2013 Dallas Cowboys: To Achieve Consistency, Continuity, and Control
These words are used in 32 Football Clubs at the beginning of every year, but will only be achieved by very few after 17 grueling weeks. These are words that often become lost at Season’s end by those who are not patient enough to practice what is preached. This is The NFL, The Now Football League, where patience isn’t always a virtue; however without these words you cannot achieve the ultimate C-word: Championships.
Dec 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) in the huddle against the New Orleans Saints at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Impatience, Impulsive; these are two words that are often used to describe the 70 year old General Manager of our beloved Dallas Cowboys. On many levels, I can agree with these adjectives, but I do not use them to paint a negative picture. In fact, sometimes you have to take risks and make impulsive decisions to be successful; and in The NFL sometimes impatience can lead to these impulsive decisions. For example, in 2010 The Dallas Cowboys were 1-7; impatience led Jerry Jones to make that impulsive decision to fire Wade Phillips and promote Jason Garrett. It was Jason Garrett’s message that gave Mr. Jones patience and it gave him direction.
Jason Garrett didn’t inherit a bad team in 2010, he inherited an undisciplined team. He inherited a team with no clear vision and purpose. What he did with 8 games was change a mentality that this team played with. He turned this team into fighters, and after this 2012 campaign there is no merit to convince me otherwise. The way this team finished is disappointing, but I’m not that impatient Cowboy’s fan who is calling for the heads of this organization.
This offseason thus far has been marred with relentless speculation. Every media outlet seems to think Jerry Jones is setting this franchise up to move on from Jason Garrett. These outlets have used such words as “castrate”, which to me is absolutely ridiculous. Many of the reasons that lead to the majority’s feeling that this team is in constant chaos mode is because of the constant spotlight that is cast upon this team by media outlets around the nation. Exhibit A: Dean Spanos fires his General Manager and Head Coach and “It’s good for business, it shows Spanos wants to capitalize on his talent.” The Cowboys bring in a new defensive staff after finishing 19th in the league; and its “Jerry is being wacky again and undermining his coach.”
It has never occurred to these people that maybe Jason Garrett is taking the advice of Jimmy Johnson, and his good friend Troy Aikman, to relinquish the play-calling duties in order to focus on a bigger picture. There is no way anyone can sell to me that Jason Garrett is some louse pushover with no authority of his team. Jerry Jones’ recent comments that Garrett is making the staff selections are not a ploy to save face in front of the fans. Garrett, in my opinion, wanted to make a change because he has his own right to impatience and impulse.
In order to maintain the title of this article, changes had to be made. There is no room on this team for a Defensive Coordinator to make excuses due to injury. 32 teams all have many injuries that occur yet there seems to be a clear cut Super Bowl Champion every year. Our Defense was decimated, and I do commend Rob Ryan on the job he did with guys off the street; but the chemistry between Garrett and Ryan just was not there.
Being a Head Coach can be compared to simply being a Manager. The first rule of management is that you manage people. You do not manage the physical nature of the building, that’s what you have maintenance for; you manage people. You make your decisions to bring in your staff in order to set yourself up for success. Sometimes you make mistakes, but you have to ask yourself: Does my staff have the same goals, and are they willing to put forth the effort to achieve these goals? If your Defensive Coordinator isn’t attending his set meetings, he isn’t coordinating anything. Garrett ultimately has to accept another 8-8 season as his failure, but that doesn’t mean he has to be fired as well.
This organization will not be able to achieve their goals without the three c’s: consistency, continuity, and control. A Championship will not be won if the powers at be cannot establish these needs first. I believe that Garrett is the man for the job. Unfortunately he is the Head Coach of the most valuable, visible and popular franchise in football which hasn’t won a Superbowl in 17 Seasons. Has it worked yet? No, but it took Jimmy a few years before it all paid off. Jason Garrett is exactly what he preaches; The Right Kind of Guy; he gives this team a chance for continuity; firing him after two seasons would have been an uneducated and uncalculated mistake that would have only left this team with more questions. In closing, we are all tired of mediocrity, but I’m even more tired of having a new coach every few years.