Sport DFW
FanSided

Dallas Cowboys: More Proof Jason Garrett Needs To Go

By Daniel Ruppert

facebooktwitterreddit

A loss by the Dallas Cowboys, and a win by the Houston Texans shows another reason Jason Garrett needs to go.

Over the past few seasons there has been a lot of criticism of Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. While some of that criticism died down last season, this season has not only rekindled some of the old issues, but it’s raised some new ones as well. Surprisingly, a win by the Houston Texans could be one of the best examples of why Garrett’s tenure should be in jeopardy.

Former backup quarterback and now starting Texans quarterback, Brandon Weeden, won on Sunday. This wasn’t a game in which Weeden was just asked to be a bus driver, no, he led the Texans to a 34-6 beat-down. The excuses for his play with the Cowboys usually focused on him missing wide receiver, Dez Bryant. But with the Texans he didn’t have much more. Armed only with receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Weeden thrived. He didn’t even have a half-way decent running game.

While Weeden was in Dallas, the playcalling was terrible, the game plan was vanilla, and the adjustments to the team were almost non-existent. This falls squarely on Jason Garrett. As the head coach it is your job to get the team ready to play each week, game plan, and adjust. These have been some of the issues Garrett has had over the years, and Sunday shows just how glaring of a problem Garrett has.

Since Garrett has taken over as head coach, the Dallas Cowboys are hovering around being a .500 team. “Mediocrity” is the word many fans use when talking about the Cowboys over the last few years. Some of the blame should fall on the roster moves (and lack of roster moves) by the GM, but that has been covered to death. Everyone knows Jerry Jones is an issue and that can’t be fixed.

The first issue when looking at Garrett over the years has been the lack of adjustments. Too many times, win or lose, the Cowboys have played games in which Garrett hasn’t made adjustments to how the game was being played. The lack of a killer instinct to keep pushing after a half, allowing defenses to stack the box without finding a way to punish them, and defensive adjustments have been pretty common during Garrett’s reign.

More from Dallas Cowboys

Another issue when looking at Garrett is his mismanagement of the clock. Often, when it is time for the Cowboys to slow the game down to preserve a score, they seemingly push, when it is time to push to extend a lead or make a comeback, they wait and stall. It is all maddening to watch Garrett control the ball and game.

A recent argument that has arisen from Garrett is his inability to motivate his team. Too often after a terrible play or error is Garrett seen clapping, cheering, and hugging a player. When a player is yelling on the sideline or there seems to be an issue on the sideline, Garrett never steps in and takes control. There doesn’t appear to be accountability being held by Garrett to the players. This not only shows on the sidelines, but also on the field.

It is time for Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones to seriously look at ending the Jason Garrett era as head coach. The issues with letting him go, however, is that it will cost the Cowboys about $24 million, and with Jones as owner bringing a strong independent coach who wants control is almost an impossibility. While Garrett has shown the inability to coach without quarterback Tony Romo, there are more issues than just Jason Garrett and his coaching.

Next: Cowboys Lose To Bills, But Win In Draft Position

More from Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

The responsibility for the mediocrity over the last few seasons needs to start with Jerry Jones, but since there is no way he is stepping down, the next finger needs to be pointed at Jason Garrett. Even if Garrett were to lose his job after this season (which in my opinion needs to happen), there is no way Jerry Jones allows the type of coach the Dallas Cowboys really need to be hired.

Home/Dallas Cowboys