Archer: Jason Garrett's Dallas Cowboys program is on the line in 2016

Cotton

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Jason Garrett's Dallas Cowboys program is on the line in 2016
7:55 AM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas -- Coach Jason Garrett likes to tell his Dallas Cowboys players to walk with their heads high, shoulders back and chests out.

It gives the air of confidence and belief, even if circumstances might say otherwise.

The Cowboys finished 4-12 in 2015 with the worst record in the NFC but last week at the Senior Bowl, Garrett had his head high, shoulders back and chest out. He does not let things bother him. At least publicly.

"One thing he is, he has an inordinate work ethic and he really does focus and really is going to be that way no matter what our record was the prior season," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "So I know that it's frustrating to him to have the kind of year we had but he was showing that and not in a way that hindered him coaching. But he was frustrated as I'm sure as he is right now at times during the season."

The day after the season-ending loss to the Washington Redskins, Garrett and his program had taken a step back. Even in the three straight 8-8 finishes from 2011-13 Garrett could see progress through the disappointment of three straight winner-take-all losses in de facto NFC East Championship Games.

It all came together in 2014 with a 12-4 record and a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs and it all fell apart in 2015 with the 4-12 record, including a 1-11 record without quarterback Tony Romo.

"What we have to do is just focus on becoming a better football team," Garrett said. "That's going to take a lot of hard work. We have to add players to our team. We have a lot of good players on our team right now. We just have to get back to work and focused on 2016. There's a lot to learn from what happened this past year for us. Again, our focus needs to be just on getting back to work one day at a time and doing things the right way."

Like 2014, 2016 is shaping up as a referendum on Garrett, except this time he has the security of a contract through 2019. In 2014, he was in the final year of his deal, coaching for his future.

Garrett is not making major changes to his coaching staff. Secondary coach Jerome Henderson left for the Atlanta Falcons and former University of Miami coach Al Golden was interviewed for a spot on the staff last week in Mobile, Alabama. Tight ends coach Mike Pope did not coach in the Senior Bowl because of a personal matter.

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said he does not expect major schematic changes. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's scheme is based on playing fast.

Jones has put his faith -- and patience -- in Garrett since he named him the offensive coordinator in 2007, the interim head coach in 2010 and the full-time coach in 2011.

"I have all the confidence that you need to have in Jason," Jones said. "I really like our staff. There's an old adage in evaluating players, since we're here at the Senior Bowl, if you see them do it you know they can do it. If they've done it one or two times then they can do it. Now we've seen this staff perform and have a good year, (2014). That's why I'm confident that if we get some stability at certainly some key positions on offense that we can have the team that we want to have."

The Cowboys' resolve, through Garrett's agenda, in 2015 was to forget the success of 2014 and somehow make the next step, and they failed miserably. The resolve in 2016 is to forget the failure of 2015 and find success again.

Garrett will be leading the way with his head high, shoulders back and chest out.

"Well, I'd like to think that our resolve is equal to achieve what we want to achieve, build a program we can all be proud of," Garrett said. "Then have success, have success on the field and be a winning championship football team."

___________________________________

Title was a little misleading. Sounds like Archer is about to write about how Garrett's neck might be on the line, and then doesn't write that at all.
 

UncleMilti

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Its OK Iamtdg...lets just continue to get better. Keep your head held high. The next article will be better. That's our belief.
 

BipolarFuk

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The Garrett firing press conference is going to be fascinating when it happens.
 

Cotton

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Its OK Iamtdg...lets just continue to get better. Keep your head held high. The next article will be better. That's our belief.
I'm stacking processes up in this bitch.
 

Chocolate Lab

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Archer said:
Garrett will be leading the way with his head high, shoulders back and chest out.
:robowink
 

Genghis Khan

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Apparently we are the most confident 4-12 team ever.

Do we get a trophy for that?
 

boozeman

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Apparently we are the most confident 4-12 team ever.

Do we get a trophy for that?
It blows my mind how this organization is reacting. It really is pretty arrogant.

Baltimore went from 10-6 to 5-11 and you don't hear dick from them pawning the decline on injury.

They had just as bad a go of it as we did. Lost their best pass rusher, their best RB, best WR, had their 1st rounder not play a down and lost Flacco for six games.

Yet, no bluster.

That means that organization is not led by a pathological optimistic lunatic with his ginger puppet clapping the whole way.
 

VA Cowboy

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I think it will be like the hiring PC

"Jerry owns the team; he can do what he wants"
That press conference was pure comedy gold:

Jerry: "Jason will have the final say on any person that leaves the coaching staff or comes to the coaching stadf. There wont be a player on this team that Jason does not want on the team. I wanna be real clear, we're gonna operate on the basis that he has the final say of any person thats on the staff, or joining the staff and there won't be a player on this team that Jason hasn't approved of. I think we've had critiscism in the past, or maybe some ambiguity, are we clear with that? What I just said? I want you to understand the confidence I have."
 

VA Cowboy

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I think it will be like the hiring PC

"Jerry owns the team; he can do what he wants"
That press conference was pure comedy gold:

Jerry: "Jason will have the final say on any person that leaves the coaching staff or comes to the coaching staff. There wont be a player on this team that Jason does not want on the team. I wanna be real clear, we're gonna operate on the basis that he has the final say of any person thats on the staff, or joining the staff and there won't be a player on this team that Jason hasn't approved of. I think we've had critiscism in the past, or maybe some ambiguity, are we clear with that? What I just said? I want you to understand the confidence I have."
 

DLK150

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I don't GAS about potential injury woes or anything else next season, I'm sick and tired of freaking excuses at every level of the organization. Sh!t or get off the fricking pot. If this team flops next year, Garrett should be fired as soon as it is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and while I'm putting the cart waaaay before the horse, it wouldn't shock me if we didn't make the playoffs next year. Garrett, at this moment, is the longest tenured coach in this team's history behind Landry. He's been less successful than any HC in the team's history except for Campo. It's time to put up or shut up but if we flop and he is actually fired, I won't shed a single tear for him. He's made his coin and can retire happily at a relatively young age. Shoot, he's younger than I am and I would take his situation.

Not to stray from the topic, but I hate that a true baller like Witten could end up without a SB title. I won't lie, I wouldn't mind seeing Witten finish his career with a team that has a legitimate shot at a SB win because I don't think he will have that chance in Dallas. I understand the need to let Ware go because of salary/injury issues but I was happy to see him earn a ring. Witten deserves one as well, he's a model NFL player and there aren't a ton of those these days. Regardless, he will go down as one of my all time favorite Cowboys.
 

Smitty

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If Garrett misses the playoffs he is probably gone, again barring some pretty ridiculous injury circumstances or bad luck, I suspect. And rightfully so as you can't keep a coach who is simply not showing any progress or even is regressing.

This was obviously not the case after his 12-4 season, and there were obvious personnel deficiencies that bought him some extra time during the three straight 8-8 years as well. But obviously another Romo-led 8-8 team probably means he's gone and no one on this board including me would argue against it.

Where I generally have the problem is the people who refuse to recognize the mess that a certain GM created for him then get upset when he got an extra year to prove himself when that mess couldn't be cleaned up right away, as if a guy like Jeff Fischer doesn't mirror his career exactly. After that, he went 12-4 and was showing movement in the right direction, before a shit ton of injuries derailed this year. So he gets one more chance to show he can continue making progress. That's what his whole campaign is based on ("put together one good day at a time and they add up") so this year should be the referendum on that.
 

Clay_Allison

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If Garrett misses the playoffs he is probably gone, again barring some pretty ridiculous injury circumstances or bad luck, I suspect. And rightfully so as you can't keep a coach who is simply not showing any progress or even is regressing.

This was obviously not the case after his 12-4 season, and there were obvious personnel deficiencies that bought him some extra time during the three straight 8-8 years as well. But obviously another Romo-led 8-8 team probably means he's gone and no one on this board including me would argue against it.

Where I generally have the problem is the people who refuse to recognize the mess that a certain GM created for him then get upset when he got an extra year to prove himself when that mess couldn't be cleaned up right away, as if a guy like Jeff Fischer doesn't mirror his career exactly. After that, he went 12-4 and was showing movement in the right direction, before a shit ton of injuries derailed this year. So he gets one more chance to show he can continue making progress. That's what his whole campaign is based on ("put together one good day at a time and they add up") so this year should be the referendum on that.
One injury derailed this year. ONE.
 

Smitty

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One injury derailed this year. ONE.
Uh... Bryant? Scandrick? Gregory? Suspensions of Hardy and McClain?

I think not having RB resolved cost the team way more than they thought too, though that is on him as well.
 

Cotton

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Uh... Bryant? Scandrick? Gregory? Suspensions of Hardy and McClain?

I think not having RB resolved cost the team way more than they thought too, though that is on him as well.
The only one that was out for the season was Scandrick in your list, and we went 1-11 without ONE player. 1 and fucking 11.
 

Clay_Allison

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Uh... Bryant? Scandrick? Gregory? Suspensions of Hardy and McClain?

I think not having RB resolved cost the team way more than they thought too, though that is on him as well.
:lol we went 4-12, not 8-8. Your boyfriend made wins into losses over and over like he was betting against us.
 
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Smitty

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The only one that was out for the season was Scandrick in your list, and we went 1-11 without ONE player. 1 and fucking 11.
No sense in continuing this discussion if you don't want be be rational and acknowledge Bryant.
 

Cotton

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No sense in continuing this discussion if you don't want be be rational and acknowledge Bryant.
He wasn't out for the season. He was in the game when we lost 5 in a row. Weird, huh?
 
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