Stephen Jones: I said the only thing that’s happened to our running game is we don’t stick with it

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Stephen Jones wants the Cowboys to run the ball.

You have to run the ball. This is a command that no football team can ever disobey. We all know that. Run it. Establish it. Whatever other cliché. Running the ball is this non-negotiable idea in many minds and that leads to a lot of fun debates in the football community given how pass-happy the current NFL is.

There have been many people that have suggested that the Dallas Cowboys need to run the ball more, especially during the team’s losing streak. “You have to get Zeke going”, “the run sets up play-action”, and “the Cowboys need to get back to what they’ve always done best” are the usual comments from this camp.

You can count Stephen Jones as a card-carrying member of this club. Speaking with The MMQB’s Albert Breer this week he endorsed the idea of running the ball... heavily.

To that end, Jones said, “We believe this roster, because of the depth, is right there with the ’90s roster.” And when I gave him the opportunity to walk that back even a little four days before the Week 16 game in Philly, he wouldn’t consider it.

“I’ve never wavered on our roster,” Jones said this week. “It’s obviously been a huge disappointment in terms of where are record has been. The great news is we can still right the ship. I’ve got all the confidence in the world that we can. Someone asked me last week before played the Rams, ‘What do you think’s happened to your running game?’ I said the only thing that’s happened to our running game is we don’t stick with it. That says a little bit about our team.

Ezekiel Elliott Elliott had 24 carries against the Los Angeles Rams which is the second-most that he’s had at any point throughout the 2019 season (he had 28 in the loss against the New York Jets). Zeke said in the locker room after the game that he knew he was going to get a solid day’s work, it seems obvious that the game plan was to get him going.

Running the ball well is hardly a bad thing, as long as the Cowboys aren’t compromising their abilities overall because they’re insisting on running (hello end of the Vikings game). With Dak Prescott ailing these days they’re likely going to have to run the ball to a great degree on Sunday in Philadelphia. Hopefully they’re up for the challenge.

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