IRVING, Texas – Owner Jerry Jones rooted for the Redskins on Monday night against the Giants, who began last week two games ahead of the rest of the NFC East.
Jones went on his weekly radio show Tuesday on 105.3 FM "The Fan" and admitted he was cheering on quarterback Robert Griffin III and the Redskins, who put the Cowboys within a game of the Giants for the division lead.
"We all couldn't believe the Redskins were coming out of our mouths, but we were hoping they'd get the job done," Jones said. "To their credit, that RGIII is again a major factor in what's happening, period. He did a great job. That was a big win for them, of course, and for us."
The Cowboys sat at 5-6 last week with the Giants at 7-4. A win against the Eagles and a Redskins victory put the Cowboys in better position for a playoff push. Jones said the Cowboys must put their focus now on the Bengals, and if they can win in Cincinnati and run the table, they should have a legitimate shot at the postseason.
While head coach Jason Garrett would say he's more interested in what his team is doing than the rest of the division, Jones hinted that the coaches might be stretching the truth if they say they don't focus on scores and standings this late in the year.
"I don't know if they say they don't watch it during the week," Jones said. "If they do, I'll smile at that. It's very important to us. At the end of the day, where our goals are structured, it's very important to know what our chances are, where we are."
When Garrett is asked questions during weekly interviews about the future of the season, he'll usually respond with the same comment about focusing on the upcoming week's opponent. When he's asked how someone performs in a specific game, he'll usually say that player did some things well and other things not so well.
Jones said his players don't see the same robotic side of Garrett that he tends to display in press conferences. They see more of the sincere side the head coach tends to exhibit on his walk-off after speaking at the podium.
"With someone as under the spotlight as Jason Garrett, his demeanor, his personality is really analyzed," Jones said. "I've seen demeanors of every shape and form manifest itself in success, coaching business, entertainment. I've known people on the stage as entertainers be introverts off the stage. Candidly, I don't put a lot of stock in that.
"You've got a situation a lot of times in front of the media, which is the best way for our fans to see Jason, I think just the nature of what he's dealing with there makes him more guarded. He's not guarded in any way when I'm having conversations with him. He's very thorough. He's very articulate. I just don't see that. I just don't sense that. I don't think our team senses a robotic Jason Garrett."
