Dallas Cowboys: Jason Garrett Watch 2018

With Jason Garrett heading into 2018 supposedly on the “hot seat”, we are officially on Jason Garrett watch…or is it just overreaction?

After the Dallas Cowboys disappointed in 2017, many fans were asking for the removal of Jason Garrett. There were a ton of quotes and speculation from Jerry Jones and pundits around America, but the consensus was that 2018 would be the deciding year.

But the question is, “Does it, really?”

If you have followed me for a while you would know I am not a fan of Jason Garrett. There are a slew of reasons, from not having a killer instinct, to poor game management, to weak adjustments, and that is all just a start.

Sure, he has had a few good seasons, but he needs star players to carry him, and he rarely outcoaches anyone.

I am not the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, so regardless of what I want to happen (along with a lot of other fans), Jerry Jones will make the decisions as he see fit. And news flash – he likes Jason Garrett.

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Last season, Jones pointed to the suspension of Elliott as the reason the Cowboys failed. This temporarily absolved Garrett. No matter how much many of us wanted a change, we knew then we’d have to keep him at least one more year.

This is where I had to take pause and suspend my hope that Jason Garrett will be gone if things go poorly again. Sure, they replaced a lot of positional coaches in 2017 and implied that more changes could come if needed, but after thinking about it for a few months, the changes may not be Jason Garrett.

First, there were no changes to the offensive and defensive assistant coaches in Rod Marinelli and Scott Linehan. There have been rumors off and on, on the retirement of either, but a bad 2018 could signal the end of one or both. This could be the changes implied.

If the offense is bad this year, Linehan could be the scapegoat and Jason Garrett could reclaim play-calling. Maybe that’s what Jerry has in mind. Like it or not, this is a real possibility.

Next, on the topic of the offense, this year’s changes on offense could be another reason Jones would keep Garrett. With a complete overhaul to the wide receiver and tight end corps, the offense could struggle in the passing game. This could be seen as a reason for Garrett to keep his job (Jones likes to point to situations as excuses, instead of pointing to the head coach himself).

As I listen to the press conferences in relation to players and player development from Garrett, it seems like he expects to be here beyond 2018. Of course, no coach would lead on otherwise, but there is just something about the whole situation that doesn’t sit right with me. It’s like they know there could be struggles in the passing game, but it is a project and we should expect development over the next year or two.

Now, I am not sure how much of this is actual. Jason Garrett very well could be on the way out if the Dallas Cowboys have a terrible season. However, if they go 8-8 again, I could easily see Jerry Jones talking about the process and all the changes this offseason and keeping Garrett again. Sure, some fans would be okay with this after he had a good 2016, but I and many others are not one of those types of fans.

Changing head coaches is never easy, and nor should it be taken lightly. There are some positives with Jason Garrett, but after sitting through his coaching stint, his negatives to me have outweighed his positives.

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For now, we head toward 2018, hoping for a 2016 result to the regular season and a deep playoff run. Even if the Cowboys miss the playoffs in 2018, don’t expect it to be the end of Jason Garrett, although it probably should be.

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