Sullivan: Garrett’s 3-Year Plan Among Random Thoughts

[Cotton]

That's because you have put your head in the sand with anything that begins to compliment him as anything but the worst coach in the NFL.

He wanted Floyd and not Frederick, but it could be argued that he wanted Martin, but there is definitive evidence either way to support either argument so we can take that out of the argument. Tyron Smith was a duh pick, so let's take that out too. His history does not in any way support that he had this grand master plan to rebuild the OL. He didn't, and his face in the war room when we passed on Floyd was priceless.

 

[Cotton]

Our scouting has gotten a lot better on the O-line. That or our offensive line coaching and development has gotten worlds better. I know three of our guys were first round picks but Frederick got shit on by a lot of experts after the draft. You can look around and see a ton of other first round O-lineman not playing nearly as well as the guys we drafted. Then you look at Leary and even though he wasn't drafted he was a guy who our scouts rated very highly if not for an injury potential. Doug Free is a middle round pick whose career has kind of been resurrected.

Someone definitely deserves credit for the improved scouting and development. Not really sure who though.

I'd lean towards giving Callahan more credit for that than Garrett. He has shown he is a very good OL coach, so he would know the talent he wants to work with.

 

[Smitty]

He wanted Floyd and not Frederick, but it could be argued that he wanted Martin, but there is definitive evidence either way to support either argument so we can take that out of the argument. Tyron Smith was a duh pick, so let's take that out too. His history does not in any way support that he had this grand master plan to rebuild the OL. He didn't, and his face in the war room when we passed on Floyd was priceless.

The fact that there was an organizational comitment to taking OL at all is worthy of credit. Smith was not a "duh" pick at all... there was plenty of debate over that pick and he wasn't even a unanimous consensus as the top tackle. Even if it was obvious from a talent perspective, this team never, ever would have considered a tackle in years prior.

It's been reported in plenty of sources that Garrett was the one to push the importance of the OL and getting younger in general to Jerry, and frankly there's no GOOD reason to ignore those reports. You can dislike him as a head coach without ignoring the things he HAS done right.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Garrett wanted Eifert, not Floyd, but yeah.

 

[E_D_Guapo]

It's been reported in plenty of sources that Garrett was the one to push the importance of the OL and getting younger in general to Jerry, and frankly there's no GOOD reason to ignore those reports. You can dislike him as a head coach without ignoring the things he HAS done right.

Yeah, I've heard some of the Break/Talkin' Cowboys guys mention this numerous times. Apparently Garrett has referenced it in his 'walkoffs' after press conferences when the recorders/mic is off, in training camp, etc. They have said that he has been pointing to SF as a model that he wants to emulate in that regard. They have heavily invested in high draft picks on the OL & have been one of the best teams in the NFC the past few years.

Maybe he hasn't always had an OL at the very top of his list at the draft every year, but it seems pretty obvious that he has pushed the idea of building the line through high draft picks, IMO. By all accounts Garrett has the respect of Jerry more than anyone since Jimmy, with Parcells being the exception.

I think it's a bit foolish to say that Garrett hasn't been influential in this, ahem, process. Jerry hadn't spent a first rounder on an OL pretty much ever & since Garrett has taken over it has been 3 in a row. That's not just coincidence. Sure, some of that is definitely circumstantial-obviously they coveted Shazier over Martin this year, for example-but what happened when Shazier was gone? Offensive lineman. Hard evidence or not, I have no doubt that Garrett has played a fairly sizable role in pushing to spend significant draft resources on the offensive line.

 

[Smitty]

Yeah, I've heard some of the Break/Talkin' Cowboys guys mention this numerous times. Apparently Garrett has referenced it in his 'walkoffs' after press conferences when the recorders/mic is off, in training camp, etc. They have said that he has been pointing to SF as a model that he wants to emulate in that regard. They have heavily invested in high draft picks on the OL & have been one of the best teams in the NFC the past few years.

Maybe he hasn't always had an OL at the very top of his list at the draft every year, but it seems pretty obvious that he has pushed the idea of building the line through high draft picks, IMO. By all accounts Garrett has the respect of Jerry more than anyone since Jimmy, with Parcells being the exception.

I think it's a bit foolish to say that Garrett hasn't been influential in this, ahem, process. Jerry hadn't spent a first rounder on an OL pretty much ever & since Garrett has taken over it has been 3 in a row. That's not just coincidence. Sure, some of that is definitely circumstantial-obviously they coveted Shazier over Martin this year, for example-but what happened when Shazier was gone? Offensive lineman. Hard evidence or not, I have no doubt that Garrett has played a fairly sizable role in pushing to spend significant draft resources on the offensive line.

qft

 

[boozeman]

Garrett wanted Eifert, not Floyd, but yeah.

Shit I said Ertz before. Meant Eifert. Whatever. White TEs are all the same.

 

[boozeman]

Yeah, I've heard some of the Break/Talkin' Cowboys guys mention this numerous times. Apparently Garrett has referenced it in his 'walkoffs' after press conferences when the recorders/mic is off, in training camp, etc. They have said that he has been pointing to SF as a model that he wants to emulate in that regard. They have heavily invested in high draft picks on the OL & have been one of the best teams in the NFC the past few years.

Maybe he hasn't always had an OL at the very top of his list at the draft every year, but it seems pretty obvious that he has pushed the idea of building the line through high draft picks, IMO. By all accounts Garrett has the respect of Jerry more than anyone since Jimmy, with Parcells being the exception.

I think it's a bit foolish to say that Garrett hasn't been influential in this, ahem, process. Jerry hadn't spent a first rounder on an OL pretty much ever & since Garrett has taken over it has been 3 in a row. That's not just coincidence. Sure, some of that is definitely circumstantial-obviously they coveted Shazier over Martin this year, for example-but what happened when Shazier was gone? Offensive lineman. Hard evidence or not, I have no doubt that Garrett has played a fairly sizable role in pushing to spend significant draft resources on the offensive line.

So OL is a fall back when they don't get what they really want. I can agree with that.

Fact is, if we got Floyd, Shazier, Eifert, etc. these OL would have come in the second and third rounds.

That is not a lot different than what Parcells did in taking Jacob Rogers and Jacob Peterman at the end of the day.

You could say things turned out just as much due to fortune as it did some hard effort by Garrett to get an OL in here.

 

[E_D_Guapo]

So OL is a fall back when they don't get what they really want. I can agree with that.

In the first round maybe, but the fact is that the organization has spent significant draft resources on OL under Garrett's watch to a degree that has never been seen since Jerry Jones bought the team. You can claim that it's just dumb luck or whatever but at minimum it is pretty clear to me that Garrett prioritized it highly. Now if he could just get over this ridiculous second round TE fetish...

 

[NoDak]

That's true, I guess. Jerry does deserve a little bit of credit.

Perfect gif. That had to have been hard for you to write.

 

[boozeman]

In the first round maybe, but the fact is that the organization has spent significant draft resources on OL under Garrett's watch to a degree that has never been seen since Jerry Jones bought the team. You can claim that it's just dumb luck or whatever but at minimum it is pretty clear to me that Garrett prioritized it highly. Now if he could just get over this ridiculous second round TE fetish...

Garrett's "watch"? Wait, so he makes the picks? Or is he just another one the voices in Jerry's head?

That's nice, but lots of guys have had Jerry's ear. That doesn't mean ascribe them credit because it is convenient to pretend that their scope of influence is any more than as an advisor.

In that case, you are saying he values the OL more than Wade Phillips. Nice.

 

[boozeman]

Perfect gif. That had to have been hard for you to write.

Confused on the gif choice.

That is the guy splooging himself in the SNL skit.

 

[E_D_Guapo]

If you don't think Garrett has more influence over Jerry Jones than most then I don't know what to tell you. He is Jerry's Red-Headed Genius. The guy he tried to convince to retire as a player so he could add him to his coaching staff. The guy who he brought in & paid more than his head coach at the time , when he was just a very green QB coach. The guy whose team has lost in week 17 three years in a row in a 'win & you're in' situation yet did not get fired.

Jerry Jones thinks this guy is the shit. There is no doubt about it. It's his answer to Sean Payton or whatever 'brilliant' young coach you want to fill in that blank with. He has Jerry's respect and his ear. I don't think that's even debatable. I'm not giving Garrett all the credit for building this impressive young line, but I am saying he was heavily influential in it.

 

[NoDak]

Confused on the gif choice.

That is the guy splooging himself in the SNL skit.

He looks like he's disgusted.

Works for me.

 

[boozeman]

If you don't think Garrett has more influence over Jerry Jones than most then I don't know what to tell you. He is Jerry's Red-Headed Genius. The guy he tried to convince to retire as a player so he could add him to his coaching staff. The guy who he brought in & paid more than his head coach at the time , when he was just a very green QB coach. The guy whose team has lost in week 17 three years in a row in a 'win & you're in' situation yet did not get fired.

Jerry Jones thinks this guy is the shit. There is no doubt about it. It's his answer to Sean Payton or whatever 'brilliant' young coach you want to fill in that blank with. He has Jerry's respect and his ear. I don't think that's even debatable. I'm not giving Garrett all the credit for building this impressive young line, but I am saying he was heavily influential in it.

Funny how the tune changes when we start winning. Never saw this kind of rhetoric from you before, E_D.

All I can say is that I think things are as they always have been and will be.

Jerry will listen to who he wants to. And it varies, a lot.

If you want to ascribe credit to Garrett, knock yourself out.

I don't see him being more adept at bending Jerry's ear than Parcells or Wade. It just looks different and the results are better, mostly due to fortune.

And sometimes that is good enough.

Our last dynasty was not without fortune either.

 

[E_D_Guapo]

Funny how the tune changes when we start winning. Never saw this kind of rhetoric from you before, E_D.

All I can say is that I think things are as they always have been and will be.

Jerry will listen to who he wants to. And it varies, a lot.

If you want to ascribe credit to Garrett, knock yourself out.

I don't see him being more adept at bending Jerry's ear than Parcells or Wade. It just looks different and the results are better, mostly due to fortune.

I've never been totally sold on Garrett as a head coach but I've never doubted that the respect Jerry Jones has for him would give him more sway than just about anyone. That's not to say that I thought it was necessarily going to work out having Garrett be the guy with that much influence over him. He has gotten on my nerves plenty & I have been of the opinion that he has been given more rope than he deserves. I'm still not convinced he ever gets them where they want to be so don't color me as a Garrett flag-waver. This is a limited-scope commentary, not a full endorsement of Garrett as the man to lead the Cowboys to the promised land.

I'm just going by what I see as far as the state of the OL and how it coincides with Garrett's time as head coach. Couple that with the fact that I do believe he has significantly more influence over Jerry than a guy like Wade f'ing Phillips (seriously? come on. Jerry respected him as a coordinator & that's it) & I don't think it's just coincidence or dumb luck. Some luck, sure, but I also think there is some method there & I give Garrett some of the credit.

 

[data]

Wait until our 1-3 December and this obvious process suddenly turns to obvious 'need a process'

 

[boozeman]

Wait until our 1-3 December and this obvious process suddenly turns to obvious 'need a process'

Grim outlook, but a lot can take place in ten weeks to make geniuses look like dunces.

Garrett has a very long track record prior to these last five weeks of magic to foster enough doubt.

I am enjoying being able to talk mad shit at work right now, but I am not gullible enough to start stretching the moment into something more than it is.

This is a fun time. Enjoy it but it is dumb to expect it to continue until, well, it does.

 

[Smitty]

If you don't think Garrett has more influence over Jerry Jones than most then I don't know what to tell you. He is Jerry's Red-Headed Genius. The guy he tried to convince to retire as a player so he could add him to his coaching staff. The guy who he brought in & paid more than his head coach at the time , when he was just a very green QB coach. The guy whose team has lost in week 17 three years in a row in a 'win & you're in' situation yet did not get fired.

Jerry Jones thinks this guy is the shit. There is no doubt about it. It's his answer to Sean Payton or whatever 'brilliant' young coach you want to fill in that blank with. He has Jerry's respect and his ear. I don't think that's even debatable. I'm not giving Garrett all the credit for building this impressive young line, but I am saying he was heavily influential in it.

You can't say he had a role in it, without giving him credit.

And it's board dogma that everything he does sucks. It's why, when you point out that no, he actually does do some things well, you get labeled a "Garrett lover."

No one will ever stick up for him on anything because of the general malaise over the record the past four years in general, but it's missing the forest for the trees. Props on your spot-on analysis.

 

[Smitty]

Funny how the tune changes when we start winning. Never saw this kind of rhetoric from you before, E_D.

All I can say is that I think things are as they always have been and will be.

Jerry will listen to who he wants to. And it varies, a lot.

If you want to ascribe credit to Garrett, knock yourself out.

I don't see him being more adept at bending Jerry's ear than Parcells or Wade. It just looks different and the results are better, mostly due to fortune.

And sometimes that is good enough.

Our last dynasty was not without fortune either.

Who says he's better at bending Jerry's ear than Parcells? No one.

But he's bending Jerry's ear nonetheless, and he's getting the right players because of it. We gave Parcells all the credit in the world for the same thing (though obviously with much better results, to this point).