It was one of the worst defeats in Dallas Cowboys franchise history - a 45-7 Sunday night loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in which the score didn't really indicate how lopsided the game was. The Pack outgained the ‘Boys by more than a 2-1 ratio (415 to 205 net yards), had 71 offensive plays to Dallas' 48, and converted 67 percent of their third downs to 40 percent for Dallas.

The difference in rushing yards was the real embarrassment - once again, Dallas' prized backfield was an afterthought, as the Cowboys gained just 39 yards on the ground. That was in part a result of how far ahead the Packers were early, but it's been a problem all season. More and more, people are looking at offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the alleged future star and next Dallas head coach, and wondering why he can't get a consistent running game going with Marion Barber(notes), Felix Jones(notes), and Tashard Choice(notes) in his backfield.

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Among those wondering what has gone wrong on a 1-7 team with so many positive preseason projections, count owner Jerry Jones right at the top of the list. After the Packers embarrassment, Jones was as vocal as he's been about a situation that has steadily declined since Week 1.

There are a lot of people here who are certainly going to suffer and suffer consequences. I'm talking about within the team -- players, coaches who have got careers. This is certainly a setback. I know firsthand what it is to have high expectations. I think unquestionably that our expectations were thinking we're something we were not, possibly looking at what might be relative to a Super Bowl. All of those things have certainly contributed early.

But we have so many things that we need to correct and address, as this game so vividly exposed and previous games have. I've got a lot of work to do, got a lot of decisions to make. And it's not just one, two, three or four. There are several decisions. I think everybody in this country would agree that there's a lot wrong with this team that we've got to address, and I'm certainly the one to address it.

Yeah, well - that's the primary problem. The fact that Jones is doing the work is the common denominator to every part of his ownership in which his team has suffered disappointments. When he steps aside, keeps his considerable ego in check and lets people like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells build his teams, things tend to go very well. But as it is with his inner Steinbrenner, Jones can't help but tinker with, and take credit for, the work of others. Yes-men like ex-head coach Dave Campo and current (for now) head coach Wade Phillips are little more than doorstops.

"I can't put my finger on it because I don't have enough fingers," Jones concluded. The quote was an attempt at humor, but there's some hidden insight there as well. Jones and his son Stephen are not currently capable of assembling an NFL team. Their last two drafts have been horrible, the Roy Williams trade is still hurting the team, and the current administration sends too much time and money on flash positions. This is a team with $30 million in guaranteed money for 2010 invested in its top three receivers, but little semblance of an offensive line. Inside linebackers Keith Brooking(notes) and Bradie James(notes) are getting abused in coverage, but second-round pick Sean Lee(notes), who excelled in coverage at Penn State, can't seem to see the field even after he has recovered from early injuries.

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The Cowboys face the New York Giants next Sunday at the new Meadowlands. Phillips' only quote about the upcoming possible disaster to a team that beat the Seattle Seahawks, 41-7 on Sunday, was that he wasn't aware of who the team was playing next - he was focused on the current game. Phillips is a fine defensive coordinator who is completely and totally out of his element as a head coach. It's been proven before, and it's the case now.

[Rewind: Tough injury for Tony Romo]

The equation is simple, but Jones has to want to see it. Phillips may not survive the week (or the day), and Garrett's prospects have dimmed severely in the last two seasons. These guys are incidental, and the next guys Jones hires under the current structure will be equally incidental. Until Jerry Jones allows someone with a more qualified hand to take control of his team, he can hire and fire 100 different coaches, and it won't mean a single thing.

Mike Krzyzewski has a commitment from another top recruit: Kobe Bryant.

Bryant told the U.S. basketball coach he will play in the London Olympics in 2012 if the Americans want him there.

The 32-year-old Lakers guard was a guest on Krzyzewski's SIRIUS XM radio show Tuesday when the Duke coach asked Bryant about London.

"You guys want me there, I am there and I'm ready to defend," Bryant said. "And then when you guys need me to put some points on the board, I'll do that, too."

Bryant confirmed his interest in wearing the red-white-and-blue again Tuesday night after scoring 23 points in Los Angeles' 124-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Bryant said it's a huge honor to be part of the Olympics.

"You get a chance to see and meet the greatest athletes in the world," he said. "Aside from just the basketball part of it and being with a great group of guys, it's an opportunity to meet some of the best at what they do. It's great for me, I get a chance to talk to them and meet them and go to their events and watch new sports. It's just a blast."

Bryant was a starter on the U.S. squad that won gold medals in 2008 in Beijing but hasn't played for the American team since then. He sat out the world championships this summer, recovering from right knee surgery following the Lakers' taxing championship run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Bryant will turn 34 in August 2012, and his two-time defending champion Lakers appear to be loaded for two more long playoff runs after making the past three NBA Finals. Yet Bryant scoffs at worries about the wear and tear on his body in the early weeks of his 15th season with the Lakers.

"If anything, I'll just be Mariano Rivera -- come in in the last two minutes," Bryant said, referring to the New York Yankees closer.

Beijing stalwarts LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul also skipped the Istanbul tournament, while Kevin Durant led the remainder of the U.S. team to its first world championship in 16 years.

Anthony and Paul already have said they would love to return for another Olympic run. The Americans will have next summer off, having already qualified for the Olympics with the world title won by Durant and a supporting cast including Lamar Odom, who's off to an outstanding start with the Lakers despite his extra summer work.