When you think of NFL team owners, Jerry Jones is usually the first to come to mind. He's outspoken week in and week out, no matter how his team is doing.
Right now, at 1-2, it's hard to tell which direction the Dallas Cowboys are going to take. They had a solid start in Week 1 against the Browns, got pummeled by the Saints in Week 2, and came alive late in Week 3 against the Ravens, but it was indeed too little, too late.
You'd think with Jones' history of pointing his finger at certain players and coaches when it comes to the Cowboys doldrums in such a public manner is what he would be doing right now. The truth is, he knows a lot of this is on him.
According to a poll posted by WFAA-TV in Dallas, many fans think it's the longtime owner and general manager's fault this time.
— WFAA (@wfaa) September 24, 2024BLAME GAME: Jerry Jones agrees with WFAA viewers. The Cowboys owner called fans blaming him "very fair."
"How could you think otherwise?" he told 105.3 The Fan this morning. pic.twitter.com/90sq0AE3xj
Jones's rebuttal to the poll was, "That's very fair." The Cowboys owner was a guest on the Shan and RJ show on 105.3 The Fan. He went on to say more about his responsibility to his team.
"It's well known that no decision is ultimately made here for what I either have acquiesced [to] or approved it. That's very fair. How could you think otherwise, whether it be who's out there coaching, whether it be who's out there playing, whether it be the stadium you're walking into? Whatever it is here, that's the way it is."
Jones seems to know it's on him. He goes on to mention that he knows the Cowboys have to emerge from the group of teams they're lumped in with currently to be able to compete for a Lombardi trophy.
Jerry Jones takes full responsibility for the Cowboys underwhelming start to the season. ? https://t.co/wJ9EGEhduf pic.twitter.com/9viHABOUdm
— theScore (@theScore) September 24, 2024
The Cowboys owner went on to mention, "I'm not trying to say this, but if you look at who's won the games over the last four or five years, Kansas City has of course, but we're not far right. We're right in that pack now. We're in a soft spot. We've got to get out of it."
It's a short week for the Cowboys. They have a quick turnaround after their loss Sunday night to the Ravens. They'll play on Thursday Night Football against the division rival New York Giants, a team that also has had their fair share of criticism over the past few weeks.
There's always drama in Dallas every year, it seems, either it be complex contract negotiations, coaches getting heated at reporters, or franchise quarterbacks with rebuttals to fans telling him he stinks.
Either way, one team in the NFC East will have to turn the corner on Thursday night, and the Cowboys can't afford not to.
This article originates on 247Sports.
Saquon Barkley on free agency: 'In reality, the Giants really never were actually in play'
The former Giants running back sets the record straight on his decision to leave New York.
Saquon Barkley leaving the New York Giants to head a few hours south to the Philadelphia Eagles is a storyline that has taken over the NFL since the deal went down this past offseason.
As the former Giants running back continues to look like he is in vintage form with the division rival Eagles, many have wanted to know his thoughts about the jump from one team to another in free agency and how all of it played out in front of cameras on HBO's Hard Knocks.
He let everyone who watched The Dan Patrick Show today know how he felt about it.
Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million dollar contract with the Eagles this past off-season. As many thought would happen, the sports media blew the story up, wondering what had happened behind the scenes during negotiations.
Were the Giants lowballing Barkley? Is there bitterness between the parties? It turns out not much of that is true.
Barkley cleared the air by stating that his name was mentioned way more than it should have been regarding the contract negotiations with the Giants front office this past offseason and the one before it.
As he states in the interview, the Giants had only contacted Barkley once, and that one time is in the scene you see on HBO's Hard Knocks when Giants general manager Joe Schoen contacts him on the phone.
.@Saquon Barkley discusses what bothered him about his contract negotiations with the #Giants and shares his reaction to seeing it play out on 'Hard Knocks'. pic.twitter.com/ZNid0ixtka
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) September 24, 2024
Schoen had allowed Barkley to test the waters of free agency and see what he gets in return.
Barkley's agent apparently also only talked to the Giants front office a few times, as he states in this interview on the Dan Patrick Show. "The Giants never really were actually in play," Barkley states.
The now Eagles running back also shared what it was like seeing that phone call go down on the show. "I wasn't really upset about it," Barkley said. "Honestly, I reached out to Joe (Schoen), and I was just like, I wish you would've told me; I would have put my acting voice on."
It's clear that Barkley's decision to leave the Meadowlands for 'The City of Brotherly Love' was a strictly business decision. At the end of the clip, he states that he holds no ill will against the Giants and their organization and shows that he still has love for them.
Barkley even reached out to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones when his name was dragged through the mud after a rough first couple of weeks of the 2024 season.
Does any of this positive reinforcement leave the door open for Barkley to return and finish his career at MetLife Stadium in a few years? Giants fans would like to hope so.
This article originates on 247Sports.
Stock Report for the Cleveland Browns Devastating Week 3 Loss to the Giants
The Cleveland Browns fell to 1-2 at the hands of the New York Giants. Before we can turn the page to the Las Vegas Raiders, let's examine which players' stock is on the rise, and who's took a dip in the week three loss.
The game could not have started better for the Cleveland Browns. From forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff to Deshaun Watson connecting with Amari Cooper for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, the NFL script writers nailed this open. However, what transpired over the next 59 minutes and 48 seconds of the game was anything but ideal for the Browns and their home fans.
The Browns fell to the New York Giants by the final score of 21-15. Sitting at 1-2, next Sunday cannot come soon enough for the Browns. But before we turn the page to the Las Vegas Raiders, we must examine the good, the bad, and the ugly from the week three loss. It is time for this week's stock report.
Stock Down: The Interior Offensive Line
The Browns' struggles at offensive tackle are well-documented. As subpar as the offensive tackle play has been, their struggles all stem from injury in one form or another. The interior offensive line was thought to be a point of strength and something that the Browns' offense could lean on until the tackle play improved.
Through the first three games of the season, the Browns' interior trio has not been anywhere close to a strength for the offense. Of the three, only Wyatt Teller has been adequate in pass protection. Between Ethan Pocic and Joel Bitonio, 25 pressures have been surrendered, while Teller has only given up six.
Their inability to handle simple line stunts and blitz packages is more than concerning. It is a copycat league, and when defensive coordinators see how inept the interior has been against stunts and blitzes, they will keep dialing them up.
Then when you factor in that Teller suffered a knee injury and is a candidate to land on the injured reserve list, this could be just the beginning of a rough stretch for the former focal point of the offensive line. Bitonio even finished the game against New York playing at left tackle, something he had not done since 2021. Could this be the beginning of the end for Cleveland's interior trio?
Stock Up: Amari Cooper
Water found its level this week. After getting off to the slowest start in his 10-year professional career, Amari Cooper proved he is still a top-tier NFL receiver. From the opening play from a scrimmage, Cooper made a high degree of difficulty catch with no room to spare in the endzone, bringing in a 24-yard touchdown from Watson.
The Browns offense went dormant for the next nine drives, producing six punts, a fumble, a missed field goal, and an end-of-the-half kneel-down. When the offense awoke from its slumber, it was Cooper hauling in another touchdown by masterfully selling himself as an aloof non-factor on a running play only to jab inside and snag a nicely thrown play-action slant by Watson. On the next drive, Watson took a honey-hole shot down the left sideline and Amari pulled in a vintage-Cooper reception, that will probably be the best catch anyone made in the NFL this past Sunday.
On the afternoon, Cooper was targeted 12 times and caught seven balls for 86 yards and two touchdowns. For a player who struggled out of the gate to start the season, it was encouraging to see Cooper step back into being the player he has been since arriving in Cleveland. If the Browns offense is going to realize its full potential, Cooper will have to play a massive role in raising the ceiling of the passing game.
Stock Down: Martin Emerson
While Martin Emerson's first two seasons as the Browns' other outside cornerback have been outstanding, the third-year cornerback has not been up to the standard he previously set. MJ's struggles continued on Sunday, as he was targeted five times giving up four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Most of the damage was done by rookie phenom Malik Nabers.
Coming into this season, quarterbacks had a 48.7 percent completion percentage when targeting Emerson. Through three games this season, Emerson's completion percentage when targeted is 64.7.
Emerson will get plenty of opportunities to show that this season's start is not indicative of who he is as a cornerback. Denzel Ward is playing lights out in coverage to start the year, so the ball will inevitably find its way to Emerson with regularity. It will be up to him to show opposing quarterbacks that there are no free lunches on Emerson Island.
Stock Up: Grant Delpit and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
The Browns' defensive line is the engine that drives the defense. Unfortunately, the defensive line has not been as disruptive to start this season, as they were in 2023. However, one thing the Browns' defense has been able to count on is the play of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Grant Delpit.
Their stellar play was on full display again in week three. JOK registered nine total tackles, four solo tackles, and a tackle for loss. Delpit racked up 10 total tackles, five solo tackles, and a tackle for loss. Through the first three games, JOK and Delpit have 45 total tackles and six tackles for loss between them.
The duo is easily the Browns' two most weaponizable players in the back end of the defense. With Myles Garrett battling through injury, Jim Schwartz needs JOK and Delpit to be true difference-makers to keep opposing offenses uneasy. If the first three games are any indication, both Owusu-Koramoah and Delpit are ready to take their respective games to the next level.
