Accountability is far away from The Star

I have to admit, I’ve been trying to write this post now for the last four days.

It’s hard to write anything when you keep biting your keyboard in half. It’s also somewhat expensive too.

The outrage over Sunday’s surrender to the beatable Green Bay Packers had barely begun to fade when the Dak Defenders arrived.

This entire week they’ve blamed Dak Prescott’s eight-year run of playoff failure on everything and everyone under the Sun.

With the exception of who the blame belongs to – Dakota Prescott and his 2-5 record.

The last two playoff games he’s played in have seen him throw two interceptions in the first half. They were converted into 20 total points for the opponents.

The 49ers got two field goals of their picks in the 2022 Divisional round loss.

The second interception came on a second and two from the 49ers 18. It turned a 6-6 tie – and a possible 9-6 or 13-6 lead – into a 9-6 halftime deficit.

A game, by the way, Dallas lost 19-12.

Last week, his first pick came with Dallas down 7-0. It was just three plays and 43 game seconds after the defense had gotten off the field with a Green Bay punt.

It also gave the Packers the ball at point-blank range at Dallas’ 19.

You can’t put your defense in that kind of a hole and expect them to bail you out every time.

His second pick was a 64-yard Pick Six that pretty much ended the game with 1:50 to go and Dallas down 27-7.

He threw for over 300 yards in the second half, yes. But who cares?

By the time he decided to throw to the guys in the white shirts it was already game over.

And here is where it gets frustrating.

“It Isn’t His Fault”

That’s all I’ve heard this week. Whenever you bring up Prescott’s record in the postseason.

“It’s not his fault!”

It’s always “the receivers didn’t run the right route. They didn’t try hard enough to catch the ball. The defense should go out and stop the other team from scoring.”

What? The defense is supposed to jump out on the field and make a tackle on a Pick Six?

Maybe the interceptions don’t happen if passes aren’t forced? If receivers aren’t stared down?

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 16: Samson Ebukam #56 and Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers sack Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Or maybe – like last year’s loss to the 49ers – lets throw the ball to the wide open receiver downfield instead?

When do we hold Prescott accountable for his poor decision making in the big games?

And there is the key word – and it applies to the whole organization and not just the quarterback: Accountability.

Where’s The Accountability?

When the Cowboys announced that Mike McCarthy was coming back to coach the team next year there was this little excerpt from Jerry Jones’ statement:

“There is accountability for our results. I am accountable for our results.”

Really? Since when, Jerry?

No one has been held accountable for nearly 30 years of futility anywhere in this organization.

Has one single coach been fired since Sunday?

No. Unless Dan Quinn takes a head coaching job elsewhere, the entire staff will be retained.

Why? How does anyone in the front office or the coaching staff get to be told they keep their job after Sunday?

The same goes for the players.

Your quarterback hasn’t gotten you past the Divisional round in eight years? Let’s make him the highest paid player in the NFL!

Yeah, that’s some accountability.

Everyone walking into the building on Monday should have been filled with dread that they would find a pink slip waiting for them on their desk/locker.

And no one was.

How is there any accountability in the building if heads aren’t rolling?

The Sunday Surrender should have led to a Monday Morning Massacre at The Star. It didn’t and that’s inexcusable.

When your 80-year-old former coach shows more fire and passion last Sunday than your entire organization did that’s shameful.

This Is The Way

In 1992, the Cowboys had wrapped up the division and the No. 2 seed and a bye. They played the Bears at home in the regular season finale.

Up 27-0 in the fourth quarter, running back Curvin Richards fumbled the ball away twice.

The next morning, Richards was on the unemployment line.

Message sent. Message received. Super Bowl won a few weeks later.

Accountability.

Here we are, 31 years later. The team is unprepared to play in a playoff game and gets smoked.

No coaches or front office personnel are fired.

No players have been cut.

Nothing but more empty promises of “we’ll do better next year.”

No accountability for one of the most disgusting displays of apathy ever seen on any football field in the history of the game.

Just like it has been in Dallas since Jerry fired the one man who demanded accountability – and actually delivered it – a long three decades ago.