Cowboys' Jerry Jones explains why QB, head coach overhaul would be 'ridiculous'

Jerry Jones knew something needed to change.

“One of the first things I ask myself in any situation,” the Dallas Cowboys team owner and general said Tuesday morning on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, is “can we do some things different than we did against the 49ers?

“The answer is yes we can. We certainly can make adjustments and will make those adjustments.”

Strategies, route running, deep balls, inside zone runs and defending the quick game dot Jones’ list of improvement areas after his team fell 42-10 to the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football.”

Changes at quarterback, head coach or play-caller? Jones sharply denounced those options.

“We should recognize that we had a very bad outing and that San Francisco had a very good outing,” he said. “We should recognize that and call it what it is and not mislead ourselves.

“But as far as sitting here saying we should completely change the towels here, that’s not even in the cards. And it’s really ridiculous.”

Ridiculous, Jones believes, to suggest that the West Coast-inspired offense head coach Mike McCarthy has implemented isn’t working for the Cowboys after a game in which they had eight first downs compared to the 49ers’ 25. Dallas turned the ball over four times via three Dak Prescott interceptions and one fumble by running back Tony Pollard. The team averaged just 3 yards per carry, while no pass-catcher hit 50 yards.

But Jones pointed to the 49ers’ effectiveness in the quick game as a reminder that the scheme can, in fact, work when executed well. He was defensive about his play-caller, citing predecessor Kellen Moore when he was not asked about Moore.

“Have we gotten this team, since Kellen Moore left, in a place that can do better than what we did against the 49ers? You bet we did,” Jones said. “Should we change, at this juncture, back to where we were at this time last year? No, we should not.

“You couldn’t do it if you wanted to — reinvent your offense at this time.”

In 3-2 start, has Cowboys offense showed what it needs to?

The Cowboys have compiled three blowout wins alongside losses to the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Their 26.8 points per game ranks eighth in the league through five weeks. But there’s a reason those numbers diverge from the Cowboys’ 17th-ranked total yardage per game, Dallas’ 4.95 yards per play still lower at 21st. Only four teams have fared worse in the red zone than the Cowboys — and that’s when they get there, which against the 49ers they did not.

Dallas’ defense has scored three touchdowns and special teams a fourth. The Cowboys have also generated 11 takeaways (second-most in league), which have helped set up kicker Brandon Aubrey’s 10.4 points per game.

In short: The Cowboys have produced, but their offense has faltered in important scoring situations. And with record-setting viewership tuned into their Northern California trip, that was blatant.

Jones described the outing as “very disappointing” and “a stunner” but stopped short of suggesting deeper issues would spiral from the loss. He believes his team has sufficient personnel, coaching and scheme to go the distance.

“Dak Prescott is a quarterback who can get us to the Super Bowl,” he said. “That’s the way that’s going to be. We have other quarterbacks on the roster and players certainly if something should happen to Dak.

“But I want to be real clear: Dak’s very capable of making this team be where we want it to go.”

When asked if McCarthy would consider ceding play-calling to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Jones gave his shortest answer of a 20-plus minute interview: “No. In any way, no.”

The question will only simmer as the Cowboys prepare for a Monday night visit to the Los Angeles Chargers, where Moore now coordinates a Justin Herbert-led attack that ranks seventh in scoring, fifth in overall offense and sixth in passing. Questions about the highest-profile positions in football — head coach and quarterback — will continue even if the Cowboys make it to the playoffs, should they not advance to at least the NFC championship. San Francisco has squashed that goal each of the past two postseasons.

Sunday night, the Niners looked ready to eliminate the Cowboys again.

“The results are very obvious: We haven't won a Super Bowl,” Jones said. “We’ve had good games over the years. And we’ve had some bad games. Do you know any team that hasn’t had that happen to them?”

“Let me be very firm: I completely believe we have the quarterback that can take us where we want to go. Do we have the coaching staff on both sides of the ball? We certainly do. Did Sunday reflect that? No.

“We did view this game as a game that would tell us where we are. And nobody likes where we are. [But] what I’m asking our mirrors and asking ourselves is: Can we be different, can we play different, can we play potentially different against a team the caliber of San Francisco?

“I feel strongly the answer is yes on all fronts.”