'Surreal!' Says Jerry Jones; Did Dallas Cowboys Just Get Bill Belichick Fired?

'Surreal!' Says Jerry Jones; Did Dallas Cowboys Just Get New England's Legendary Coach Bill Belichick Fired?

ARLINGTON - Did the Dallas Cowboys just get Bill Belichick fired?

To the supporters of the legendary New England Patriots coach, it is an absurd concept. They argue that he deserves more respect than that, and the arguments are sound.

But "they'' don't get to decide. Patriots owner Robert Kraft does. And given the fact that he entered this season with "playoff expectations''? It is not difficult to envision the owner seeing this game as a fulcrum point for at least eventual change in New England.

The fact that the Pats find themselves at 1-3, with questions surrounding the franchise’s future at the quarterback position? Yes, the Pats having suffered a demoralizing 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys here at AT&T Stadium in Week 4 - the 35-point differential being the largest margin of deficit experienced by Belichick as a head coach in the NFL - New England will be encouraged by some to at least consider all options.

Bill Belichick and Jerry Jones

To Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, beating Belichick marks an accomplishment for 3-1 Dallas.

“'Surreal' is what it is when you look at how well they have competed all these years ... you have all the respect in the world for them,” Jones said. “Couldn't have pictured being able to have the score like this, but ... it's kind of inspiring because again knowing what a great coach, what a great organization they've got. We'll build on that.''

And the Patriots may have to "rebuild'' on it.

Many Pats fans will be content to lay the entirety of the blame at the doorstep of quarterback Mac Jones, who mustered only 12 completions for 150 yards with two costly interceptions and one equally expensive fumble. He got benched. And why?

There was “no point in leaving him in the game,” Belichick said of his first-round QB, who two years ago made the Pro Bowl.

But this wasn't all the fault of the QB. New England appeared unprepared and overmatched in all three of the game’s phases. ... and that is on the coach, right?

Over the course of three years and change, he's now 26-29. Assuming this year's Pats fall short of the playoffs, he will have recorded one postseason appearance in four years.

At 71, Belichick is behind only Seattle’s Pete Carroll (72) as the oldest head coach in the NFL. He's the longest-tenured coach with the same team. Belichick’s resume is incredible, as he has six Super Bowl wins as a head coach, as well as a pair of titles with the Giants as a defensive coordinator. He’s second on the NFL’s all-time wins list among head coaches and there is an easy argument to be made that he's the best NFL coach of all time.

One doesn't have to be a Bill Belichick fan to recognize that his 24-year history commands respect. But one doesn't have to be a "Fire Bill!'' guy to concede that his more recent history deserves scrutiny.