Exec VP: Cowboys Can't Afford to go ‘Oh-Fer' in Romo's Absence

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones declared this week that the team is trying to win games, and not merely “hold on” in the absence of franchise quarterback Tony Romo, before adding that the team can’t afford to go winless in this stretch.

"We have to go play our ass off. We can't hold on to anything,” Jones said, per Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN Dallas. “We'll play with what we have and play as hard as we can play.

"If we go oh-fer while Tony is out we're probably out of it, but we don't feel like that's going to happen. I think we're going to win football games with the team we have, and we're going to get better.”

The good news is some help is coming. Starting left guard Ronald Leary and defensive end Jeremy Mincey will be back this week after sitting out the Falcons game with a groin injury and a concussion, respectively. Next week, Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain are eligible to return from suspension.

"There are a lot of guys that don't have franchise quarterbacks out there but win games,” Jones said. "There are different ways to win a game. Last week was tough but no excuses. Everybody has issues. We're not the only team in the league that has issues. No one feels sorry for us."