ARLINGTON, Texas -- Former Dallas Cowboys star Tony Dorsett is losing patience with quarterback Tony Romo and this year's team.
After the Hall of Fame running back prefaced his remarks Monday afternoon by saying "it's hard to say what I really want to say," Dorsett still unleashed some strong accusations.
"They are a bunch of underachievers," he said. "On paper, they are one of the best teams in the league. But they are not getting it together and playing as a team. When it's crunch time and time to start earning their money, that's when they start falling apart with penalties, turnovers and mistakes."
Dorsett spoke at a luncheon before Monday night's game between the Cowboys (1-4) and New York Giants.
Dorsett pointed toward a lack of leadership, questioning whether or not Romo "wants to accept that role." If Romo doesn't, Dorsett said, "Someone needs to step up and hold somebody accountable."
Charles Haley -- who won three of his five Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys -- also is upset with what he has seen in Dallas. He said the problem was having too many stars on the team.
"They think they were born stars," Haley said. "They think someone else is supposed to do the dirty work. Look at this team's roster. You can see the payroll of this team, and it's unbelievable."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press