I have written a number of blog post about what we, as fans, expect from the players on this Cowboys team. Now let’s put some responsibility at the feet of Jason Garrett. In order for the Dallas Cowboys to make the jump to being a championship team they will need an A+ effort from their General.
Jason Garrett is coming off an amazing season with the Dallas Cowboys which lead to him receiving the coach of the year award. He was able to guide his team to a 13-3 record, a division title, and the best record in the NFC. They eventually lost to the Packers in the divisional round, but the Cowboys still had a good season. I still don’t think we have seen the best of Garrett’s coaching abilities.
Since the three straight seasons going 8-8 from 2011-2013, Garrett has been an above average coach. It should be mentioned that in those three season the Cowboys playoff chances can down to the last game of the season. Some people blame Romo for those loses and some blame Garrett, either way the Cowboys missed the playoffs and that looks bad on both their records.
Garrett and the Cowboys stormed back in 2014 with a 12-4 record and playoff berth. They were able to beat the Lions in the first game of the playoffs and then lost again to the Packers. In that season Romo finished third in MVP voting and the Cowboys appeared to be a team on the rise. The Cowboys appeared to be in a good position and then Romo suffered a broken collarbone in the 2015 season. I’m not going to hold that 4-12 season against Garrett alone because Romo injuries plus other factors went into the underachieving season.
Last year we really saw Garrett take that General approach to coaching. Generals have to be able to strategize. They must be able to put the troops in the best position to win the battle. Garrett understood that he had a rookie quarterback and running. He also knew that running the ball and limiting turnovers would protect that weak defense. With all that he was able to devise a very effective game plan week in and week out. Some of you may think I’m giving Garrett too much credit. I may be, but at the moment he is the coach and he deserves credit for creating the game plan, and allowing his coordinators to carry out the game plan. This is exactly what we will need from Garrett this season. He has to be able to out maneuver the really good teams on the Cowboys schedule. On paper the Cowboys matchup with any team in the league, but he has to find creative ways to put Dak in positions to win games and not just manage them anymore. He also has to force the run (because we know he will abandon it early at times) on the defense and make defenses stop Zeke.
Personnel will be a key factor in Garrett out maneuvering these other coaches. It’s time to see him do for this team what we have seen Belichick do for so many years, get the roles players involved! The Patriots do a wonderful job at getting what they believe to be the X-factor involved. James White can come in a catch 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. Martellus Bennett is put in positions to make clutch play after play to win games for the Patriots. The Cowboys need this. If Terrance Williams isn’t an outside wide receiver then put him inside, run him on reverses, or get him going in the screen game. If defense are putting 8 in the box to stop Zeke then get him going in the underneath passing game or screen game. He has to be able to out think these other coaches and get the most out of the Cowboys role players.
While I think Garrett is a good coach we need to see him step up and get more from these role players. We need to see players like Brice Butler, Terrance Williams, Darren McFadden, Geoff Swaim, and Rico Gathers be the X-factor for the Cowboys. In games when Dez is struggling we should see packages that get Gathers, Swaim, and McFadden going. I would love to see more two running backs, two tight ends packages. The Cowboys have a very versatile personnel grouping and they should be able to exploit any defense this season. On the defensive side of of the ball I expect him to be able to go the Marnelli and tell him that one players isn’t being as effective as another player. He has to take the role of General and make the tough calls on the sideline in game. Garrett has to be special because he has a very young team and with the right guidance a good young team, that is prepared to contend this year for its first championship title in 20 plus years.
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