Jerry Jones used a radio appearance Tuesday to defend a Dallas Cowboys defense that is allowing more than 26 points a game.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, the Cowboys owner and general manager described the unit as a rebuild still underway and said its swings come with that territory. "What you pay the price on, the experience has been, is when you are improving, you can be inconsistent," Jones said, according to DallasCowboys.com.
He later said the situation "does not call for very succinct, important changes because I like the way we're trending."
The remarks followed Sunday's 33-30 overtime loss to Arizona, which dropped Dallas to 3-5. The Cowboys held the Cardinals to three points in the first half and led 17-3, then allowed four consecutive touchdown drives as Arizona rallied, the team's website reported.
Eight games of evidence
Christian Parker is the Cowboys' fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons. Through eight games, his defense has given up 213 points, an average of 26.6 per game, based on the team's results. Four opponents have reached at least 28: the New York Giants in the opener, Baltimore with 34, Houston with 30 and Arizona with 33.
The offense has covered much of that. Dallas has scored 219 points, six more than it has allowed, and needed 34 to win at Houston on Oct. 4.
The up-and-down pattern Jones described has shown up from one week to the next. The defense played well after halftime in the 38-21 win at Philadelphia, then reversed course against Arizona. "We were up 17-3, and you gotta hone in at that point," linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said after Sunday's loss, per DallasCowboys.com. He pointed to poor tackling and too many explosive plays allowed.
Jones said the defensive overhaul has been sweeping, from the coaching staff to most of the players, and that young draft picks typically need time.
Who is available in Indianapolis
The group Parker takes to Lucas Oil Stadium may be thinner. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said rookie outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence could miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury, The Dallas Morning News reported. Rookie defensive back Caleb Downs and safety P.J.
Locke are in the concussion protocol, according to DallasCowboys.com; Locke had just returned from injured reserve after a foot injury. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr., acquired from Pittsburgh on Oct. 1, is managing an ankle injury, USA Today's Cowboys Wire reported.
Downs made one of the defense's biggest plays Sunday, stopping Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love at the goal line on a fourth down, the team noted.
