The Cowboys' newest eye-catcher has owners thinking and searching for answers

ARLINGTON – Jerry Jones likes to say that at his age, he doesn't have time to have a bad time.

Good line. But that was before Detroit 47-9.

The worst home loss in his long tenure as Cowboys owner came Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium. That's not all. Jones had to endure this debacle on his 82nd birthday.

If that doesn't result in wastewater getting all over your carrot cake – his favorite birthday dessert – what will?

The magnitude of the loss would shock any reasonable person about what they thought this team was and what it could become. Jones fell short of that assessment. It doesn't fit with his approach to life, where the glass is almost always full.

But he was left searching for answers as the Cowboys head into a bye with a record of 3-3.

“I think every time you get beat, there are question marks,” Jones said. “When you get beaten like that, it creates even more question marks.

“There are certainly a lot of question marks. We have a lot of them right now, much more than I hoped or thought.

“It was crazy, but also a disappointment.”

Jones knew the defense's injuries would impact that side of the ball, but felt the offense would be competitive against Detroit. That wasn't it. He was impressed by how much physical exertion and how much fun the Lions had at his team's expense.

Changes in the future? Jones said the Cowboys needed a different demeanor and better execution. He suggested a different approach, but then emphasized that he was not ready to discuss specific changes.

“You don’t see someone packing their bags outside and leaving,” Jones said. “The approach here comes from within, among each other. We support each other.

“We are very aware of the current climate out here as it relates to our team. “We have to get through this.”

Jones was asked if he would consider a head coaching change under Mike McCarthy, a question that was doused in kerosene when he decided to enter this season with his coaching staff, all in the final year of their contracts.

“No,” Jones said.

What would have to happen for him to evaluate a change as head coach?

“I didn’t even consider that,” Jones said. “I don't think about it, so that's clear.

“I don’t think so.”

Jones became irritated when it was pointed out that he had already fired a coach last season – Wade Phillips – and it was reasonable to ask again. He said he wouldn't concern himself with hypotheticals and asked, “Do you think I'm an idiot?” before reiterating that he wasn't focused on assessing McCarthy at the time.

Entering this season, Dallas had posted a 12-5 record in three straight seasons under McCarthy. What does he think of the work McCarthy has done in his fifth season with the franchise?

“Well, we’re disappointed that we’re all 3-3,” Jones said. “As far as the three defeats go, I don’t necessarily blame McCarthy entirely.

“The players will tell you they had something to do with it too. The other part of the staff will tell you and the owner will surely tell you that he has something to do with it.

“It’s not all up to him.”

Jones must take the blame for his approach to the offseason, which saw the team lose veteran depth in free agency and do little to offset those losses other than adding more depth to the draft. Still, he insisted that the Cowboys had the talent to compete with the NFL's best, even if the way the team lost to Baltimore and Detroit suggested otherwise.

Why does he believe that?

“Because I do,” Jones replied, before adding that he understands the Cowboys are “literally in shit right now.”

Birthdays are a time for reflection.

Jones was 53 years old the last time the Cowboys won a Super Bowl. Back then, Bill Clinton was in the White House, George W. Bush was governor of Texas, and a young golfer named Tiger Woods was making his PGA Tour debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open.

That was the year Fox News Channel launched, the Big 12 played its first game and Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey were born.

In other words, it's been a minute.

“If you can't stand the heat and the bad, you're in the wrong business,” Jones said. “Some of the best things I do is when I’m on my butt.”

Happy Birthday.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding every Wednesday during the Super Bowl from 7 to 8 p.m. on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM).

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