the job done," Jones said on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
"Like I said, the one redeeming quality is that it does show week in and week out, in spite of the holes we seem to be digging ourselves, we put ourselves (in position) with a chance to win the game at the end of these games when you wouldn't think we had a chance. These guys will fight. We just have to get off to better starts and we certainly got to protect the ball, and we also got to create turnovers. That's something Mike (McCarthy) stresses. We're not getting the job done for whatever reason that is. I can assure you this, Mike will have them hard at work."
After the loss, Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said the team's defense was talented but they were playing soft. Jones was asked about that comment and if he agrees with Tank.
"We're just not executing. We got a big challenge in front of us. I think coach McCarthy said it best, 'right now the football we're playing is not winning football.' There's a pattern to it. We're losing the turnover battle. I think we're negative seven for the year. We're starting slow. I think we've only had the lead for like 15 minutes out of 240 minutes. We're not stopping the run. That's just a bad recipe. We're losing the time of possession. We just have a lot of work to do here. I think we do have a talented team but that doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean you're a good team," Jones said.
The defense, under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, is allowing a league-high 36.5 points per game. Despite that, Jones says he's not ready to make any changes to the coaching staff.
"We just have to be better. We have to go to work. Now's not the time to think about things like that," Jones said. "I'm very convicted about this staff. I'm very convicted about this team. But right now we're not playing winning football."
