The Cowboys had a chance late against the Broncos on Sunday, then Tony Romo happened.
But somehow, even after Sunday’s gut-wrenching loss, Jerry Jones is staying focused on the positives.
“I know what’s going to happen to me when I say this, but that’s a good term,” Jones said, via NFL.com. “This is a moral victory. It’s not a loser talking here. We can build off this. I feel as good as you could possible feel at 2-3. We are going to win enough games to get where we want to be. And get knocking on the door to where we want to be. This was a moral victory today for us. … Yes.”
After a back-and-forth shootout between Romo and Peyton Manning throughout the afternoon, Romo got the ball back one more time in a tie game late in the fourth quarter. As has become something of tradition with him, though, Romo threw an ill-advised pass that turned into the game-clinching interception. Now, instead of sitting alone atop the NFC East at 3-2 with a major win on their resume, the Cowboys are under .500 and seemingly underachieving yet again. Jones doesn’t see it that way, though, even defending his quarterback.
“I’m so proud of our team, I’m so proud of Romo,” Jones said. “Romo basically substantiated any and everything on my personal chart that I’ve ever thought about today. And that’s amazing since he wasn’t the winning quarterback.
“If he plays like that, we are going to have a heck of year and will be knocking on the door,” Jones added. “We will beat most teams if we play like that.”
Romo deserves praise for his performance on Sunday, throwing for a Cowboys record 506 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys wouldn’t have even been in a position to win if not for his herculean effort, but that doesn’t absolve him from blame for such an inexcusable error.
Jones should stand behind his quarterback, especially after forking over $55 million in guarantees this offseason, but he also has to be realistic about it. Moral victories are nice for teams, but only if they can learn from and build on them. The Cowboys haven’t show any indication of that through five weeks.
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