FRISCO, Texas — The first signs of trouble for the Dallas Cowboys may have appeared in training camp.
On a beautiful, cloudless day in late August in Oxnard, California, as the team was preparing for afternoon practice, a fire broke out in a player’s hotel room. The room and the player’s belongings were destroyed.
“That’s the beauty of the National Football League: Sometimes when you think you’ve seen it all, this happens,” coach Mike McCarthy said a day later. “It’s a really unfortunate situation. Fortunately, there were no casualties.”
The next three months have been a series of woes as the Cowboys’ season deteriorated to a 3-6 record ahead of Monday’s game against the Houston Texans (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC). -You saw every moment.
Individually, it may not mean much. Collectively, they help paint a picture of the wrong season. At the start of the season, the Cowboys had the fourth-best chance in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl, according to ESPN Analytics.
With 8 games left, the probability is 0.2%.
“Your opportunity is coming your way,” said Jake Ferguson. “We might still lose some games, but it’s not ‘burning the tape.’ It’s ‘watch, learn, and move on.’”
Where outsiders might see chaos and misery, McCarthy sees consistency in the message.
“I would say this: The reality of what happens inside the locker room and inside the coaching operation has been very consistent,” McCarthy said. “I think this has been the case my whole career: When things don’t go your way, you have to take a knee and go a little harder.
“That’s the only thing I’ve seen. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into this. Not just every day of the season. This goes back to April. I haven’t seen any change.”
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McCarthy cites GPS readings (from the chips players have on their jerseys) to compare last season’s practices to this season’s practices, which are either higher or higher when calculating a player’s workload.
“Regardless of what happened the week before, other things can change, good or bad,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “So we can’t look at it as if everything is going downhill.”
But how many teams have lost a player to the judging panel this season?
Cowboys All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey missed a week of scheduled practice before the Oct. 27 game against the San Francisco 49ers because he was selected to serve on the jury in a felony case. He was willing to serve, but thought he would not be selected because of his celebrity status.
But he did.
Aubrey came to The Star around 7pm to take care of business after leaving court. On the first day, there was an event inside the Ford Center so we couldn’t do kicks indoors. On the second day, the stadium hosted a high school football game.
Aubrey, holder Bryan Anger, general Trent Sieg and special teams coordinator John Fassel had to work in almost complete darkness on an outdoor stadium. They were aided by floodlights and 19,200 lights glowing from Volume, a sculpture hanging from the ceiling of The Star’s lobby.
To make matters worse, just as he was about to kick, the sprinklers went off.
“When you’re kicking in the dark, it’s hard to see. You can’t really see where you’re kicking. And with Brian in particular, when he was trying to take the snap, he had a hard time tracking the ball at first, and he hit the spot.” Aubrey said.
“It makes my job more difficult, especially when you don’t know where he put the ball down. So it was a lot harder, but I really wanted to keep my legs moving and my body fresh on game day.”
Aubrey connected on a field goal attempt against the 49ers and went 3-of-3 on extra points.
But jury duty wasn’t the only unusual moment this season.
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After the Cowboys’ win over the New York Giants on Sept. 26, wide receiver Brandin Cooks stayed in New York to get a shot for a sore knee. He developed an infection that required a cleaning procedure and is just getting closer to full practice.
On October 13, the Cowboys lost 47-9 to the Detroit Lions. It was Jones’ worst home loss since he took over the team in 1989. It was also his 82nd birthday. Two days later, Jones appeared to threaten the host’s job at Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan during one of two weekly appearances.
Before the Cowboys played the 49ers, a second vehicle taking some of owner Jerry Jones’ family to the game crashed into a rising barricade as it entered Levi’s Stadium. Charlotte Jones and Jerry Jones Jr. were examined by team medical staff before the game. Shy Anderson Jr., Jerry’s grandson and Cowboy scout, was also in the vehicle.
About four hours later, the Cowboys lost 30-24 to the 49ers. Cornerback Trevon Diggs emerged from the locker room in full uniform to confront a television reporter about an in-game social media post questioning the cornerback’s effort. A few days later, Diggs apologized.
Before the start of the next game, Ezekiel Elliott was ruled inactive against the Atlanta Falcons for disciplinary reasons and did not make the trip. While some wondered if Elliott played his last game for the Cowboys, he was welcomed back.
“We have rules. You run red lights. That’s what we do. I can’t stress enough how exemplary a teammate Zeke is, and I want to make that clear,” Jerry Jones said after the game. . “But I think he’s everything a footballer is.”
In the Falcons’ 27-21 loss, Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury. My right hamstring was partially severed and I had to have surgery. This comes two months after the Cowboys made Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. The four-year extension includes $231 million guaranteed for an average of $60 million per season.
Then they lost 34-6 to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. The Cowboys became the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in five consecutive home games. With Cooper Rush replacing Prescott, Dallas passed for 49 net yards and turned the ball over five times.
This was not the way McCarthy wanted to celebrate his 61st birthday.
It was the second straight home game in which the Cowboys failed to score a touchdown. They would have had one if it weren’t for the blinding sun shining through the windows of AT&T Stadium. Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb lost the ball in the sunlight through the West End zone in the second quarter. The touchdown gave the Cowboys the lead and probably changed the trajectory of the game.
After the loss, Jones was incredulous when asked if curtains would be used at AT&T Stadium.
“Well, let’s just tear down that damn stadium and build another stadium. Are you kidding me?” Jones said.
The next day, when McCarthy addressed the press, local TV photographers set up scrims to block sunlight streaming in through The Star’s press conference room windows.
“Is that for the sun?” McCarthy asked. The room was filled with laughter.
“I just couldn’t stand it,” the coach laughed.
Seconds later, McCarthy was asked about comments made by linebacker Micah Parsons after the game that appeared to question the coach’s work ethic. he said he Meet Parsons And Parsons’ intention was to express sympathy for veteran teammate Zack Martin, a seven-time first-team All-Pro pick who had three playoff wins with the Cowboys.
“Dialogue brings solutions,” McCarthy said. “I think this is an example of that.”
From Coach Tom Landry to Jimmy Johnson to Bill Parcells, there have been many moments in history when the Cowboys have felt like they’ve seen it all.
Last year, the Cowboys lost running backs coach Jeff Blasko for several weeks for personal reasons and Sam Williams was suspended for three games this season after being charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a weapon. season.
And they still went 12-5.
Maybe the Cowboys aren’t 3-6 because of every moment they think they’ve seen it all, but it didn’t help.
“There’s definitely been a lot going on, whether it’s been longer than 40 years north of Dallas or longer than the White House era, I’m not sure,” said Brad Sham, who has handled play-by-play for the Cowboys for 46 seasons. “But the loss has a lot to do with it.
“If they win, Parsons’ podcast is temporary. Diggs doesn’t chase down reporters and tweet them. Jerry doesn’t chew out radio hosts or set the stadium on fire. There’s always going to be something, but this year it’s something like this. Zoom in on everything.
“Even jury duty.”
