Cowboys Must Bench Jake Ferguson; How's Jerry Jones Not See That?

There are a lot of fingers being pointed in many directions after the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, but Jake Ferguson is at the business end of many of those digits.

It was the tipped pass in Ferguson's direction from Dak Prescott that was the game-sealing interception on Thursday night as Dak hit No. 87 right in the hands, but it popped up, a Buccaneers defender snagged it, and it was game over.

That sort of thing has happened all too often.

As such, there have been calls to bench Ferguson, whose blocking and fumbling have been criticized by many.

We've made the point here that No. 2 tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford is deserving of the top job.

But head coach Brian Schottenheimer is still confident in Ferguson - or so he says.

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And now, owner Jerry Jones, who was on 105.3 The Fan, was asked if he's frustrated by what Ferguson is doing on the field.

"No, that's not typical of him to have those kinds of opportunities and not come up with it," Jerry said. "He's the opposite. He's got as good a heart and as good an inside as you could expect in a player. And so those were plays that aren't typical for him.”   

Alas, it is typical.             

Ferguson has eight fumbles in his career, making him a leading "butterfingers'' of his generation.

Which is the issue.

You have a tight end making good money, and isn't producing on the field (just 15 catches for 102 yards, 6.8 yards per reception) through five weeks.

"Well, if you say bad plays, which fumbles, balls off your hand, those are plays that we would categorize like that," Jerry said in response. "But if you look at a lot of what you see with Jake Ferguson, you don't see enough that you would not be happy to have Jake Ferguson out there.

"I'm satisfied that I like to see the ball going his way. I really do. And I can say that in the face of what we had [vs. Tampa Bay]."

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So, Jerry, despite what Ferguson is putting out there, the fumbles, the blocking, and the lack of production as a pass-catcher (going back to Week 15 of last season, he has had 20 or fewer yards in seven of his last nine games), is happy with his tight end?

Granted, we know Ferguson can find the end zone, as he has 11 TDs since the start of last season, but even that doesn't appear to enter the thinking of fans, because Ferguson has drop issues, the blocking isn't at the level many think it needs to be, and he's just not getting the burn as a pass catcher that you would want from your starting tight end.

And regarding getting open for those TDs: Wouldn't Spann-Ford be able to accomplish the same thing?

"Accountability'' is an over-used word, but it's also an under-used tool. The 2-3 Cowboys could use a wake-up call, and same-ol'/same-ol' ain't it.

How is it that both Schottenheimer and Jones fail to see that?