Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Time's Up for Jason Garrett with the Cowboys
Mike Freeman
October 10, 2018
1. Nice only gets you so far in the NFL
A question: Why is Jason Garrett still the head coach of the Cowboys? In fact, why is he a head coach at all?
This isn't meant to be cruel or snide, but it's a fair question to ask after his eight-plus seasons on the job.
Does Garrett come up with brilliant offensive schemes like Andy Reid or Sean McVay? No.
Is he a brilliant motivator like Bill Belichick? No.
Does he inspire players? No. Does he intimidate other coaches the way Belichick does? No. Is he bold like Bears head coach Matt Nagy? Nope.
Does he generate brilliant defensive schemes? No. Do his assistants? No.
There aren't long lines of assistants who've coached under him and gone on to helm other teams. He isn't known for fixing issues or being forward-thinking.
Think about it. Really think about it: What coaching box does Garrett check?
Look no further than this past Sunday for an example of the typical Garrett-inspired Cowboys performance. It was impossible to miss how the Texans played with passion, skill and desperation, while the Cowboys looked staid and uninventive. Dak Prescott has made a distinct lack of progress since his breakout rookie season two years ago, and a Cowboys team that appeared to be building around an exciting young core seems to be moving in reverse.
The Cowboys have a terrific offensive line and one of the best running backs in football. Yet with a chance to be bold and make a statement that could have motivated the roster for weeks, Garrett, whose team faced a 4th-and-1 from the Texans' 42-yard line on the first possession of overtime, decided to punt.
Garrett has gone for it before in such situations, but this instance just reeked of playing it too safe.
And there are too many times when Garrett shrinks from the challenge instead of rising to it.
Are there things Garrett does well? Yes. He's a very nice guy. But nice only gets you so far.
A number of anonymous coaching sources are ripping Garrett after the Texans loss. He remains one of the few coaches who other coaches around the league routinely shred off the record. That's only gotten worse.
We don't need to do that, though. What Garrett represents is obvious enough. He essentially does the bidding of owner Jerry Jones. That's long been the case, and it remains that way, perhaps more than ever.
The Cowboys are 2-3 this year. For his career, Garrett is 69-56 with two playoff appearances. That's it.
Barring a significant turnaround, many around the league expect Garrett to be the first coach fired this year.
This isn't said with glee, but it is what many in the game believe.
It all comes down to that original point: Why is Jason Garrett still the coach of the Cowboys?