NFL analyst: Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Garrett is not a big-game coach
One NFL media analyst continues to be very critical of Dallas Cowboys head Jason Garrett and his inability to win big games.
If you were asked to name some of the best head coaches in the NFL right now, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Andy Reid would likely come to mind. A name that is probably not on that list is Dallas Cowboys‘ head coach Jason Garrett.
That’s despite the fact the man at the helm of America’s Team for nearly seven seasons now was named NFL Coach of the Year last season. So why isn’t Garrett on that list?
Well, after a short stint as the Cowboys’ interim head coach following the firing of Wade Phillips in 2010, Garrett led Dallas to three straight 8-8 season-ending records, all without a playoff appearance. Having never held the position of head coach at any level prior to being handed the keys to the Cowboys franchise, the former longtime NFL back-up quarterback used those seasons as on-the-job training in Dallas.
And that education appeared to have paid off in 2014, as the Cowboys surged to a 12-4 record. That year, behind the NFL’s leading rusher in running back DeMarco Murray, Dallas went undefeated on the road through the regular season and posted their first playoff win in five years. The Cowboys brass promptly rewarded Garrett with a five-year, $30 million extension.
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In a Bizarro World twist, Dallas posted a mirror image 4-12 record the following season, mainly due to the fact former quarterback Tony Romo suffered two separate collarbone injuries that limited him to just four games in 2015. Garrett and his coaching staff were only able to cobble together a single victory without Romo under center that season.
Due to that epic failure, the Cowboys were able to draft Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. The addition of Zeke plus the surprising play of quarterback Dak Prescott, a fourth round selection out of Mississippi State, revitalized this Dallas squad and helped led America’s Team back to prominence, posting a 13-3 regular season record last year.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys were unable to capitalize on their regular season success, losing in their lone playoff appearance to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round.
That lack of postseason success sparked former NFL cornerback turned analyst Eric Davis to publicly call out Garrett as not being a very good coach earlier this month. Davis clarified those comments recently, saying the 51-year head coach is simply coasting on the wave of his player’s talents.
"“His track record shows [Jason Garrett’s] not a big-game coach,” Davis told the Star-Telegram. “You need a coach when things aren’t going perfectly. Last year, he had two guys come in that no one thought were going to do what they did. No one thought that was going to happen to Dak Prescott. No one thought Ezekiel Elliott would lead the league in rushing. Two years ago (2014), he got a career year from DeMarco Murray. That’s not Jason Garrett. He’s been carried by his talent.”"
With the exception of Belichick, I think the perception is most NFL head coaches are being carried by the talent of their players. That’s one of the reasons player evaluation and acquisition is so important.
Still, it’s hard to defend Garrett from such scrutiny. For years, his coaching has lead to nothing but mediocrity in Dallas. And the two successful seasons he’s had at the helm of the Cowboys came on the backs of players who lead the league in rushing yardage.
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Garrett’s lack of experience and playoff victories currently define his legacy. Going into his seventh season as the Dallas Cowboys official head coach, Jason Garrett has a total of one postseason win under his belt. That’s not exactly the type of record that will place you in the same league as the Belchick’s of the NFL world. The on-the-job training in Dallas continues.