Dallas Cowboys: Jason Garrett must take the fight further
Entering his seventh season as head coach, Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Garrett must transform his fight culture into postseason success.
When the Dallas Cowboys players are being interviewed, they sound an awful lot like their head coach Jason Garrett.
That’s a good thing if you’re a Cowboys fan. It’s a sign that the winning culture the coach is trying to build is setting in.
It’s a simple message Garrett has instilled in his players: fight. He calls it the foundation of the team.
"“Fight to do your job, fight to uphold the standard, most importantly fight for each other.” – Jason Garrett via DallasCowboys.com following a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13 of 2016."
That mindset has earned the franchise two division titles in the last three seasons and a promising future.
However, Garrett’s success stops there as his teams have failed to make it past the divisional round. After taking over for former head coach Wade Phillips midseason in 2010, Garrett put together three mediocre 8-8 seasons.
This frustrated fans to the point where many began to lose faith in the head coach and wondered the direction of the franchise. These shortcomings have generated much criticism of his coaching abilities.
However, I can promise that the outside noise is not stopping the young coach from zeroing in on what the Cowboys are aiming for. He’s a master at keeping his players focused.
Garrett’s team knows that from the beginning he’s had to do some fighting of his own. They know he was once a practice squad quarterback who had to fight for his game time opportunities.
They know Garrett was this team’s offensive coordinator who eventually earned his shot as head coach. So, he’s been there before. Which is why I believe the Cowboys have bought in.
Say what you will about his track record as a head coach, but the man has been resilient to reach where he is now. As painful as those 8-8 seasons were, I applaud owner and general manager Jerry Jones for being patient with Garrett. It seems Jones’ belief in his head coach has trickled down throughout the organization.
Assistant director of player personnel Will McClay decided to stay with the Cowboys after exploring his options this offseason. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli were also recently given contract extensions. This tells me that these three key staff members have also bought in to what Garrett is preaching.
Garrett’s team has arguably the league’s best offensive line. He was blessed with a passionate fourth round stud quarterback in Dak Prescott to go along with a dynamic young running back in Ezekiel Elliott. Not to mention his defense will also have plenty of rookies and second-year guys with much to prove.
The NFL’s 2016 Coach of the Year now has everything he needs to compete for the hardware. With that being said, there are no more excuses for why the young coach shouldn’t win now year after year. It’s time for Garrett to push the fight further into the postseason.
The 51-year old head coach can’t afford anymore repetitive 8-8 seasons much less another catastrophic 4-12 season. His team is way too talented for that. His legacy, and very possibly his job, depends on what he does now.
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Jerry Jones, the coaching staff, and this revamped Dallas Cowboys team all believe in Jason Garrett. This is his golden chance to take the team where they haven’t gone in over two decades: the Super Bowl.