Dallas Cowboys: Which coaches stay shouldn’t be Jerry Jones’ call
By Reid Hanson
Ultimately, it must be the next Head Coach’s decision on which coaches work for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, not Jerry Jones’
A decision is looming regarding the future of Jason Garrett and his coaching staff. After nine full seasons as head coach and barely any postseason success to speak of, it’s likely Jason Garrett has coached his last game for the Dallas Cowboys. But the future of his staff remains very much in doubt.
Despite falling well below expectations in 2019, the Dallas Cowboys boast more than a couple promising assistant coaches. Unconfirmed rumors have indicated Jerry may be inclined to keeping some on staff for next year. While it’s always wise to keep and develop young talent, Jerry Jones shouldn’t be the one making that call.
Owner and General Manager
As we all know, Jerry Jones’ role on the Dallas Cowboys is anything but typical. Jerry Jones controls all areas of the organization – from the business side to the football side. Sure, son Stephen Jones is essentially serving as the unofficial GM, but even with him handling the bulk of the responsibility, Jerry is end-all be-all on football decisions.
Most of us would love to keep some assistants around, and with any luck, we will. But it has to be the decision of the new HC. Jerry can’t make that call himself or he’s going to limit who will even consider the head coaching vacancy here in Dallas.
As the owner, Jerry has every right to run his business how he sees fit. He can fire and pay whoever he chooses. He can serve any role he wants as well. If he wants to be GM, he has every right. If he wants to sell popcorn. Have at it. If he wants to do nothing at all, it’s his right. That’s the beauty of private ownership.
As GM, Jerry has the right to keep or hire coaches. He calls the shots even if it means stepping on other people’s toes. But it’s important to point out, by him making the call to keep some assistants on, he will indeed be stepping on toes and overstepping the bounds of a GM.
The Head Coach Selects His Staff
It takes a special kind of head coach to want to come to the Dallas Cowboys. The spotlight is bright, the fans are outspoken, the media is ever-present, and Jerry Jones is…Jerry. If you give Jerry an inch, he’ll take three. Setting boundaries is important or else you’ll have Jerry stepping on your toes at every turn. Bill Parcells set boundaries. Jason Garrett did not.
While Cowboys Nation can typically argue about anything with each other, what they all agree on is getting a strong head coach who won’t let Jerry undermine his cause.
Any head coach worth his salt is going to demand he can build his own coaching staff. Telling him he has to keep a coordinator or other assistant isn’t going to fly with a real head coach. Which assistants to keep shouldn’t be Jerry’s call. It should be his head coach’s call. If he hires a head coach who’s willing to take on the carryovers, it should be a red flag that he’ll let Jerry get away with anything.
This doesn’t mean Jerry has to clean house and fire everyone. It just means he has to let the decision be the head coach’s to make.
This doesn’t mean Jerry has to clean house and fire everyone. It just means he has to let the decision be the head coach’s to make
First year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore may have had his share of questionable play-calls, but he elevated the offense to No. 1 in the entire league. That’s nothing to scoff at. Jon Kitna transformed Dak Prescott into a legit franchise arm who has the potential to be elite. Marc Colombo elevated the offensive line to go to near the top of the NFL in pass-blocking (#11 in pass-block win-rate).
Most of us would love to keep these three coaches around, and with any luck, we will. But it has to be the decision of the new Head Coach. Jerry can’t make that call himself or he’s going to limit who will even consider the head coaching vacancy here in Dallas.
Top-11 Dallas Cowboys of the past decade. dark. Next
What was expected to happen on Monday has now dragged on to the end of the week. And while Jason Garrett is probably on the way out, the future of his assistants are very much up in the air. And even though we may want to keep some on for next season, Jerry needs to leave that decision to his next Head Coach. Because a coach that comes in and simply accepts what Jerry gives him, is not a coach Cowboys Nation wants.
- Published on 01/02/2020 at 12:46 PM
- Last updated at 01/02/2020 at 12:46 PM