Watkins - Bill Callahan says he'll call plays

L.T. Fan

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Because Jerry is basically the face of the organization which isn't the case with any other team. This one isolated incident wouldn't be that big of a deal if it wasn't for the pattern of Jerry being the one to make declarations to the media that normally come from the head coach.
Well Simp that is somewhat a contradiction in terms. He is the face of the organization and has been making announcements for them since day one. It just so happens that he didn't make this particular announcement. Actually it is akin to an enigma for this circumstance.
 

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Garrett says there's no advantage to revealing play-caller in June: 'It's just the way I feel about it'

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said there’s no advantage to revealing who is going to call plays, not at this point in the offseason.

That’s why he resisted for so long acknowledging what owner Jerry Jones told reporters Tuesday at Valley Ranch – that offensive line coach Bill Callahan will call plays next year.

“There is no real advantage for us to reveal who’s calling the plays explicitly, and how we’re going to do it, in early June,” Garrett said. “It’s just the way I feel about it. We have scouts who advance games, who go watch other teams play, and we try to figure out how they’re calling plays, offensively, defensively and the kicking game. We have a plan in place. We’ve had a plan in place for a long, long time. I don’t want to get into that plan much further than I already have.”

Garrett brushed off the idea that the change could mean he has less power.

“Perception doesn’t matter to me a whole lot,” he said. “Doing my job to the best of my ability matters the most. What my job is, is to try to create an environment for everyone in this building, on this football team, players and coaches, to be put in the best position possible to be there best. And consequently, we can be our best as a team. That’s why I focus on each and every day.”

Garrett said of course he was on board with the decision.

“I’m completely on board with all decisions we make,” he said. “We make collective decisions in this organization. We always have, and we always will.”

Garrett was asked if Jones’ impromptu announcements sometimes make his job more difficult as head coach.

“Not at all,” Garrett said. “He and I get along great. We have a great relationship. He’s an outstanding owner. He’s an outstanding owner because he cares a great deal about this football team and making the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys great. When you’re in an environment like that, working for a guy like that, the pedal is down, and that’s a good thing. The pedal is down for all of us.”

But, Garrett was asked, is it fair to say he and Jones have different philosophies on how information is put out?

Garrett, expressionless, said: “I think you can draw your own conclusions.”

The press conference ended in laughter, and Garrett walked off with a smile.

-- Carlos Mendez
 

Cotton

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The Cowboys -- make that, Jerry Jones -- reveal 'The Decision:' Callahan will call the plays

The Cowboys’ own version of “The Decision” – whose going to call plays – has been made.

It’s offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that the play-calling duties were settled “weeks ago,” and he said Callahan is an ideal fit for the job.

“I like the coordinator – the play-caller if you will – I like for him to have a background focused in the interior and focused in the protections and focused in the blocking for the running game. I think that’s a great way to get there as a coordinator,” Jones told reporters after an OTA practice at Valley Ranch.

Callahan said he would be “honored” to take over the keys to head coach Jason Garrett’s offense.

“Jason has placed a lot of trust in the staff,” Callahan said. “He is still involved in the game planning and in the meetings, and rightfully so. He is the head coach. This is his area of expertise. This is his system. So I’m really honored. I’m flattered to be part of this and take on the addition al responsibilities of calling the plays in the course of the game.”

Jones said Callahan’s influence is already being seen during the OTA practices.

“The big deal is, if you’ve been looking at practice, you can get a pretty good idea of how it’s going there, see Bill very involved in what we’re doing out there,” Jones said.

Garrett didn’t want to talk about the decision. He said it would be a competitive disadvantage for the Cowboys if other teams know so early in the offseason who is calling plays.

“My job is to do what is in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys,” he said. “That’s how I proceed every day, and that’s how I answer every question. We’re focused on what we’re doing here with the Dallas football Cowboys today, in OTA Day 8, we have a plan in place, and we’ll continue to proceed with that plan.”

-- Carlos Mendez
 

Simpleton

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Well Simp that is somewhat a contradiction in terms. He is the face of the organization and has been making announcements for them since day one. It just so happens that he didn't make this particular announcement. Actually it is akin to an enigma for this circumstance.
And he shouldn't be in terms of technical football matters, that's the problem.
 

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Jerry Jones may be doing Garrett a favor
June, 4, 2013

By Dan Graziano | ESPNDallas.com

So yeah, the news out of Valley Ranch on Tuesday is that Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who also already held the title of offensive coordinator, will take over play-calling responsibilities from head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys had tried to keep this decision secret for months, but team owner Jerry Jones let the cat out of the bag when reporters asked him and he told them that Callahan was calling the plays in practice and they should infer their answer from that. Callahan then confirmed the news, saying he was "flattered, encouraged and honored."

Garrett then declined to confirm (or deny) the news, reiterating his position that it's not to the team's advantage to make such things public before it's absolutely necessary and insisting he was on board with any and all Cowboys decisions. And look, if the career buzzards were circling your head the way they've been circling Garrett's, hunting every crumb of evidence to prove Jones is out to thin the ice under his coach, you might not feel like admitting such a thing, either. Garrett's pride may very well be hurt here, and if it is, that would be understandable. He's called the Cowboys' offensive plays since 2007, when he was the offensive coordinator and three years before he was head coach. It's hard to believe he's eager to give it up.

Personally, I think Garrett should welcome this development. Whatever Jones' motivation, real or imagined, the end result here is that the change removes from Garrett's plate something with which he was struggling and should allow him to focus more on the aspects of the head coaching job at which he's proven adept.

Listen In-game play calling and decision-making simply wasn't working out for Garrett the head coach. The Cowboys took too long to get plays in. They made weird decisions in crunch time. You can argue that this got better as the 2012 season went along, but "better" doesn't mean "solved," and we're working with two and a half seasons' worth of evidence that this is not Garrett's strong suit while he has other coaching responsibilities.

But if you're going to discuss the aspects of his job with which Garrett has struggled, it's important to also discuss those at which he has exceeded expectations. As a manager of players, a leader of the locker room, a navigator of the emotional highs and lows of an NFL season, Garrett has actually proven to be quite good. On a team that's covered as intensely and in-depth as any in any sport, you never hear players griping on or off the record about the coach. The 2012 Cowboys, until their Week 17 flop in Washington, were the story of a resilient team that held together despite a rough on-field start and some very rough off-field troubles. The coach deserves credit for that.

It's clear, if you've been around the Cowboys in the past couple of years, that Garrett has more input into roster decisions than his recent and immediate predecessors had. Jones listens to him, and Garrett has a significant say in the vision for and direction of the franchise. This is the reason he's likely not in as much immediate danger of losing his job as many seem to think he is. Jones has always thought more highly of Garrett than the conventional wisdom has, and he's likely to stick with him longer than conventional wisdom might suggest he would or should.

And while giving up play-calling duties may not be something Garrett sought or wanted, it's got a chance to help him be a better coach. If it's a decision Jones imposed on him, then Jones is taking away an aspect of Garrett's job that makes him look bad and offering more time to focus on those that make him look good. Garrett may not like it, and it may look from the outside like Jones undermining his coach. Heck, it may be Jones undermining his coach. But if the Cowboys hold together as a team again the way they did last year, and if they win one or two more games and make the playoffs, it may turn out to be a good thing for everyone involved -- Garrett most of all.
 

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Callahan says he is 'flattered' and 'honored' to be play-caller, says it's still a collaboration and credits Garrett

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan said he is “flattered” that owner Jerry Jones has faith in him to call plays and that he will be “honored” to run head coach Jason Garrett’s offense.

“I’m flattered,” Callahan told reporters, who cornered him at Valley Ranch after Jones said he liked his play-caller to have a background in interior offensive line and pass protection.

“As we said a long time ago, everybody has a stake in this,” Callahan said. “It’s a compliment to our staff. I love our staff. I love the way our guys work on the offensive side of the ball. I’m really encouraged. I’m honored. I just want to do the best job for our guys and our team.”

Callahan said the offense remains Garrett’s.

“Jason has placed a lot of trust in the staff,” he said. “He is still involved in the game planning and in the meetings, and rightfully so. He is the head coach. This is his area of expertise. This is his system. So I’m really honored. I’m flattered to be part of this and take on the additional responsibilities of calling the plays in the course of the game.”

Callahan also said Garrett deserves credit for a staff that works well together.

“It’s a real compliment to be on a staff of guys that have worked, extremely hard, and have worked together,” Callahan said. “That’s the essence of this collaboration, is be on the same page, working together, and being ready for situations that can arise and occur within the game. Having that communication and dialogue is important. It’s not one person. It’s everybody. Everybody is involved in these decisions. Everybody has a voice on this offensive staff.

“It’s a real compliment to the staff, it’s a compliment to Jason, and I think he is one of the best play callers around.”

-- Carlos Mendez
 

ravidubey

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Garrett, expressionless, said: “I think you can draw your own conclusions.”

The press conference ended in laughter, and Garrett walked off with a smile.

-- Carlos Mendez
At least a little style and hint of backbone. As a player I could get behind a coach with this attitude given how overwhelming Jerry can be. With this simple move Garrett has just told everyone including Jerry exactly how he is different and why.

It's always best to hold as many cards as possible close to the chest. Why reveal who's calling plays at all? Any little thing gives the other team an advantage, because even though they can't make a video of your playcalling signals it doesn't mean they won't try and guess them during a game. Coaches cover their mouths with a play sheet so no one reads their lips.
 

Cotton

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At least a little style and hint of backbone. As a player I could get behind a coach with this attitude given how overwhelming Jerry can be. With this simple move Garrett has just told everyone including Jerry exactly how he is different and why.

It's always best to hold as many cards as possible close to the chest. Why reveal who's calling plays at all? Any little thing gives the other team an advantage, because even though they can't make a video of your playcalling signals it doesn't mean they won't try and guess them during a game. Coaches cover their mouths with a play sheet so no one reads their lips.
Because, Jerry likes the dramatics of it all.
 

ravidubey

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Because, Jerry likes the dramatics of it all.
He is an attention whore first and foremost. It's the part of the job that he's completely fallen in love with.

It was beautiful watching Bob Costas hammer him face to face on national TV last year. He was looking at Jerry like "What are you doing?" and Jones was left scrambling at a response. If more people treat him like that I think he might start to shy away from the limelight. Wishful thinking, and too little way too late.
 

Cotton

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He is an attention whore first and foremost. It's the part of the job that he's completely fallen in love with.

It was beautiful watching Bob Costas hammer him face to face on national TV last year. He was looking at Jerry like "What are you doing?" and Jones was left scrambling at a response. If more people treat him like that I think he might start to shy away from the limelight. Wishful thinking, and too little way too late.
MacMahon did the same thing. It was nice to watch Jerry almost lose his shit. :lol
 

Rev

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3 Superbowls
 

1bigfan13

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I'd resign if I was Garrett. I wouldn't want to be an accomplice to my own gelding, but hey that's me.
Why resign? If I'm Garrett I give this "walk-around" coach thing a try. It's not like his process has shown results.

I think this can only help him on game day. Garrett has shown the propensity to struggle with what should be simple in game decisions, presumably because he struggles to juggle his play calling responsibilities with his head coaching responsibilites.
 

boozeman

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He can't even beat 'Other'
What I want to know is who "Other" would be? These numbnuts voting think Jerry is going to hire someone else? The only other guy is Wade Wilson.
 

Carp

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What I want to know is who "Other" would be? These numbnuts voting think Jerry is going to hire someone else? The only other guy is Wade Wilson.
Wes Phillips.
 

Lotuseater

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Why resign? If I'm Garrett I give this "walk-around" coach thing a try. It's not like his process has shown results.

I think this can only help him on game day. Garrett has shown the propensity to struggle with what should be simple in game decisions, presumably because he struggles to juggle his play calling responsibilities with his head coaching responsibilites.
Yeah, there is still that whole "wasn't expierienced enough to call plays from his own offense" label people will slap on him after this. You know that is exactly what this was, no matter how much they talk about "collective decisions" which I posted earlier and is exactly what he said. Company line.

If it works, I'm all in I suppose, but I'm thinking Garrett can't be happy about this.

I guess he's not the kind of guy to let some petty demasculinization stand in the way of good ol "intellectual" football.
 

Texas Ace

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At least someone has finally come out and said who's calling plays.

What a joke this entire process has been.
 

Clay_Allison

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I'd resign if I was Garrett. I wouldn't want to be an accomplice to my own gelding, but hey that's me.
Leave something like seven million on the table? Oh, hell no. I'd make Jerry pay me every. damn. dime. Just like Wade did.
 
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