Watkins: Five takeaways from the Cowboys' win over the Redskins, including Dak Prescott's perfect second half*

[L.T. Fan]

How about not just going with giveup plays after a penalty or sack.

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that there has been a lot of positive things occur with the offense this season with just changing a few things with the system and coaching.

 

[deadrise]

Think about how Moore's work shines so bright a light on how bad Linehan had gotten. It's astonishing how he held this team back.

It also shines a bright light on Garrett. Linehan was his hand-picked guy. Garrett and Linehan were soul mates when it came to offensive philosophies. It wasn't just Linehan holding the team back, it was both of them.

Is there a way to sue a head coach and a former OC for malpractice?

 

[deadrise]

Nightmare scenario: Cowboys have a good enough season to earn Garrett a new contract. Richard and Moore both get hired by other teams.

 

[mcnuttz]

Nightmare scenario: Cowboys have a good enough season to earn Garrett a new contract. Richard and Moore both get hired by other teams.

This has been keeping me up at night.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Nightmare scenario: Cowboys have a good enough season to earn Garrett a new contract. Richard and Moore both get hired by other teams.

Could happen.

 

[boozeman]

Nightmare scenario: Cowboys have a good enough season to earn Garrett a new contract. Richard and Moore both get hired by other teams.

This is me tonight.

Thanks asshole.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Nightmare scenario: Cowboys have a good enough season to earn Garrett a new contract. Richard and Moore both get hired by other teams.

I literally think Garrett has the least impact on this team of all 3 men and has the most replaceable skill set among them.

 

[deadrise]

I literally think Garrett has the least impact on this team of all 3 men and has the most replaceable skill set among them.

His clapping and grinning are world class.

 

[Smitty]

It also shines a bright light on Garrett. Linehan was his hand-picked guy. Garrett and Linehan were soul mates when it came to offensive philosophies. It wasn't just Linehan holding the team back, it was both of them.

Is there a way to sue a head coach and a former OC for malpractice?

Interesting theory, since the prevailing wisdom around here was that the 2014 evolution away from pass happiness was all Scott Linehan and none Jason Garrett, despite evidence that Linehan was even pass happier than Garrett was in prior stops.

But I agree with you, mostly. Garrett and Linehan were in it together and the offense was the result of collaboration between them, not Linehan coming in and throwing Garrett's pass happy ideas in the garbage over Garrett's objections.

It also means, in reality, that Garrett, while decidedly not an ideas man himself, is probably pretty adaptable, as we've now seen him go from balanced offense in 2007-ish with the personnel to do so, to pass-happy in 2012-13 because the OL couldn't run block for shit, to run heavy in 2014-16 because he had a dominant run blocking OL and dominant RBs.

Now, hopefully we are seeing that he's deferring to Moore as well and modernizing.

Certainly not a ringing endorsement that it took him so long to make such glaring changes, but nonetheless it's obvious that many of the past criticisms of Garrett were simply delusional lunacy invented by people looking to pin any failure on him. But yeah, certainly it's not good to realize that he continued to employ the scheme wrinkles he and Linehan came up with despite over a season's worth of evidence that it was predictable and floundering. Need better self scouting.

 

[boozeman]

AYFKM?

I was raised to respect my elders but you're seriously pushing it you senile fuck


I posted this


To which you responded with your strawman





With all due respect, go fuck yourself

~hides in closet~

 

[deadrise]

Interesting theory, since the prevailing wisdom around here was that the 2014 evolution away from pass happiness was all Scott Linehan and none Jason Garrett, despite evidence that Linehan was even pass happier than Garrett was in prior stops.

But I agree with you, mostly. Garrett and Linehan were in it together and the offense was the result of collaboration between them, not Linehan coming in and throwing Garrett's pass happy ideas in the garbage over Garrett's objections.

It also means, in reality, that Garrett, while decidedly not an ideas man himself, is probably pretty adaptable, as we've now seen him go from balanced offense in 2007-ish with the personnel to do so, to pass-happy in 2012-13 because the OL couldn't run block for shit, to run heavy in 2014-16 because he had a dominant run blocking OL and dominant RBs.

Now, hopefully we are seeing that he's deferring to Moore as well and modernizing.

Certainly not a ringing endorsement that it took him so long to make such glaring changes, but nonetheless it's obvious that many of the past criticisms of Garrett were simply delusional lunacy invented by people looking to pin any failure on him. But yeah, certainly it's not good to realize that he continued to employ the scheme wrinkles he and Linehan came up with despite over a season's worth of evidence that it was predictable and floundering. Need better self scouting.

Your best phrasing in there is that "... Garrett, while decidedly not an ideas man himself, is probably pretty adaptable ..."

Isn't the HC supposed to have an overarching philosophy? Ideas? Is the HC's philosophy supposed to shift according to whatever OC of the moment has his ear?
For a long time Garrett believed he should be the play caller. Jerry eventually nixed that, and Garrett brought in his dullard counterpart, Linehan.

I'm wondering if Moore wasn't jammed down Garrett's throat -- Jerry and the Idiot Son saying "our way or the highway." The first part of the Redskins game was scarily reminiscent of the old Garrett offense.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Your best phrasing in there is that "... Garrett, while decidedly not an ideas man himself, is probably pretty adaptable ..."

Isn't the HC supposed to have an overarching philosophy? Ideas? Is the HC's philosophy supposed to shift according to whatever OC of the moment has his ear?
For a long time Garrett believed he should be the play caller. Jerry eventually nixed that, and Garrett brought in his dullard counterpart, Linehan.

I'm wondering if Moore wasn't jammed down Garrett's throat -- Jerry and the Idiot Son saying "our way or the highway." The first part of the Redskins game was scarily reminiscent of the old Garrett offense.

I mean when you hire an offensive coordinator to be your head coach you kind of assume he will run the offense. But I'm glad he isn't. It's why I sort of wonder what Garrett is bringing to the table.

 

[boozeman]

I mean when you hire an offensive coordinator to be your head coach you kind of assume he will run the offense. But I'm glad he isn't. It's why I sort of wonder what Garrett is bringing to the table.

Well, he is now a "walk around coach".

 

[1bigfan13]

I literally think Garrett has the least impact on this team of all 3 men and has the most replaceable skill set among them.

Jerry & Stephen Jones: So what is it exactly that you do around here?


Garrett:

 

[boozeman]

Jerry & Stephen Jones: So what is it exactly that you do around here?


Garrett:

If only they would ever ask him that kind of tough question. They won't because he is already in the family portrait.

Being serious though, there is value to a head coach who places a premium on psychology over Xs and Os.

Jimmy Johnson did that. Bill Parcells did that.

I just don't see Garrett as the kind of guy walking around and figuring out what buttons to push on what guy for the maximum effect.

 

[1bigfan13]

If only they would ever ask him that kind of tough question. They won't because he is already in the family portrait.

Being serious though, there is value to a head coach who places a premium on psychology over Xs and Os.

Jimmy Johnson did that. Bill Parcells did that.

I just don't see Garrett as the kind of guy walking around and figuring out what buttons to push on what guy for the maximum effect.

I agree. It seems like most guys who are successful "walk around" coaches have polarizing personalities. And guys either play hard for them because they were drawn to their coach's personality or they legitimately feared for their job.

Garrett on the other hand comes off as a bland wet blanket.

 

[boozeman]

I agree. It seems like most guys who are successful "walk around" coaches have polarizing personalities. And guys either play hard for them because they were drawn to their coach's personality or they legitimately feared for their job.

Garrett on the other hand comes off as a bland wet blanket.

I think he comes off as a genuine guy. A straight shooter. Some coaches don't do that, so it is appreciated.

Often you see coaches being appreciated for being honest with players.

So he's got that.

Other coaches just have intellectual respect. Their players know they know more about the game and trust he is going to be smarter than the other guy.

That is not our case.

Most of his popularity with players is about being a "nice guy". That is not going to win a damn thing at the end of the day.

Marvin Lewis was a nice guy too.

 

[Smitty]

If only they would ever ask him that kind of tough question. They won't because he is already in the family portrait.

Being serious though, there is value to a head coach who places a premium on psychology over Xs and Os.

Jimmy Johnson did that. Bill Parcells did that.

I just don't see Garrett as the kind of guy walking around and figuring out what buttons to push on what guy for the maximum effect.

Garrett is no Parcells or Jimmy but he is being a walk around coach and there is value in that. Apparently if you aren’t being a coordinator as a head coach, you aren’t doing anything.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Garrett is no Parcells or Jimmy but he is being a walk around coach and there is value in that. Apparently if you aren’t being a coordinator as a head coach, you aren’t doing anything.

You don't have to be a coordinator but you usually have philosophies that you hand down. Parcells was a great walk around coach but he had his philosophies that his coordinators had to fit in to. Garrett just looks like a guy walking around.

 

[Smitty]

Your best phrasing in there is that "... Garrett, while decidedly not an ideas man himself, is probably pretty adaptable ..."

Isn't the HC supposed to have an overarching philosophy? Ideas? Is the HC's philosophy supposed to shift according to whatever OC of the moment has his ear?
For a long time Garrett believed he should be the play caller. Jerry eventually nixed that, and Garrett brought in his dullard counterpart, Linehan.

I'm wondering if Moore wasn't jammed down Garrett's throat -- Jerry and the Idiot Son saying "our way or the highway." The first part of the Redskins game was scarily reminiscent of the old Garrett offense.

I think Garrett has a lot of ideas that everyone glosses over, in regards to running the team, that might not be explicit in terms of playcalling, X’s and Os, etc. I do note that it has been repeated that we are still using Garrett’s playbook, it’s just that we have introduced some more modern motion concepts and designs. Moore may have a better feel for play selection as well, but he’s also looking like a pretty quality coach at this point.

I think it’s blatantly obvious how this has become his team over the years. People never stop complaining about the bad ways that it’s his team.

There are also good ways that it’s his team as well. Complain as everyone may, this team is relatively successful the past half decade and is primed to continue. That is on his direction.

Moore forced on him? Maybe. I doubt it was that dramatic. I’m sure his preference was to continue with Linehan, but that’s why a GM is needed to sometimes overrule. But even if Garrett had to be persuaded to get rid of Linehan and persuaded to promote Moore, I also don’t believe that the current variation of the offense is 100% Moore. It’s Moore’s ideas being added, but in combination with Garrett’s existing ideas, and in that combination are achieving some nice things. You also have to really abandon the notion that Linehan was forced on him and give Garrett credit for the 2014 offensive turnaround, then. He was pass happy, but he changed, and for a while, it was for the better. Hopefully this will be for the better for a few years as well, and of course at that time more change will probably be needed.

Like I said, he’s certainly upgradable, but as I always remind people, the next hire is not guaranteed to be Sean Payton or Lincoln Riley. There are worse coaches out there. This team could win a Super Bowl this year, and if it doesn’t, it could win it next year. Better be sure you aren’t taking a step back with your next hire, because you could derail this thing.