Jerry Jones denies talk of demoting Scott Linehan, but that's what he's supposed to do
The Dallas Cowboys offense has been mostly impotent this season.
It caught a spark behind a huge game from running back Ezekiel Elliot in a 27-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. But the Cowboys remain near the bottom of the league’s offensive categories, ranking 27th in yards per game.
Cowboys reportedly talked demoting Scott Linehan
The topic has been a source of much ire in Dallas during a disappointing 4-5 start, with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan receiving much of the blame and being the source of an NFL Network report that the Cowboys considered stripping him of play-calling duties.
The team reportedly considering assigning those duties to head coach Jason Garrett during the team’s bye week ahead of the Eagles game.
Jerry Jones firmly denies report
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones vehemently denied those reports on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.
“Completely false,” Jones said. “Totally false. That was never a discussion. Never a thought, on my part. … That did not happen.”
Jones’ denial echoed remarks of his son and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, who issued a refute of his own to 105.3 on Monday.
“I don’t know where that came from,” Jones said Monday. “Absolutely not. We didn’t consider that at all.
“It’s interesting to see where these rumors pick up. I can tell you the only people that would have discussed that would have been Jason, Jerry and myself, and that was never discussed.”
Job security a popular topic for Jones
Of course anything Jerry Jones says must be taken with a grain of salt. This is the same man who said in 2010 that head coach Wade Phillips’ job was safe three days before replacing him with Garrett midseason.
Just two weeks ago, Jones found himself defending Garrett and Linehan, guaranteeing their job safety heading into the team’s bye week.
He didn’t pledge that Linehan’s duties as a play-caller were safe, and it’s reasonable to believe the NFL Network report was accurate as the team sought answers to a then 3-5 start with a stagnant offense.
What’s Jones supposed to say?
Of course, for Jones to acknowledge the report as true after a win in which Linehan was still calling plays would serve no greater purpose for the Cowboys. So deny, deny, deny is the strategy du jour.
The fact that both Jerry and Stephen Jones came out swinging on the issue on consecutive days implies a united strategy to dismiss the story.
It’s all just another day for the Cowboys, who consistently provide more drama off the the field than on it.
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