Tension might be approaching a tipping point in Dallas.
Amid a string of lost games and quarterbacks, and reports of discord between players and coaches, Jerry Jones bristled Tuesday when asked if his team lacks leadership.
"Just shut up and let me answer it. No," the Cowboys owner said during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan. "I gave you the answer. When I go into the locker room, there’s no leadership void in my eyes. Now that’s your answer. Move on."
Jones, who later apologized for the curt response, likely finds fault in the premise because it wasn't even 10 months ago that he hired Mike McCarthy, the Super Bowl champion brought in to take Dallas to such heights. Less than a half-season into a lucrative five-year pact, Jones is contending McCarthy was specifically chosen "in case you-know-what hit the fan."
The 2-5 Cowboys have more to clean up than anyone would have imagined two months ago. It's so messy that Jones, like his son the day prior, is already feeling the need to defend McCarthy's job security.
"I got my man," Jones asserted.
That stance doesn't apply to everyone on America's Team. Jones made frequent mention of the Cowboys' porous run defense during his radio hit, going so far as to say they will "change some personnel." He was presumably pointing to the roster, though speculation about defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has been rampant for weeks.
If the Cowboys don't win the comically bad NFC East, the first division in NFL history to not have a three-win team through seven weeks, Jones could be pressed to find a new leader.