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By Calvin Watkins 6h ago 2
The NFL offseason is underway, so we’ve asked our Cowboys experts for their opinions on a couple of pressing issues. The biggest questions concern Kellen Moore’s role as offensive coordinator, the addition of Jon Kitna and the Cowboys’ greatest needs.
Let’s get to the roundtable. Be sure to let us know what you think below!
The Cowboys could use some creativity on offense. What does that mean to you?
Bob Sturm: Creativity can be confusing because, to most fans and observers, it can often be a “catch-all” term related to frustration from a failing offense. There are certainly occasions, however, where trying to do “too much” can fail as well. In other words, successful offenses aren’t always correlated to unique plays. So, I wanted to get that idea out there first. When teams see a bad offense, they say they want to be more creative when they probably mean they’d like to be more effective.
To me, creativity is simply using all of your weapons in the best possible spots to stress a defense at every level. To do so, you must attack vertically and horizontally, in isolation and in groups, and in clear situations as well as unpredictable spots. You certainly don’t wish to be reckless and wasteful with the football, and you also don’t want to invite risk when simplicity will do. But you must try enough different things that the defense is not prepared for every idea you have. The finest way to attack as an offense is with reasonable aggressiveness to unsuspecting areas of the defense. A lack of creativity is running into running spots and passing vertically into passing spots because defenses at this level of football are too strong when they know what you are going to do.
Calvin Watkins: Creativity is a buzzword around The Star these days. What does it mean? Do the Cowboys need to utilize four-wide-receiver sets more often? Do they need to line Ezekiel Elliott up in the slot six times per game? Do Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup need to run more diverse route combinations? Instead of three receivers running curl routes on a third-and-seven, should just one guy run a curl? I would say all of the above. Sometimes, the Cowboys offense got too predictable. Here’s one example: Whenever Terrance Williams entered the game, you knew a run play was coming. The same rule applied to Noah Brown. If a sportswriter can figure that out, imagine what defensive coordinators know. The Cowboys’offense just got too stagnant last season. And considering the pace of NFL offenses, it was a little embarrassing.
Dak Prescott is a much better quarterback than people give him credit for, and I believe Scott Linehan held him back. He made Prescott too cautious, and that led to a lack of creativity. Prescott attempted fewer downfield throws, more check downs and did not have enough trust in his receivers. Amari Cooper can make contested catches, and Michael Gallup was improving in that regard. The Cowboys just need to try different things, like using four-receiver sets (only utilized on 16 plays last season) putting Elliott in the slot and taking downfield shots. It all adds up to giving the defense different looks. If you do that, the team has a fighting chance.
Kevin Turner: To me, creativity is less about imagination and more about unpredictability. Both are extremely helpful, but there were times last season where you saw some cool, artistic design. But the Cowboys couldn’t bring that consistently, and the artistry of certain play designs was dramatically overshadowed by Linehan’s tendency to show his cards. In the postseason loss to the Rams, how many of you saw a three-tight-end set coming when the decision was made to go for it on fourth-and-short? I’m confident the majority of you expected it.
It’s going to be hard to implement a full-on systematic change because (Jason) Garrett is still here. But I do have faith that Kellen Moore will implement more pre-snap motion, different formations and more designed runs for the quarterback. I realize you have to take into account Dak’s health, but he ran the ball over 500 times in college at Mississippi State. He can handle it. Too many times last year, that aspect of the game would just disappear.
Jeff Cavanaugh: Not being a team that says “This is what we do; let’s see if you can stop it.” Wade Phillips knew who they were and took the steps needed to make the Cowboys offense change if they wanted to win the game. They refused to change. Having a great running back is wonderful, but if a team dedicates the resources necessary to slow down a running game, you have to be open to altering your game plan. “This is who we are” isn’t a good offensive philosophy in today’s NFL. Figuring out who the other team is and attacking their weaknesses is the name of the game.
Outside of the Pro Bowl debacle, what’s your confidence level in Kellen Moore’s ability to call plays effectively?
Jeff Cavanaugh: It’s a wild card, for sure. I don’t question his football mind at all. He wasn’t a great athlete, had a below-average arm and was small, yet won a ton of football games and made it to the NFL. That doesn’t happen if you can’t think about the game at an incredibly high level. As a first-time play-caller, the greatest challenge is acclimating to that process while under fire. It’s easy to say a play call was poor after it doesn’t work, and even the best coordinators make mistakes. The real trouble is accounting for a running play clock and constantly having a call ready which fits with the down and distance.
Kevin Turner: On a scale of one to 10, my confidence is a five. I hate to be a fence rider, but hear me out. I think Moore has great ideas and will continue to add them to the mix, but it’s kind of hard to have confidence in someone who’s never called plays before at the pro level. I trust his football IQ, but until he’s in the heat of the moment and has to make quick, spur-of-the-moment decisions, it’s hard to really know. I do want to say this to the people who have already made up their mind that Kellen will suck: How could anybody know anything about his play-calling unless they’ve played against him in Madden? Or perhaps at Boise State?
Bob Sturm: That answer really comes down to whether Jason Garrett will fully authorize Kellen Moore to implement and remodel any part of the offense he sees fit. This is highly unlikely, as the Cowboys have spent years assembling a particular style of personnel for Garrett’s offense. And, therefore, we are wise to assume that much of this offense will look like previous styles.
From there, the sequencing of the play-calling and the down/distance tendencies may perhaps allow some new feel and looks. Unfortunately, those of us who study the Cowboys offense can rather easily call out plays based on personnel groupings and location on the field. Linehan seemed to have a very specific play menu, and his tendencies became rather obvious to studious media types. If that is true, we can only imagine that opposing defenses were seldom surprised by anything.
I think Moore is a brilliant football mind, and that means he is a fine prospect for offensive architecture. But the smart money suggests it will take a while for him to take control.
Calvin Watkins: Give the man a shot; that’s all I can really say. Is he better than Linehan? We won’t know until he’s called a substantial number of games, but the bottom line with Moore is that Prescott likes him and Jerry Jones trusts him. That’s all that really matters. If Moore can create different matchups for the receivers, get Prescott to take more chances down the field and make sure the run game remains at the top of the priority list, he might be okay.
Everyone I’ve spoken with loves the Jon Kitna hire. How much of a difference can he make for Dak Prescott?
Calvin Watkins: Kitna has 141 NFL games on his résumé, so he’s seen all sorts of defenses and encountered many different situations. He was never a great quarterback, but he played the position for a long time and that will help Prescott. After his rookie season, Prescott really missed having someone with experience who could help him during games. In Prescott’s rookie year, he leaned on backup QB Mark Sanchez and QB coach Wade Wilson, who played 17 NFL seasons. Prescott needs a veteran presence in the quarterback room that he can bounce ideas off. Nothing against Moore or Garrett, but they’re career backups who have a different perspective on things. Wilson made 69 career starts, and now Prescott has Kitna to speak to. Kitna was a well-respected player as both a starter and a backup, and he’ll command that respect as a coach. I think Kitna’s hire is almost as big as Moore’s promotion.
Kevin Turner: I think he can help him a ton. I’m not sure Dak’s footwork will ever be fixed because he’s got duck feet, but Kitna has mentioned in the past that it took him over 10 years in the league to realize that footwork is more important than arm strength or anything else. It all starts with the footwork and pointing your right foot at the target. In fact, I’ll let this video clip do the work.
You should also check out this clip of Kitna talking about taking risks in the passing game, something we haven’t seen Dak do very often throughout his career.
Jeff Cavanaugh: Like everyone else, I can only go off of what I hear from people more familiar with him than I am. I’ve heard from a ton of people who respect his mind, work ethic and ability to communicate. I’d still say the amount of a difference he can make is somewhere between very small and small.
That’s mostly a product of CBA limitations on practice time. Your QB coach matters, but in today’s NFL, there’s very little time for individual instruction from the QB coach. That’s because so much time has to be spent on game-planning and installing the offense each week as opposed to fundamentals.
The Cowboys’ biggest offensive offseason issue last year was not having a No. 1 receiver. What do you think it is this year?
Kevin Turner: It’s not as worrisome as last year’s receiver picture, but the Cowboys’ biggest offseason issue is actually a good problem to have. I think it’s going to come down to figuring out who you want to pay this year while keeping next year in mind as well. The goal is to draft and develop. And aside from Amari Cooper — who’s free after next season — the guys you want to keep are all homegrown. Figuring out who, how much and, most importantly, when are the biggest issues for the Cowboys. How rare is it that this team will actually enter the draft without having their hands tied and feeling like they have to draft a certain position? They are at liberty to do whatever they want, leaving them in good position to select the best players available. The upcoming financial decisions are hugely important, and while I think the Cowboys have identified who they want to take care of this year, I don’t think they’ve completely figured out when they want to take care of them.
Bob Sturm: They badly lack a clear, middle-of-the-field threat. You could argue they required an upgrade from Cole Beasley already, given his age, disposition and limited vertical skills. I like Beasley, but I think he has grown tired of his situation, and this young team doesn’t need any negative forces unless their overwhelming talent makes them worth the trouble. He is now a free agent, and the Cowboys are stuck with no real slot receiver and no real tight end threat that stresses opponents. Beasley was league average (at best) in the slot. The Cowboys’ tight-end collective was below average. What they need, then, and what I view as the Cowboys’ biggest need, is something above average at either spot. People wax nostalgic for the Romo era, but they really long for a time when the Cowboys could work the middle of the field because they had a legitimate mismatch between the hashmarks.
Because of Jason Witten’s decline, we could argue they haven’t had that since 2014. I think a premier tight end or an elite slot receiver would make a world of difference for this team and also simplify coverages on the outside. That must be the top offensive priority (aside from ushering Travis Frederick back to his previous form).
Calvin Watkins: Finding a playmaking safety? No, I want a redo. I’d say the Cowboys need to upgrade the interior of their defensive line in a draft filled with talented defensive tackles. Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins were good in 2018, but did you watch the NFC divisional playoff game? Collins and Woods got smashed the majority of the game. Collins’ gimpy knee caught up with him, and it’s bothered the lineman throughout his career. Woods just got tired after a long season after taking on a hugely more substantial role than he ever had before. With their second-round pick, the Cowboys need to find a defensive tackle because an interior rusher who can get upfield in Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard’s scheme is a high-value player. Finding a tight end is important, too, but the Cowboys like what they currently have. So if the Cowboys draft, say, Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the second round (a projected top-15 selection before he tore his ACL), they’d be in great shape for the future. There’s no need to rush him into the starting lineup with Woods and Collins starting inside, but he could provide them with a great building block for the future.
Jeff Cavanaugh: There’s only one potential issue on the roster, and I don’t think it’s a huge one. The Cowboys need to figure out who is going to replace Cole Beasley if he isn’t retained, and they’ll do so between the draft and free agency if the answer isn’t already in-house. Their biggest issues will be how many cooks are in the game-planning kitchen and how effectively they can call plays. By all accounts, last year was pretty close to a one-man show and that one man struggled to adjust to real-time challenges during games. They had better figure out clearly-defined roles for all these different people who are having input offensively before they get on the field.
Are you cool with Jason Garrett coaching for his job in 2019?
Calvin Watkins: I normally don’t like coaches in the last year of their deals because players don’t really have to listen to them. That’s not the case with Garrett. He’s been down this path before, and the Cowboys reached the postseason the last time he was in this situation. The players respect and listen to Garrett, but the only way he saves his gig is making a deep playoff push. Getting to the divisional round again isn’t enough; Garrett needs to either reach the Super Bowl in Miami or the NFC Championship Game. Pretty easy, right? The Eagles will be the toughest divisional foe, and the NFC’s two best teams — the Saints and Rams — have dynamic offenses. The Cowboys are not in their class right now.
A year from now, we will probably be talking about a different Cowboys head coach. Garrett has spent enough time around here that the Cowboys know who he is. He’s getting one more shot, and he’ll have to make it count.
Bob Sturm: I would have been more cool with a coaching change after 2017 or perhaps midseason of 2018. Given the November-December rally of the 2018 team, however, I think keeping Garrett was logical, and not extending him was preferable. On one hand, I really believe this team needs a substantial makeover at the top. It has been long enough. On the other hand, Garrett was given the chance to save his skin, and he did just that, running off eight wins in nine games down the stretch. Now, let’s see if the Cowboys can make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in a dozen years.
Jeff Cavanaugh: His ability to keep his job as long as he has with the amount of success he’s had (or hasn’t had) is basically unprecedented. So, yes, I think that’s more than fair.
Kevin Turner: I’m absolutely cool with Garrett having to coach for his job. This is a win-win situation for the Cowboys and their fans. If things go well and Dallas makes the playoffs, the Cowboys can extend Jason … or just fire him, anyway. If they have a bad season, then it’s almost a given that the franchise will be moving on. In the end, I just don’t think Jason Garrett has done enough as head coach of the Cowboys for a contract extension to be warranted.
The NFL offseason is underway, so we’ve asked our Cowboys experts for their opinions on a couple of pressing issues. The biggest questions concern Kellen Moore’s role as offensive coordinator, the addition of Jon Kitna and the Cowboys’ greatest needs.
Let’s get to the roundtable. Be sure to let us know what you think below!
The Cowboys could use some creativity on offense. What does that mean to you?
Bob Sturm: Creativity can be confusing because, to most fans and observers, it can often be a “catch-all” term related to frustration from a failing offense. There are certainly occasions, however, where trying to do “too much” can fail as well. In other words, successful offenses aren’t always correlated to unique plays. So, I wanted to get that idea out there first. When teams see a bad offense, they say they want to be more creative when they probably mean they’d like to be more effective.
To me, creativity is simply using all of your weapons in the best possible spots to stress a defense at every level. To do so, you must attack vertically and horizontally, in isolation and in groups, and in clear situations as well as unpredictable spots. You certainly don’t wish to be reckless and wasteful with the football, and you also don’t want to invite risk when simplicity will do. But you must try enough different things that the defense is not prepared for every idea you have. The finest way to attack as an offense is with reasonable aggressiveness to unsuspecting areas of the defense. A lack of creativity is running into running spots and passing vertically into passing spots because defenses at this level of football are too strong when they know what you are going to do.
Calvin Watkins: Creativity is a buzzword around The Star these days. What does it mean? Do the Cowboys need to utilize four-wide-receiver sets more often? Do they need to line Ezekiel Elliott up in the slot six times per game? Do Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup need to run more diverse route combinations? Instead of three receivers running curl routes on a third-and-seven, should just one guy run a curl? I would say all of the above. Sometimes, the Cowboys offense got too predictable. Here’s one example: Whenever Terrance Williams entered the game, you knew a run play was coming. The same rule applied to Noah Brown. If a sportswriter can figure that out, imagine what defensive coordinators know. The Cowboys’offense just got too stagnant last season. And considering the pace of NFL offenses, it was a little embarrassing.
Dak Prescott is a much better quarterback than people give him credit for, and I believe Scott Linehan held him back. He made Prescott too cautious, and that led to a lack of creativity. Prescott attempted fewer downfield throws, more check downs and did not have enough trust in his receivers. Amari Cooper can make contested catches, and Michael Gallup was improving in that regard. The Cowboys just need to try different things, like using four-receiver sets (only utilized on 16 plays last season) putting Elliott in the slot and taking downfield shots. It all adds up to giving the defense different looks. If you do that, the team has a fighting chance.
Kevin Turner: To me, creativity is less about imagination and more about unpredictability. Both are extremely helpful, but there were times last season where you saw some cool, artistic design. But the Cowboys couldn’t bring that consistently, and the artistry of certain play designs was dramatically overshadowed by Linehan’s tendency to show his cards. In the postseason loss to the Rams, how many of you saw a three-tight-end set coming when the decision was made to go for it on fourth-and-short? I’m confident the majority of you expected it.
It’s going to be hard to implement a full-on systematic change because (Jason) Garrett is still here. But I do have faith that Kellen Moore will implement more pre-snap motion, different formations and more designed runs for the quarterback. I realize you have to take into account Dak’s health, but he ran the ball over 500 times in college at Mississippi State. He can handle it. Too many times last year, that aspect of the game would just disappear.
Jeff Cavanaugh: Not being a team that says “This is what we do; let’s see if you can stop it.” Wade Phillips knew who they were and took the steps needed to make the Cowboys offense change if they wanted to win the game. They refused to change. Having a great running back is wonderful, but if a team dedicates the resources necessary to slow down a running game, you have to be open to altering your game plan. “This is who we are” isn’t a good offensive philosophy in today’s NFL. Figuring out who the other team is and attacking their weaknesses is the name of the game.
Outside of the Pro Bowl debacle, what’s your confidence level in Kellen Moore’s ability to call plays effectively?
Jeff Cavanaugh: It’s a wild card, for sure. I don’t question his football mind at all. He wasn’t a great athlete, had a below-average arm and was small, yet won a ton of football games and made it to the NFL. That doesn’t happen if you can’t think about the game at an incredibly high level. As a first-time play-caller, the greatest challenge is acclimating to that process while under fire. It’s easy to say a play call was poor after it doesn’t work, and even the best coordinators make mistakes. The real trouble is accounting for a running play clock and constantly having a call ready which fits with the down and distance.
Kevin Turner: On a scale of one to 10, my confidence is a five. I hate to be a fence rider, but hear me out. I think Moore has great ideas and will continue to add them to the mix, but it’s kind of hard to have confidence in someone who’s never called plays before at the pro level. I trust his football IQ, but until he’s in the heat of the moment and has to make quick, spur-of-the-moment decisions, it’s hard to really know. I do want to say this to the people who have already made up their mind that Kellen will suck: How could anybody know anything about his play-calling unless they’ve played against him in Madden? Or perhaps at Boise State?
Bob Sturm: That answer really comes down to whether Jason Garrett will fully authorize Kellen Moore to implement and remodel any part of the offense he sees fit. This is highly unlikely, as the Cowboys have spent years assembling a particular style of personnel for Garrett’s offense. And, therefore, we are wise to assume that much of this offense will look like previous styles.
From there, the sequencing of the play-calling and the down/distance tendencies may perhaps allow some new feel and looks. Unfortunately, those of us who study the Cowboys offense can rather easily call out plays based on personnel groupings and location on the field. Linehan seemed to have a very specific play menu, and his tendencies became rather obvious to studious media types. If that is true, we can only imagine that opposing defenses were seldom surprised by anything.
I think Moore is a brilliant football mind, and that means he is a fine prospect for offensive architecture. But the smart money suggests it will take a while for him to take control.
Calvin Watkins: Give the man a shot; that’s all I can really say. Is he better than Linehan? We won’t know until he’s called a substantial number of games, but the bottom line with Moore is that Prescott likes him and Jerry Jones trusts him. That’s all that really matters. If Moore can create different matchups for the receivers, get Prescott to take more chances down the field and make sure the run game remains at the top of the priority list, he might be okay.
Everyone I’ve spoken with loves the Jon Kitna hire. How much of a difference can he make for Dak Prescott?
Calvin Watkins: Kitna has 141 NFL games on his résumé, so he’s seen all sorts of defenses and encountered many different situations. He was never a great quarterback, but he played the position for a long time and that will help Prescott. After his rookie season, Prescott really missed having someone with experience who could help him during games. In Prescott’s rookie year, he leaned on backup QB Mark Sanchez and QB coach Wade Wilson, who played 17 NFL seasons. Prescott needs a veteran presence in the quarterback room that he can bounce ideas off. Nothing against Moore or Garrett, but they’re career backups who have a different perspective on things. Wilson made 69 career starts, and now Prescott has Kitna to speak to. Kitna was a well-respected player as both a starter and a backup, and he’ll command that respect as a coach. I think Kitna’s hire is almost as big as Moore’s promotion.
Kevin Turner: I think he can help him a ton. I’m not sure Dak’s footwork will ever be fixed because he’s got duck feet, but Kitna has mentioned in the past that it took him over 10 years in the league to realize that footwork is more important than arm strength or anything else. It all starts with the footwork and pointing your right foot at the target. In fact, I’ll let this video clip do the work.
You should also check out this clip of Kitna talking about taking risks in the passing game, something we haven’t seen Dak do very often throughout his career.
Jeff Cavanaugh: Like everyone else, I can only go off of what I hear from people more familiar with him than I am. I’ve heard from a ton of people who respect his mind, work ethic and ability to communicate. I’d still say the amount of a difference he can make is somewhere between very small and small.
That’s mostly a product of CBA limitations on practice time. Your QB coach matters, but in today’s NFL, there’s very little time for individual instruction from the QB coach. That’s because so much time has to be spent on game-planning and installing the offense each week as opposed to fundamentals.
The Cowboys’ biggest offensive offseason issue last year was not having a No. 1 receiver. What do you think it is this year?
Kevin Turner: It’s not as worrisome as last year’s receiver picture, but the Cowboys’ biggest offseason issue is actually a good problem to have. I think it’s going to come down to figuring out who you want to pay this year while keeping next year in mind as well. The goal is to draft and develop. And aside from Amari Cooper — who’s free after next season — the guys you want to keep are all homegrown. Figuring out who, how much and, most importantly, when are the biggest issues for the Cowboys. How rare is it that this team will actually enter the draft without having their hands tied and feeling like they have to draft a certain position? They are at liberty to do whatever they want, leaving them in good position to select the best players available. The upcoming financial decisions are hugely important, and while I think the Cowboys have identified who they want to take care of this year, I don’t think they’ve completely figured out when they want to take care of them.
Bob Sturm: They badly lack a clear, middle-of-the-field threat. You could argue they required an upgrade from Cole Beasley already, given his age, disposition and limited vertical skills. I like Beasley, but I think he has grown tired of his situation, and this young team doesn’t need any negative forces unless their overwhelming talent makes them worth the trouble. He is now a free agent, and the Cowboys are stuck with no real slot receiver and no real tight end threat that stresses opponents. Beasley was league average (at best) in the slot. The Cowboys’ tight-end collective was below average. What they need, then, and what I view as the Cowboys’ biggest need, is something above average at either spot. People wax nostalgic for the Romo era, but they really long for a time when the Cowboys could work the middle of the field because they had a legitimate mismatch between the hashmarks.
Because of Jason Witten’s decline, we could argue they haven’t had that since 2014. I think a premier tight end or an elite slot receiver would make a world of difference for this team and also simplify coverages on the outside. That must be the top offensive priority (aside from ushering Travis Frederick back to his previous form).
Calvin Watkins: Finding a playmaking safety? No, I want a redo. I’d say the Cowboys need to upgrade the interior of their defensive line in a draft filled with talented defensive tackles. Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins were good in 2018, but did you watch the NFC divisional playoff game? Collins and Woods got smashed the majority of the game. Collins’ gimpy knee caught up with him, and it’s bothered the lineman throughout his career. Woods just got tired after a long season after taking on a hugely more substantial role than he ever had before. With their second-round pick, the Cowboys need to find a defensive tackle because an interior rusher who can get upfield in Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard’s scheme is a high-value player. Finding a tight end is important, too, but the Cowboys like what they currently have. So if the Cowboys draft, say, Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the second round (a projected top-15 selection before he tore his ACL), they’d be in great shape for the future. There’s no need to rush him into the starting lineup with Woods and Collins starting inside, but he could provide them with a great building block for the future.
Jeff Cavanaugh: There’s only one potential issue on the roster, and I don’t think it’s a huge one. The Cowboys need to figure out who is going to replace Cole Beasley if he isn’t retained, and they’ll do so between the draft and free agency if the answer isn’t already in-house. Their biggest issues will be how many cooks are in the game-planning kitchen and how effectively they can call plays. By all accounts, last year was pretty close to a one-man show and that one man struggled to adjust to real-time challenges during games. They had better figure out clearly-defined roles for all these different people who are having input offensively before they get on the field.
Are you cool with Jason Garrett coaching for his job in 2019?
Calvin Watkins: I normally don’t like coaches in the last year of their deals because players don’t really have to listen to them. That’s not the case with Garrett. He’s been down this path before, and the Cowboys reached the postseason the last time he was in this situation. The players respect and listen to Garrett, but the only way he saves his gig is making a deep playoff push. Getting to the divisional round again isn’t enough; Garrett needs to either reach the Super Bowl in Miami or the NFC Championship Game. Pretty easy, right? The Eagles will be the toughest divisional foe, and the NFC’s two best teams — the Saints and Rams — have dynamic offenses. The Cowboys are not in their class right now.
A year from now, we will probably be talking about a different Cowboys head coach. Garrett has spent enough time around here that the Cowboys know who he is. He’s getting one more shot, and he’ll have to make it count.
Bob Sturm: I would have been more cool with a coaching change after 2017 or perhaps midseason of 2018. Given the November-December rally of the 2018 team, however, I think keeping Garrett was logical, and not extending him was preferable. On one hand, I really believe this team needs a substantial makeover at the top. It has been long enough. On the other hand, Garrett was given the chance to save his skin, and he did just that, running off eight wins in nine games down the stretch. Now, let’s see if the Cowboys can make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in a dozen years.
Jeff Cavanaugh: His ability to keep his job as long as he has with the amount of success he’s had (or hasn’t had) is basically unprecedented. So, yes, I think that’s more than fair.
Kevin Turner: I’m absolutely cool with Garrett having to coach for his job. This is a win-win situation for the Cowboys and their fans. If things go well and Dallas makes the playoffs, the Cowboys can extend Jason … or just fire him, anyway. If they have a bad season, then it’s almost a given that the franchise will be moving on. In the end, I just don’t think Jason Garrett has done enough as head coach of the Cowboys for a contract extension to be warranted.
