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Jason Garrett's 'next man up' philosophy flawed
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- The “next man up” philosophy Jason Garrett and seemingly every other coach espouses is the biggest fallacy in sports.
Poppycock of the highest order, if you will.
It’s a lie coaches tell to make themselves and their fan base feel better because the philosophy is built around the premise that no player is bigger than the team. The backup is working, studying and practicing just as hard as the starter, so when he gets an opportunity to play, there won’t be much drop off in performance, if at all.
“You try to put your best team together each week as to who’s available to you and the guys who aren’t available you try to get them back as quickly as you can,” Garrett said. “We have guys who work hard and want to play. We have to do our best guys as coaches to put them in an environment where they can play and play well.”
Coaches promote the next man up philosophy so they don't give off the impression they're making excuses because of injuries or suspensions. The Cowboys lost to New Orleans, in part, because they’re missing a litany of starters who could’ve helped against the Saints.
How's that next man up philosophy working out for the Cowboys? It's not.
They’re 2-2 with no tangible evidence they can or will win another game until Dez Bryant (foot) supposedly returns after the bye week following Sunday’s game against New England. The reality is the Cowboys will struggle to win any game until Tony Romo returns in six weeks from a broken left collarbone.
There's a reason Romo earns an average of $18 million per season and backup Brandon Weeden makes $660,000. It’s no coincidence Bryant earns an average of $14 million per year, while Terrance Williams makes $615,000.
Defensive end Greg Hardy can earn as much as $13 million this season, but Jeremy Mincey makes $2.5 million. Romo, Bryant and Hardy are among the best in the NFL at their craft and their salaries are commensurate with that.
Weeden, the next man up for Romo, is playing hard as he can but there's no comparison between the two players just like there's no comparison between Williams and Bryant or Hardy and Mincey. That's not a knock on Weedon, Williams or Mincey, it's the reality of the NFL. This is one time the numbers don’t lie.
It’s not that injuries provide an excuse for losing, but they can be a reason for losing. Injuries can compromise a team so much that it’s difficult for it to compete at football’s highest level.
The Cowboys blew a 14-point lead against Atlanta in Week 3, and a 13-10 third-quarter lead against New Orleans.
Linebacker Sean Lee played only 14 snaps before leaving with a concussion. Anthony Hitchins, Lee’s replacement, had a team-high 11 tackles, half a sack and a tackle for loss, but in overtime he admittedly didn’t get everyone aligned properly.
The result: Drew Brees threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to win the game. It’s not Hitchins' fault the Cowboys’ lost, but those types of mistakes tend to occur more often when the next man up is on the field
Lance Dunbar, who has accounted for five plays of 20 yards or more this season, tore a knee ligament against New Orleans and will miss the season. Who's the next man up for him in his role on third down and the two-minute offense? Maybe, it doesn’t matter since no one else on this team can replicate his skill set.
Whether Garrett chooses to acknowledge it or not, making sure his team doesn’t have a pity party this week should be high on his list of duties. Remember, this team had Super Bowl aspirations when training camp began. Now, it’s just trying to remain in the playoff hunt long enough for Romo to return.
“That’s never really been an issue for us as a team,” Garrett said when asked about his team’s potential sagging spirits. “We have the right kind of guys on our team and our coaching staff. We put it all out there each week.
“Somehow, some way we come back the next week regardless of what the result was and you get ready for the next challenge. That’s what we believe in around here.”
Still, it’s hard to do when the role of the next man up increases weekly.
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- The “next man up” philosophy Jason Garrett and seemingly every other coach espouses is the biggest fallacy in sports.
Poppycock of the highest order, if you will.
It’s a lie coaches tell to make themselves and their fan base feel better because the philosophy is built around the premise that no player is bigger than the team. The backup is working, studying and practicing just as hard as the starter, so when he gets an opportunity to play, there won’t be much drop off in performance, if at all.
“You try to put your best team together each week as to who’s available to you and the guys who aren’t available you try to get them back as quickly as you can,” Garrett said. “We have guys who work hard and want to play. We have to do our best guys as coaches to put them in an environment where they can play and play well.”
Coaches promote the next man up philosophy so they don't give off the impression they're making excuses because of injuries or suspensions. The Cowboys lost to New Orleans, in part, because they’re missing a litany of starters who could’ve helped against the Saints.
How's that next man up philosophy working out for the Cowboys? It's not.
They’re 2-2 with no tangible evidence they can or will win another game until Dez Bryant (foot) supposedly returns after the bye week following Sunday’s game against New England. The reality is the Cowboys will struggle to win any game until Tony Romo returns in six weeks from a broken left collarbone.
There's a reason Romo earns an average of $18 million per season and backup Brandon Weeden makes $660,000. It’s no coincidence Bryant earns an average of $14 million per year, while Terrance Williams makes $615,000.
Defensive end Greg Hardy can earn as much as $13 million this season, but Jeremy Mincey makes $2.5 million. Romo, Bryant and Hardy are among the best in the NFL at their craft and their salaries are commensurate with that.
Weeden, the next man up for Romo, is playing hard as he can but there's no comparison between the two players just like there's no comparison between Williams and Bryant or Hardy and Mincey. That's not a knock on Weedon, Williams or Mincey, it's the reality of the NFL. This is one time the numbers don’t lie.
It’s not that injuries provide an excuse for losing, but they can be a reason for losing. Injuries can compromise a team so much that it’s difficult for it to compete at football’s highest level.
The Cowboys blew a 14-point lead against Atlanta in Week 3, and a 13-10 third-quarter lead against New Orleans.
Linebacker Sean Lee played only 14 snaps before leaving with a concussion. Anthony Hitchins, Lee’s replacement, had a team-high 11 tackles, half a sack and a tackle for loss, but in overtime he admittedly didn’t get everyone aligned properly.
The result: Drew Brees threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to win the game. It’s not Hitchins' fault the Cowboys’ lost, but those types of mistakes tend to occur more often when the next man up is on the field
Lance Dunbar, who has accounted for five plays of 20 yards or more this season, tore a knee ligament against New Orleans and will miss the season. Who's the next man up for him in his role on third down and the two-minute offense? Maybe, it doesn’t matter since no one else on this team can replicate his skill set.
Whether Garrett chooses to acknowledge it or not, making sure his team doesn’t have a pity party this week should be high on his list of duties. Remember, this team had Super Bowl aspirations when training camp began. Now, it’s just trying to remain in the playoff hunt long enough for Romo to return.
“That’s never really been an issue for us as a team,” Garrett said when asked about his team’s potential sagging spirits. “We have the right kind of guys on our team and our coaching staff. We put it all out there each week.
“Somehow, some way we come back the next week regardless of what the result was and you get ready for the next challenge. That’s what we believe in around here.”
Still, it’s hard to do when the role of the next man up increases weekly.
