Dallas Cowboys aren’t going anywhere until they fire Jason Garrett
If the Dallas Cowboys expect to compete for Super Bowl championships, they must cut ties with their head coach.
The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to be considered among the best teams in the NFL this week. A win over the New England Patriots in Foxborough would have put the Cowboys in a great position to win their division and would have been a statement to the rest of the league. Unfortunately for Dallas, they dropped the ball, falling in a close one, 13-9.
Many will point to the phantom tripping call as the reason for the loss. While that was undoubtedly a terrible call, the Dallas Cowboys have nobody but themselves to blame in this game. In particular, head coach Jason Garrett should wear this loss.
The difference in the special teams between these two teams really stood out in this one. Most notably, the Patriots’ blocked punt in the first quarter led to the only touchdown in this game.
There was also a kickoff return in the fourth quarter that cost the Cowboys field position. The Patriots were kicking off into heavy winds. All kicks that had gone to that direction of the field in that game were extremely short. Despite this, the Cowboys still had return man Tony Pollard in the end zone and when the kick went short, nobody got to the ball in time. This gaffe did not end in a turnover, but it did cost Dallas field position in a crucial point in the game.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has always been a big supporter of Garrett. However, this loss may have been too much for him to handle. After the game, Jones spoke to reporters and appeared to take a direct shot at his head coach.
“To me, special teams is 100 percent coaching,” Jones said after the loss. “It’s strategy. It’s having players ready. Special teams is nothing but coaching. It’s frustrating to be reminded that some of the fundamentals of football and coaching were what beat us out there today.”
The Patriots will make a lot of teams look bad, but the Dallas Cowboys looked completely unprepared and overwhelmed. That falls on Garrett. His in-game decisions also continue to be an issue. Garrett is known as an extremely risk-averse coach who is not going make an aggressive call when it is needed. His timid decision-making hurt the Cowboys in a big way on Sunday.
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Late in the fourth quarter, Dallas was facing a fourth and seven from the Patriots 11-yard line. It was the first legitimate scoring chance that the team had for a long time in this game. Instead of going for it on fourth down to try to tie the game, the Cowboys kicked a field goal. The converted the kick, but still trailed the Patriots by four. With only six minutes left in the game, Dallas was giving the ball back to Tom Brady and still needed a touchdown to win.
Not going for it in that situation is simply inexcusable. Garrett was coaching scared and hoping for the best, instead of putting his team in the best position to succeed. We have seen him struggle like this time and time again, and I think it is fair to consider Garret a sitting duck at this point. Simply put, the Dallas Cowboys are not going to be serious Super Bowl contenders until they fire Jason Garrett.
They have put together an extremely impressive roster, but Garrett continues to hold them back. This offseason, Jones and the Cowboys need to cut bait with Garrett and find a real coach to lead this team. Let’s be honest, these are the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team. And they are loaded with impact players on both sides of the ball. They will have an opportunity to hire nearly any coach that they wish.
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If I were Jerry Jones, my first call would be to Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Riley is a superstar head coach in the making who would do wonders for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense. However, no matter who they replace him with, getting rid of Garrett is the key here. This move is long overdue and must be made as soon as possible.