Dallas Cowboys: Have the players quit on Garrett?
By Dink Kearney
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-6, have lost three games in a row, and have been out scored 92-22. Have the players quit on Jason Garrett?
The Dallas Cowboys are on a three game losing streak and look like the NFC version of the Cleveland Browns. Their quarterback play is subpar, the offensive play calling is beyond predictable, and the defense is pathetic without Sean Lee.
The answers vary as to why the Cowboys are on a losing streak. The obvious reason is the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott, which has the offense in stuck in neutral.
The absence of Pro Bowlers Tyron Smith and Lee are the other reasons why the Cowboys are on a losing streak. Lastly, it’s the coaching staff that is being held responsible for the Cowboys downward spiral.
I wholeheartedly agree that most of the losing is because of the inept coaching. Speaking of the coaching staff, specifically head coach Jason Garrett, that’s where the responsibility lies.
And after watching the Cowboys lose their last three games in uninspired fashion, this question has to be asked: Have the Cowboys’ players quit on Garrett?
When I saw the Cowboys lackluster performance against the San Diego Chargers, I immediately said to myself, “I’ve seen this performance before. I know this movie all too well! And I know how its going to end! It ends the same way every single time!”
The movie I’m referring to is when the players quit on their coach and just mail it in and lose every game. This happened to the Cowboys back in the middle of the 2010 season when they lost badly to the Green Bay Packers, 45-7.
At first, its a mirage of inept coaching. But once you get past the coaching and analyze the players, you realize the players quit on the coach a long time ago.
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones fired then head coach Wade Phillips the very next day because of that loss and the fact the Cowboys started the season 1-7.
One of the main reasons for Wade’s firing was that he had lost the locker room, the worse thing that can happen to a coach on any level.
Let’s be mindful that in 2009, Wade led the Cowboys to their first playoff win since 1995, completing the trifecta by beating the awful Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
But during the first eight games of the 2010 season, the Cowboys’ players played uninspired football each and every game, and it just got worse. After Garrett took over the reigns as interim head coach, the Cowboys went 5-3 and played much better under him, finishing the season 6-10.
I’m afraid players are quitting on Garrett, and my fears were confirmed in this article after the loss to the Eagles. Further, it’s talked about in this article after the Cowboys loss to the Chargers.
Regardless if you like the media or not, there are times when rumors of this nature have some merit. These rumors don’t magically appear out of nowhere without a leg to stand on.
Tight end Jason Witten disputes this allegation and said the players haven’t quit on Garrett.
"“He does a really good job of communicating with the players, kind of talking about what the formula looks like and the winning formula,” Witten said to Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Star-telegram."
Witten went on to say they have a lot of confidence in Garrett and nobody in the locker room has quit on the coaches. Of course, that’s what Witten is supposed to say.
Besides bad coaching on both sides of the ball, most of the players appear to be unmotivated in their last three games. There is no spunk, no inspiration, no sense of urgency, nobody is screaming and yelling, no player is upset, and nobody is holding anyone accountable.
All I see is a bunch of underachieving players who don’t have the desire to play football.
Next: Dallas Cowboys: What would it take to get Jason Garrett fired?
These are the tell-tell signs of players quitting. Or the beginning stages of players quitting on their coaches.
At first, its a mirage of inept coaching, constantly getting out coached and losing by double digits. But once you get past the ineptitude of coaching and analyze the players, you realize very quickly that the players quit on the coach a long time ago.
Just ask Wade Phillips.