FRISCO, Texas – Following the Cowboys' season opening 24-20 loss to the Eagles last Thursday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer made it clear that he isn't a believer in moral victories.
On Monday, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones echoed the same sentiment.
"I don't ever like moral victories," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "I thought we gave ourselves opportunities to win the game, but when we had an opportunity to get it done there in the fourth quarter, we didn't make it happen. We've got to be better than that. I know Schotty feels that way, I know Dak feels that way, I know our whole team and staff feel that way."
From the beginning, the game was a weird one. Before the first offensive snap, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Jones, who is part of the NFL's competition committee that oversees modifications and adoption of new rules across the league, did not comment on whether or not he believed Carter deserved a suspension.
He did however make it clear that those kinds of acts aren't welcome in the NFL.
"I don't think anybody would defend that. I don't think [Carter] did either," Jones said. "It's an emotional game, and sometimes you do things that you'd like to have back. I'm sure he'd like to have that back. That's just not something we want in our game."
Maybe the odder aspect of Thursday's game was CeeDee Lamb dropping three crucial passes, with a couple coming late down the stretch when the Cowboys were trying to march down the field and take the lead.
In the immediate moments following the game, Lamb took accountability for his shortcomings and made a trip to the Star in Frisco the day afterwards on a players day off to get some work on the jugs machine. That kind of accountability is exactly what Jones and the team are looking for from their star players, who he has the utmost belief in.
"I expect nothing less from CeeDee…" Jones said. "I know one thing. He's going to make a whole lot more plays to win us games than he doesn't. I have 100% confidence in what he stands for, doesn't surprise me a bit that he was back on his day off on a jugs machine. He's driven to be great, and that's why we love to have CeeDee on our football team."
Trevon Diggs and Tyler Guyton were two guys that Dallas was thrilled to have on the field last Thursday, especially considering how quickly they were able to go through the recovery process.
Guyton played all 56 snaps at left tackle, while Diggs was on the field for 26 of the defense's 62 snaps. The ramp up process is one that takes time, but both appear to have come out of the game well. Additionally, Jones added that the Cowboys as a team didn't leave Philadelphia with any injuries outside of normal wear and tear.
"We've got a few guys that, when you play a physical game like our players play, it's a physical game and you're going to have some bumps and bruises," Jones said. "For the most part, I think we came through the game to where everybody is gonna be expected to play in the next game, and that's always a plus."
That is music to Brian Schottenheimer's ears, as he prepares to lead the Cowboys onto the field for the first time on Sunday against his former quarterback Russell Wilson and the New York Giants.
