It has been almost two weeks since the Dallas Cowboys’ season ended with a shocking loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, and fans are still fuming.
Some have even taken it upon themselves to make demands through petitions on Change.org, primarily calling for changes to the role of owner Jerry Jones, the firing of head coach Mike McCarthy, and the end of the Dak Prescott era.
“Despite being named ‘the most valuable franchise’ in NFL by Forbes in 2020, our team struggles to win playoff games — an unfortunate reality that feels like losing against a cardboard box,” reads a petition calling for Jones to relinquish personnel decisions. “The time for change is now.”
Fans blame Jones for the team’s lack of success in the playoffs since 1996, as the Cowboys have yet to return to the Super Bowl in their last 13 postseason appearances.
“Jerry Jones must step down from his position as GM and allow competent professionals to lead,” the petition adds. “We deserve better than years of fandom abuse; we deserve a team that matches its value with performance on the field.”
Others are calling for the end of the McCarthy era, citing a lack of success in the playoffs and concerns over his sense of urgency, sideline demeanor, and staffing decisions.
“He just sits on the sidelines, and it’s just like he’s just going along with the flow, and I honestly think getting rid of Kellen Moore for the offense was not a wise call, ” Clay Thomas, one of the Cowboys fans calling for McCarthy’s dismissal, told The Dallas Express.
McCarthy took over play-calling duties from Moore this season, and Dallas had great production that resulted in two AP Offensive Player of the Year candidates. However, this did not lead to further success in the postseason, which caused rumors about his job security to escalate.
Jones met with McCarthy last week and decided to keep him for the final year of his contract, which, while disappointing to fans, was not surprising.
“[I was] not shocked,” Thomas admitted. “I feel like Jerry Jones is more concerned. He’s probably the greatest marketer of all time. He’s sold us on this lie for how many years now? I was expecting this, unfortunately. With all the great head coaches that are free agents this offseason, [it’s] even more disappointing. That’s definitely something I’d rather them go after.”
By a similar token, the lack of recent playoff success has some Cowboys fans unhappy with quarterback Dak Prescott despite his putting up an MVP-caliber season. The fanbase has not completely turned on the 30-year-old signal-caller but is not entirely sold on his ability to take the team where it wants to go.
“The time has come for Jerry Jones to hold off on extending Dak Prescott’s contract until he proves his worth by leading us to at least an NFC championship,” one petition reads. “… It is crucial for our team’s future success that players are held accountable for their performance on the field. We believe in Dak’s potential, but we also need him to step up when it matters most — during playoff games.”
Regardless of who is to blame, Cowboys fans are fed up with the organization, especially with the recent success of other teams across the metroplex.
“It’s pretty sad because all the other organizations in Dallas seem to have gotten their s**t together,” Thomas explained. “They’ve made the appropriate changes. Look at the Rangers. I’ll definitely be going to more Arlington Renegades games than Cowboys games.”
Still, it is worth noting that the petitions have little traction at this point.
