Cowboys Coaching Carousel: The Lies On New Blood & Fresh Ideas
Dallas Cowboys Coaching Carousel: The Latest On Garrett's Staff And The Lies On 'New Blood And Fresh Ideas'
Mike Fisher - 4 hours ago
On Tuesday afternoon, I asked Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett about the value of “new blood and fresh ideas’’ on his about-to-change coaching staff.
He said some smart and eloquent things in his answer. But the Cowboys’ actions — not all of them Garrett’s call, with the Joneses involved, too — in the hours since?
Dallas is mistaking “new blood’’ as being the same as “fresh ideas.’’
And that’s a mistake.
Dallas is also being put into position as a potential “sinking ship’’ when it comes to luring assistants.
And under Garrett, that’s a mistake … but there might be nothing they can do about it.
Let’s go item-by-item here on The Cowboys Coaching Carousel (fans' discuss here!), starting at the top:
*The organizational chart in the front office is intact. That means Jerry Jones isn’t selling the team, it means Stephen Jones is the de facto GM, and it means, so far, that other NFL teams have not made loud overtures into trying to steal Will McClay. McClay is a big part of the brains of this operation, well beyond just personnel, and he’s a unifier for different wings at The Star.
Keeping him is paramount. So far, so good.
*The assistant head coach and special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is gone. The Raiders have exposed the Rooney Rule for what it is — a fraud — as Jon Gruden is stealing his old Tampa Bay buddy Bisaccia. (The breaking news on this is here.) This is happening despite Bisaccia being under contract in Dallas.
I’m told the Cowboys will not demand compensation from the Raiders here.
*Want a fun name for Bisaccia’s replacement? Rich is one of the best in the game, but so is Brad Seely, who presently works in Oakland. What if those two simply swap offices?
*Two guys are gaining power inside The Star — and they are, surprisingly, offensive coaches.
*Coordinator Scott Linehan, who many in Cowboys Nation want fired, has an arrow pointing in the other direction. If that somehow means he wrestles the playbook from Garrett to also for more subtle creativity (“subtle’’ because we’re not talking about running triple reverses here, but just about, for instance, less predictability in route combinations and route running), it can be a good thing.
But it’s not such an attractive thing if all it means is that Linehan gets to elevate a couple of “his’’ young guys, like Kellen Moore (to QB coach in place of Wade Wilson, who tells me he's not being retained) and Kyle Valero (running backs coach?), to position-coach jobs. That’s not an indictment of their talents. Nor is it a rip when I jokingly note that Valero is coming from the level where “he picks up Coach’s laundry.’’
Moore and Valero (along with Keith O’Quinn, who might get bumped up to tight ends coach) can be wildly talented.
But if you’re already a “Linehan guy,’’ and you’re a young guy … you might represent “new blood’’ but not “fresh ideas.’’
Because your ideas already reflect and are formed by the existing philosophy.
*The other “power surprise’’ is Derek Dooley, the receivers coach, who may have played the media (i.e., me) like a fiddle by having his camp float the idea that he’s happy to be without a contract here, with an eye on getting a college coordinator’s job … all to simply get the Cowboys to give him an even more attractive deal.
Dooley is beloved in the receivers room, by Dez Bryant and others. He’s also now more loved than ever, I think, by the people above Garrett.
*Other up-and-comers in the building who might get elevation looks: Offensive line assistant Marc Colombo (especially if Frank Pollack is canned) and staffers Miles Austin and Andre Gurode. Are they ready to take big steps? Or are they near this position simply because they are “Cowboys guys’’?
*Matt Eberflus’ situation is a test in loyalty and a glimpse into Garrett’s long-term job security. A year ago, sources tell us, Dallas prevented the Rod Marinelli right-hand man from interviewing for the San Francisco defensive coordinator job. Thus, as no coincidence, Eberflus declined to sign an extension here.
Now Eberflus is free, and on the verge of big money and big authority elsewhere.
I’m told to watch where Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel goes to see if Eberflus follows. And for fun, let’s see what else New England does with its staff.
If you are Matt Eberflus, and you are thinking about your future, would you rather be a Dallas linebackers coach or Bill Belichick’s linebackers coach?
The answer is obvious, and it’s not just because Belichick is a better guy on your resume than any Cowboys name. Stick with the Dallas staff and you may be on a sinking ship — certainly sinking relative to what will likely happen in New England in the coming years. If the Cowboys experience another non-playoff season in 2018, Garrett — with just one year after that on his contract — will be on the hottest of seats, no matter Jerry Jones’ affection for him. If Garrett gets fired, many of his holdover staffers will be on the street as well.
Coaching is a loyalty business when you’re working together … but it’s every man for himself when it’s contract time — platitudes about “fresh blood and new ideas’’ be damned.
In different ways, Bisaccia and Linehan have already proven that. And in different ways, Eberflus and Dooley may be about to prove that, too.