Cowlishaw: The Heat Is On

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
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[h=1]The heat is on[/h][h=2]Jerry makes it clear: Garrett is under the gun over last 5 games[/h]
  • The Dallas Morning News
  • 30 Nov 2017
  • After Twitter: @Timcowlishaw
Staff Illustration/michael Hogue
The Cowboys enter Thursday’s game with Washington having not only lost three straight games by 20 points or more, but having failed to reach 10 points in a three-game stretch for the first time in their 58-year history.

If that alone did not place head coach Jason Garrett on the hot seat, then the only man who can put him there — the rest of us are merely guessing — did exactly that on his morning radio appearance Tuesday on 105.3.

“No one understands any better where we need to improve than Jason does,” owner Jerry Jones said. “I think what you’re seeing this week is what good coaching will bring us. This is where you call on good coaching.”

One can wonder why that wasn’t called for three weeks ago when Ezekiel Elliott left the scene and tackle Tyron Smith was unable to play in Atlanta, a game that arguably ranked as Garrett’s worst as head coach at least until Thanksgiving when Philip Rivers sliced through the Cowboys’ defense with incredible ease while the Cowboys failed to mount any offense against the 32ndranked run defense in the NFL.

But the point is that Jerry is now calling for good coaching. He is telling us not only that is what we will see against the Redskins, but it’s what he needs to see over these final five games to feel secure about Garrett returning for his eighth full seasonin 2017.

While anyone who has spent time around Jones knows that he believes in Garrett and is loathe to making changes despite a history of having done so, that faith is being tested. No team should collapse so quickly while missing an elite running back and a Pro Bowl linebacker. Garrett’s team has failed to compete, losing the second-half battle 72-6 the last three games while reducing their wild-card hopes to roughly 5 percent, according to the computers,.

But we have also seen through the years Jones’ belief can fade quickly. Jones expressed ultimate support in Chan Gailey less than three weeks before firing him. And that firing came a trip to the playoffs.

Jones’ most famous (or infamous) firing will always be Jimmy Johnson, coming off two Super Bowls. But that fallout was building over a matter of months. Johnson was miserable despite his team’s success. He wanted out from under the 10-year contract that had seemed such a great deal in 1989. Jones responded by offering a raise but removing Johnson’s control of players, coaches and trainers.

Meanwhile, Jones couldn’t believe his head coach went public with his interest in the new job at Jacksonville the week the Cowboys were getting ready to play New York in the showdown for the NFC East. The two were barely speaking.

It is a measure of how far the Cowboys have fallen, how the expectations of a franchise that now gets shoved out of a late afternoon TV slot to make room for those Jaguars have slipped over two decades. There was a time when Jones believed 500 coaches could win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys’ talent. What makes him believe there aren’t at least a handful who could do a better job than two division titles in seven seasons?

Garrett has a 63-52 record as head coach. His playoff record is 1-2. As has been mentioned here, the seven other coaches not working in Cincinnati who have been around as long as Garrett have been to Super Bowls, and all but Carolina’s Ron Rivera have won Lombardi Trophies.

Garrett’s time here is hard to describe as anything more than above average. Because of that unprecedented run of 8-8 seasons, you can argue that the man has had only one losing season since being hired in 2010. Or you can say that he’s had just two winning seasons and won a single playoff game in all that time. Take your pick.

Jones prefers to see Garrett as a coach forever growing — “I without question have seen Jason evolve,” he said — but where is the evidence? Beyond showing a willingness to go for it on fourth down (as long as Elliott is around and the offense is whole), where do we see that evolution?

You can put this next part on the coordinators if you choose, but Garrett is the game day coach chosen to preside over all phases of the game. How could the offense be so slow to realize Chaz Green was overmatched on the left side in Atlanta and not offer help? How could the defense be so slow to figure out that Rivers was just ripping apart Rod Marinelli’s one-day love affair with the blitz?

Garrett is not tied up calling plays and hasn’t been for four years. It’s his job to stop those snowballs from rolling, and yet it hasn’t happened at all in recent weeks.

That’s why the clock is ticking on his time here, starting with a Thursday night game against Washington. The visitors have a much longer injury list than the Cowboys and the same also-ran 5-6 record.

Given all the Redskins players missing, Jay Gruden has done some good coaching of his own this season. Jones expects to see some on the other side of the field.
 

midswat

... soon
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I hope we lead 7-3 at the half, and lose 38-7.

HTTR
 

p1_

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I think we finally are seeing the beginning of the end of Garrett. I hope Cousins does his best Rivers impression tonight and torches this defense. I think I can count on Linehan to come up lame, not finding creative ways to get Bryant involved or move chains to sustain drives.
 

midswat

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I think we finally are seeing the beginning of the end of Garrett. I hope Cousins does his best Rivers impression tonight and torches this defense. I think I can count on Linehan to come up lame, not finding creative ways to get Bryant involved or move chains to sustain drives.
Me too. He's my fantasy starter.
 

data

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I think we finally are seeing the beginning of the end of Garrett. I hope Cousins does his best Rivers impression tonight and torches this defense. I think I can count on Linehan to come up lame, not finding creative ways to get Bryant involved or move chains to sustain drives.
Doesn't even need to do Philip Rivers impression. Cousins has performed very well in the Deathstar. Just continue to Cousins gonna Cous.

YOU LIKE THAT!?!?!
 

Texas Ace

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Real fans here.
Oh please....this doesn't make us fake fans or any other such nonsense.

We're just not stupid fans who are going to support the team no matter what. Jerry Jones gives us as fans the big middle finger, but we're supposed to be OK with that and just wave our pom poms nonstop for the team?

Is that what would make us "real" fans?

Bullshit.

You knock yourself out with your real fan dedication if you like, but know that it's fans just like you that enables Jerry Jones to run the team as he does. That means no more complaining from you about coaching, drafting, or anything else in regards to football operations because you support this team's way of doing things, therefore, you have no place to gripe.

Just sit back and wait and see and all that.
 

L.T. Fan

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Oh please....this doesn't make us fake fans or any other such nonsense.

We're just not stupid fans who are going to support the team no matter what. Jerry Jones gives us as fans the big middle finger, but we're supposed to be OK with that and just wave our pom poms nonstop for the team?

Is that what would make us "real" fans?

Bullshit.

You knock yourself out with your real fan dedication if you like, but know that it's fans just like you that enables Jerry Jones to run the team as he does. That means no more complaining from you about coaching, drafting, or anything else in regards to football operations because you support this team's way of doing things, therefore, you have no place to gripe.

Just sit back and wait and see and all that.
Perhaps you should look up the defination of fan. What you are describing is closer to tentative investor.
 

mcnuttz

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Perhaps you should look up the defination of fan. What you are describing is closer to tentative investor.
You gettin all Rowdy up in here, LT.
 

DLK150

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McNuttz, thanks for keeping me from thinking that I somehow ended up at Teh Zone!1!1
 

Cotton

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Oh please....this doesn't make us fake fans or any other such nonsense.

We're just not stupid fans who are going to support the team no matter what. Jerry Jones gives us as fans the big middle finger, but we're supposed to be OK with that and just wave our pom poms nonstop for the team?

Is that what would make us "real" fans?

Bullshit.

You knock yourself out with your real fan dedication if you like, but know that it's fans just like you that enables Jerry Jones to run the team as he does. That means no more complaining from you about coaching, drafting, or anything else in regards to football operations because you support this team's way of doing things, therefore, you have no place to gripe.

Just sit back and wait and see and all that.
Pretty much.
 

L.T. Fan

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Pretty much.
I wasn't indicating anyone was a fake fan rather I cannot see anywhere in a fans definition where they would wish for their team to lose games. I understand that there is a strategy underlying the position but its one I can't surrender to.
 

Cotton

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I wasn't indicating anyone was a fake fan rather I cannot see anywhere in a fans definition where they would wish for their team to lose games. I understand that there is a strategy underlying the position but its one I can't surrender to.
Just because you don't take the stance doesn't mean others can't.
 

NoDak

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Real fans here.
Damn right, real fans. Fuck the fake "support" hoping we can stumble to a couple more wins, and the return of Jason Garrett.

So, yeah. Real fans that are praying that Jerry finally has had enough of this bullshit and does something instead of just treading water in the mediocre end of the pool. Gotta break some eggs if you want to make an omelet.
 

midswat

... soon
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I blindly cheer my team no matter how shitty a product they are
 

L.T. Fan

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Damn right, real fans. Fuck the fake "support" hoping we can stumble to a couple more wins, and the return of Jason Garrett.

So, yeah. Real fans that are praying that Jerry finally has had enough of this bullshit and does something instead of just treading water in the mediocre end of the pool. Gotta break some eggs if you want to make an omelet.
I guess I am of the conventional fan position.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/235677-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-true-fan
 

p1_

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Didn't say you couldn't. I said it isn't compatible with the definition of a fan.
fa·nat·ic
fəˈnadik/
noun
noun: fanatic; plural noun: fanatics

1.
a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just because the object of the game is to win, a fan can wish for their team to lose and still be considered a fan. Because the fan knows that losing will force change upon a complacent organization, precisely what this Cowboys team is. Complacent and lazy, and oh yes, poorly coached from top to bottom. None of these fans cares one bit less for the Cowboys; in fact, one could say that it takes a certain fortitude for a fan to endure losing to the point that they want the losing bring about change that fans feel is in the best interest of the team. And seeing that Garret has had 7 middling years here to win with the most valuable franchise in the world, we deserve better. To the point of having to force Garrett out with embarrassing losses, making a mockery of a proud winning tradition that precedes and rises above the current regime. This is surely what fandom is about.
 
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