Call me crazy, but I think the most interesting/only thing the Dallas Cowboys have done this offseason is refusing to give head coach Jason Garrett a contract extension. It’s been presented by Jerry Jones as sort of a gift to fans for having endured so many years of the humorless redhead.
My question for Jerry or Stephen, next time I run into them, is what is the upside to turning Garrett into a lame duck coach, other than keeping fans somewhat pacified? Is there some thought he’ll pull out all the stops in this final year of his contract? Will he clap a little harder on the sideline?
There is no great way to spin this. Garrett has the type of personality that will accept whatever hand he’s dealt from the Jones boys. They might be at an “impasse” with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, but they’ll never have that happen with Garrett. This man would never put off a surgery in order to gain leverage with management.
But a funny thing happened on the way to The Biltmore, a posh resort in Phoenix, where the owners meetings were held earlier this week. First off, I found Garrett’s quotes to be unusually straightforward on several fronts. He didn’t run from questions about Lawrence’s future, and then he gave very direct answers to questions about David Irving’s decision to pursue a career in the growing cannabis industry. Irving seems uniquely qualified to flourish in this exciting field.
Then, Garrett strolled into a meeting with the owners and reportedly brought the house down with his advocacy for expanded replay regarding pass interference calls or non-calls. The man constantly connected to Cowboys coaching rumors, Sean Payton, basically said Garrett was the man of the hour leading up to a near-unanimous vote by the owners.
“He was outstanding,” Payton said. “He finished and I was like, ‘Dilly Dilly!’”
Did we just a catch a glimpse of how Garrett will function while operating without a net? If so, let’s take a long look at him this season. He’ll be presiding over offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who was surprisingly promoted after one season as quarterbacks coach. I’m told members of the Cowboys coaching staff were just as surprised as fans when this move was announced. And while we can say nice things about Moore’s future, this will be Jason’s offense in 2019. To be more clear, I believe he will be the keeper of the play chart.
Last season, Scott Linehan was able to serve as the fall guy for the lack of creativity on offense. He was ordered to visit with college coaches and try to diversify his offense, but he responded with much of the same. The Cowboys only turned the corner after trading a first-round pick for Amari Cooper. Dallas’ lackluster performance against the Rams sealed Linehan’s fate and put the onus back on Garrett to lead the offense. If coaching in the final season of his contract somehow causes to Garrett to have more sense of urgency on offense, then I like the plan. Let the Princeton man go down swinging instead of clapping.
The Cowboys have made a mess of this Lawrence negotiation so far this offseason, but that can be rectified. I’m starting to think their approach with Garrett may be a spark of genius. Can the most process-oriented coach in the NFL throw caution to the wind in an attempt to save his job? I think that’s what Jerry and Stephen are trying to figure out.
When Garrett, a member of the competition committee, made a passionate speech about the integrity of the game, I think it reminded owners such as Arthur Blank (Falcons) and Steve Bisciotti (Ravens) why they once offered him head-coaching opportunities. We talk all the time about how players tend to put up big numbers in contract seasons. Why can’t this apply to head coaches?
With apologies to Randall Cobb, I think not extending Garrett has been the Cowboys’ best offseason move. Early returns lead me to echo Payton with a resounding Dilly Dilly!