Dallas Cowboys: Would Urban Meyer or Lincoln Riley be a good fit?

Today we look at a few hot names on the short list to be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and discuss what the team should be looking for in a coach.

Barring an absolute miracle, Jason Garrett is likely on his way out of Dallas after this season. So today we turn our attention to his successor and kick around a few key names who are being discussed as possible head coaching candidates for the Dallas Cowboys.

The season isn’t even over and “who will be the next Cowboys coach” is dominating local discussions. The names that seem to be garnering the most interest as of late are the two high profile college coaches: Lincoln Riley and Urban Meyer

As with all things Dallas Cowboys, the fan base is divided regarding the next head coach. Some fans love the idea of Meyer or Riley, while others despise it.

details matter and we need to understand what made our potential coaching candidates successful because only then will we know if their skills translate to our current situation in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys are a flashy franchise. Perhaps the flashiest. Fans have been attracted to and have even become addicted those big headline producing moves Jerry Jones loves to make. So it only makes sense fans are more excited about names like Urban Meyer and Lincoln Riley than they are about Eric Bieniemy and Greg Roman.

The first two names have consistently won at the highest level of college football, and have been regular fixtures in the local and nation news for years, while the other two are recently elevated assistants on successful NFL teams.

Simply put: Everyone has heard of Riley and Meyer. Not everyone knows Roman or Bieniemy.

What’s Important

While name recognition and a track record of success are nice,  it would be disastrous to make a head coaching decision based on it. Strategy, philosophy, and ideology should decide the next coach – not name recognition.

How did Urban Meyer win? Did he simply recruit better than everyone else and trot out the best players each week? How about Lincoln Riley? Is his success based on being faster and more talented than the notoriously poor defenses he faces?

That’s what’s being argued right now and the answers to those questions are extremely important. Talent disparity is enormous in the college ranks and the number of evenly matched games most coaches face can be counted on one hand (one hand missing three fingers).

The NFL is all about parity. Sure, some teams are better than others but the churn in the ranks are significant each and every year. The margin of error is razor thin in the NFL and it often comes down to coaching and scheming. How often did Urban Myer have to out-scheme his opponents?

Team philosophy also plays a part in the search. There isn’t much room for a run-heavy coach in the NFL ranks. The numbers suggest this is a decidedly heavy passing league and the rules tilt more to it every season. If a college coach comes in expecting to base an offense on running the ball on 1st and second down for a 5 ypc average, he’ll be sorely disappointed in the NFL.

Strategy, philosophy, and ideology should decide the next coach – not name recognition.

Similarly, if a college head coach comes in expecting to just out-execute a transparent and over-matched defense, he’s going to have rude awakening. Most teams aren’t as transparent as the Dallas Cowboys and most disguise their coverages and try to out-wit opposing attacks.

Challenges for Pros too

That’s not to say there aren’t similar struggles for professional assistant coaches looking to duplicate success elsewhere either. As much as I respect Dak Prescott as QB, he’s certainly no Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes does things no other human can do. Bieniemy can’t just come into Dallas and expect Dak to do what Pat’s doing.

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Dak isn’t Lamar Jackson either. Dak may be the superior passer but he can’t run like Jackson – and frankly, no one in the NFL can run like Jackson. That Ravens offense is built around one thing: Lamar Jackson. His duel-threat ability makes it all go. Dak can’t run like him and it’s not even close. Applying his offense in Dallas will require major changes to fit the personnel.

If it sounds like I’m down on all the options, well, that’s kind of true, but not really the point. The point is details matter and we need to understand what made our potential coaching candidates successful because only then will we know if their skills translate to our current situation in Dallas.

All conversations regarding Dallas Cowboys coaching candidates should involve the “how” and the “why”. Because nuance is important and big names matter very little at the end of the day.

• Published on 12/09/2019 at 17:01 PM
• Last updated at 12/09/2019 at 12:30 PM