Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware calls out Cowboys leaders for lack of preparation

Another Dallas Cowboys legend had some harsh words for the team's leadership this season.

Nov. 27, 2008; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker (94) DeMarcus Ware celebrates after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (not pictured) in the third quarter at Texas Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2024 season is far from over, but the Dallas Cowboys have an ominous feel about them. They're currently 3-3 and have a bye in Week 7 but the concerns are mounting following a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. Questions surrounding the roster and head coach Mike McCarthy's future have been circulating, causing plenty of distractions for the franchise.

Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware knows how that can affect a team having lived through a 1-7 start in 2010. That was also the only year Jerry Jones fired a coach in-season, replacing Wade Phillips with Jason Garrett. Dallas finished with a 5-3 record in the second half of the season, but it doesn't sound as if Ware sees a similar finish for this bunch.

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In a conversation with Todd Brock of Cowboys Wire, Ware called out the team's leaders for not "pouring into" the players behind them. He said injuries are a part of the game and that preparing to overcome them starts in the offseason. From his perspective, that hasn't taken place in Dallas.

“It’s hard to go through a stretch like that, but that’s when you start to see true leadership. When you have guys out, are you actually pouring into the guys that are second and third-stringers? And that starts in the offseason,” he explained via Brock of Cowboys Wire. “When you pour into the guys in the offseason- from minicamp to training camp all the way to the season- the starters aren’t always going to be out there, but their aura, their feel, their spirit, is going to be out there in those players, and they actually play to a higher level, and that’s what I’m not seeing.”

Jan 31, 1993; Pasadena, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys Quarterback #8 TROY AIKMAN in action during Super Bowl XXVII against the Buffalo Bills at the Rose Bowl as the Cowboys defeated the Bills 52-17. / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

This isn't the first time a leader of the team has been called out. Three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Troy Aikman also unloaded on the team, saying the wide receivers were "lazy" coming off the line of scrimmage and ran terrible routes.

Unfortunately, it isn't too surprising to see an undisciplined team struggling with fundamentals. There was no shortage of league analysts who claimed this would be the case when Jerry Jones turned Mike McCarthy into a lame-duck coach this season. McCarthy doesn't have the trust of the man who pays the bills, so it's hard for him to have the trust of the players. Perhaps that's why things are deteriorating as quickly as they are in 2024.

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