Dallas Cowboys: All of the pressure is on Garrett

With the NFC stacked with several Super Bowl contenders, Jason Garrett has his work cut out for him if the Dallas Cowboys are to make the playoffs this season.

Since Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett took over for fired coach Wade Phillips back in 2010, Mr. Clapper himself has been a mediocre head coach at best.

Or a head coach who can’t win a lot of games unless the roster is loaded with talent.

When all of his ducks are in a row (meaning a fully loaded, healthy team), Garrett will rack up wins like a college football powerhouse en route to National Championship.

Garrett best years as the Cowboys head coach were during the 2014 and 2016  seasons.

Prior to each season, the Cowboys were predicted to either finish last in the NFC East division or close to it. As the underdogs, the Cowboys won 12 games (2014) and 13 games (2016) both years.

They ended each season as NFC East champions won one playoff game in 2014, and received a first-round bye in 2016.

When you take away those glorious seasons, Garrett has three straight 8-8 seasons, one season with a 4-12 record, and last season’s 9-7 record. His 5-3 record in 2010 was only for half a season, and that followed three straight seasons of sitting at .500.

With the explosion of several NFC contenders, the pressure is now on Garrett to make the playoffs and then some. Instead of clapping as loud as thunder on the sidelines, Garrett will have to do everything in his power to take this talented team to the playoffs.

And I didn’t forget about the tough NFC East that Dallas has to contend with. The NFC East is as unpredictable as a hurricane. There hasn’t been a repeat divisional NFC East winner since 2004. That alone is a tall order in itself.

The competitive NFC

The NFC is loaded with competitive teams, and these teams are similar to the Cowboys, young, talented and up and coming.

Out of nowhere, the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and those evil Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs in 2017, along with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

With a rookie head coach and a franchise quarterback seen as a bust, the Rams were the surprise team of the NFL. The Rams went 11-5, won the NFC West, and beat the Cowboys in the process.

The Rams are not a joke or just a one year wonder. The Rams boosts one of the best running backs in the league in Todd Gurley, who just signed a $60 million dollar contract extension.

Entering his third season, Rams quarterback Jared Goff will only get better. And the Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, with holdout Aaron Donald leading the way.

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Plus, longtime defensive coordinator Wade Phillips knows how to ramp up his defense to get after the quarterback.

Translation: The Rams are the real deal.

At the start of the 2017 playoffs, the Rams, Saints, and Panthers all had identical records at 11-5. The Falcons were 10-6 as the sixth seed. The Eagles and Vikings were the number one and two seeds respectively, both having matching 13-3 records.

Let’s put this scenario into perspective. Three of those of teams play in the NFC South (Panthers, Saints, Falcons) and Dallas plays the NFC South this season. Including their divisional foe the Eagles, Dallas will play four of last season’s playoff teams five times.

That’s one competitive slate of games, regardless of how you look at it. Also, Dallas starts the season in Charlotte against the defensive-minded Panthers.

I didn’t even mention other competitive teams in the NFC like the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Seattle Seahawks. Although those aforementioned teams didn’t make the playoffs last season, Dallas lost to two of them (Packers and Seahawks) and could possibly see them again if they make the playoffs (I do not want to see Aaron Rodgers unless he’s retired).

And I didn’t forget about the tough NFC East that Dallas has to contend with. The NFC East is as unpredictable as a hurricane. There hasn’t been a repeat divisional champion since 2004. That alone is a tall order in itself.

Dallas can lean on Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Demarcus Lawrence to get the job done. But its going to be a battle.

So now you understand why all the pressure is on Garrett.

Because for the first time in his coaching career, Mr. Clapper will have to coach this team up. And that’s even more pressure!

• Published on 07/26/2018 at 16:00 PM
• Last updated at 07/26/2018 at 11:41 AM