Jerry Jones maintains that Jason Garrett isn’t going anywhere
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on the field before the game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
After the Dallas Cowboys collapsed and lost to the Green Bay Packers in embarrassing fashion a few weeks ago, it was reported that the Cowboys would need to make it into the playoffs in order for Jason Garrett to keep his job as head coach. Either that was never the case, Jones changed his mind, or the back injury to Tony Romo had a huge effect on Garrett’s chances of staying. Whatever the case, Jerry Jones has given Garrett his third vote of support/confidence of the season, and it would thus be a huge shock for Jones to go back on his word (thrice) and fire Garrett.
According to ESPN Dallas’s Tim MacMahon, Jones was unwilling to commit to other coaches such as offensive coordinator Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, and both coordinators need to be fired for their incompetence this season. Jones as the GM/owner is what really ails the Cowboys, but Callahan and Kiffin haven’t helped the cause this year either.
Even though Garrett has drawn the ire of the fan base for questionable play-calling (though it’s difficult to discern how much of it is Garrett and how much of it is Callahan), it seemed like Garrett’s job was always safe. I mean, Jerry Jones seems to genuinely like him, he doesn’t want yet another PR mess on his hands by firing a coach he continues to support publicly, and Garrett does something incredibly crucial for Jones; Garrett never goes against the grain. If you notice, Garrett is the perfect puppet for Jones in some respect, because Garrett never tries to gain too much power or have too much of a say in personnel decisions. Jones doesn’t have to worry about adding a head coach, and he’ll never get a high-profile coach in Dallas due to how much power Jones wants in decisions. The relationship that Jones has with Garrett is perfect, and it’s further proof that the Cowboys biggest issue is Jones, no matter who is coaching.
Is Garrett even that bad of a coach? It’s too hard to evaluate an HC in Dallas when you have a figure as powerful as Jones running the show.