Cowboys News: Coaching staff in Dallas under increasing scrutiny

Jerry Jones expresses support once again for Jason Garrett – Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
The coaching in Dallas is coming under increasing scrutiny, but not by Jones the Elder.

It’s not the first time Garrett has faced questions about his job security. Jones has stuck with Garrett during prior lean years, possibly due in part to Garrett’s willingness to let Jones claim all credit and seek all attention when things are going well. Garrett is content to be the head coach of the Cowboys, and he doesn’t need to share the spotlight with Jones.

Jerry Jones offers interesting answer when asked about Jason Garrett's future - John Breech, CBSSports.com
Jerry Jones addressed whether or not Jason Garrett is on the hot seat amidst a losing stretch.

Despite the team's obvious struggles over the past few weeks, Jones said Garrett isn't on the hot seat.

"No. Just no. Again, I don't step out of the dressing room and evaluate the coaching position at all," Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "Candidly and I don't even want to say it so that somebody might repeat it. Absolutely not. We've got some things that we're not playing good. We're not a good team right now. We can be a good team."

Of course, just because you're not on the hot seat doesn't mean you can't be fired. In 2010, Jones promised that he wasn't going to fire Wade Philips, only to fire him three weeks later. Although Jones seemed to back Garrett this week, he didn't exactly give his coach an endorsement.

"What I'm reluctant to do here is say an affirmative thing about our staff, and look like that's an endorsement," Jones said. "I don't want to look like they're getting the proverbial endorsement. That's not what's happening."

With five games left, Jason Garrett needs answers to Cowboys' woes - Todd Archer, ESPN
Garrett says he's not focusing on the wins and (of late) losses. But at some point he will have to. If he doesn't, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will.

A year after everything seemed to go right, everything is now going wrong.

The Cowboys have lost three straight games by 20 or more points, with their 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday the most recent futile performance. That has happened only two other times in franchise history (2004, 1960).

Jason Garrett was the NFL’s coach of the year last season, guiding the Cowboys to a 13-3 record with a rookie quarterback and a rookie running back playing major roles and a defense that was good enough if not great.

Now, for the first time in his tenure in Dallas, Garrett’s future and that of his staff was brought up to owner and general manager Jerry Jones. Jones supported Garrett and the staff and was clear it was “not a negative vote of confidence.”

Rod and Jaylon Smith among few highlights on Thanksgiving - Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Dallas Cowboys had a forgettable Thanksgiving against the Los Angeles Chargers. But Rod Smith scored his first career touchdown and Jaylon Smith led the team in tackles.

Rod finished with a team-high 41 rushing yards on nine carries, and scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

“It’s definitely an exciting moment for me and my family,” Rod said about his first career touchdown after the game. “A lot of the guys on the team came up and were excited and happy for me. They know how hard I work and what I bring to the table. I got their back.

“Win, lose or draw, each night, each practice, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to work and compete to help this team get better.”

Cowboys WR Dez Bryant's not the same; has become a No. 3-type WR - SportsDay Staff
Dez Bryant's production is way down.

Bryant has had 5 or less receptions in 7 of 11 games this year, and is yet to record a 100-yard performance. He also hasn't scored a touchdown since before Halloween, and ranks 24th in the NFL with 578 receiving yards on 53 catches.

For perspective, the Minnesota Vikings have gotten 70 catches, 1,005 yards and three scores from Adam Thielen for nearly $14 million less than what the Cowboys are paying Bryant this season.

3 Things We Learned From Cowboys Loss To Chargers - John Owning, Fanragsports

Owning with his review of Thursday's game.

If it wasn’t for a slew of things going the Cowboys way in the first half, this game may have been out of reach before Thomas Rhett took the stage for the halftime performance.

The Chargers were dealt a bad kicking hand as Nick Novak was injured early in the game, causing Los Angeles to switch up their tactics and leave some points on the field in the first half. Los Angeles had drives of 70, 89 and 66 yards in the first half but were only able to come away with three points before halftime.

Dallas wasn’t so lucky in the second half, as Los Angeles stopped shooting itself in the foot and took it to a Cowboys team that was clearly struggling. Los Angeles opened the second half with 77-yard and 92-yard touchdown drives, putting the game out of reach for a floundering Dallas offense.

Cowboys Done for the Season? - Mauricio Rodriguez, InsideTheStar
Some additional thoughts on the state of the Cowboys.

The truth is, this isn’t a good football team. It does have a lot of future and a lot of talent in the form of young players. Even still, there’re a lot of things to work on and a lot of talent to add in different positions.

Even with Tyron Smith back, we don’t know when Sean Lee will return, and with Elliott out for another three weeks, I’m not buying into the idea of this team running the table. Hell, I’d be surprised if they get to nine wins, if I’m being honest.

Scout's Eye: Re-Visiting The Biggest Factors In Thursday's Loss To L.A. - Bryan Broaddus, Dallas Cowboys
Bryan Broaddus reviews some critical plays from Thursday. This one caught our eye.

I don’t know how you give up a 42-yard touchdown on an “out” route, especially with two safeties playing in the middle of the field and one down low. It was just a really poor job of playing with leverage by the defense. Big misses on Keenan Allen from the inside by Jeff Heath, Xavier Woods and Byron Jones coupled with a miss from Anthony Brown were all a part of the problem. What was unfortunate as well on the play, is that the officials missed a takedown of DeMarcus Lawrence by Russell Okung on a well-executed spin move that was no different than the call that Tyron Smith received earlier in the game.

CONSPIRACY? NFL REFS ARE COSTING DALLAS COWBOYS GAMES - PuppyMonkeyGamer, YouTube
Finally, YouTube user PuppyMonkeyGamer went to the effort to review film from the last three games and capture every possible holding call that could have been made against Cowboys’ opponents. No ranting or conspiracy theories; just a rational look at what is bewildering many of us.

Please realize I understand that the Cowboys are losing, not just because of this, but also because their offense is just not showing up. The reason I made this video is because tons of people have been wondering where these penalties have been and I've found them.