Garrett’s involvement in the team has been at the forefront of the Cowboys problems. Not during this season, but in past seasons when the Cowboys were able to run the ball, Garrett was blind to the need for balance and called pass play after pass play. Additionally, his scheme has been called predictable by Mike Nolan and Ray Lewis. In a game where subterfuge is paramount, Garrett does not have the guile or poker face needed to call plays.

So, how many wins does it take for Garrett to keep the title of Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys? Garrett is already paid at the level of an NFL head coach (3.5 million dollars per year), and his contract expires at the end of this season. There is no monetary reason for Jerry Jones to keep Garrett over other candidates, unless those candidates expect an incredulous amount (say $10 million per year). The remaining games are against the NY Giants, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles (2 games), Washington Redskins, and Arizona Cardinals.

The exact reason Wade Phillips was fired, EXPECTATIONS, actually benefits Garrett. Phillips coached a team that was expected to contend for the Super Bowl. 9 weeks later, Garrett coaches a team that is expected to finish 3 and 13, at best. So, what is the magic number? Two will not be enough, though with the level of play demonstrated by the offense/defense/special teams against the Jaguars and Packers two would be a miracle.

What about a split at 4-4? This would give Jones more of a reason to consider Garrett, but 4-4 does not erase the questionable calls in the past, and 4-4 does not eliminate the outcry by fans for a legitimate head coaching candidate. At 4-4, John Gruden, Bill Cowher, and John Fox are still in play.

I believe it will take at least six wins for Garrett to win the job.  There are some really good teams, some teams facing a Super Bowl hangover, and some really bad teams.  Wins against the Lions, Redskins, and Cardinals only prove that Garrett is able to motivate the team to win against teams that are inferior.  Garrett will have to lead the Cowboys to wins against superior talent and teams that are playing well.  Save for the Giants and Eagles, does that really define the Colts or Saints?  The Colts are a team mired in injury; without Peyton Manning, this team would be in contention for the top pick in the draft along with Dallas and Buffalo.  The Saints are hungover from their Super Bowl run; their offense has looked inconsistent and their running game has been less than stellar (as evidenced by the fact that Julius Jones is getting carries).

So this is the task before Garrett.  First he needs to make the players care again (good luck with that).  Secondly he needs to beat the teams that were marked gimmie wins at the beginning of the season.  Thirdly, he needs to scheme victories against 2nd tier teams like the Colts and Saints.  Finally, he needs to find one win against the Giants and Eagles.  I don’t think a one week turnaround will be enough for this Cowboys team to respond to Garrett, so we can mark this week against the Giants as a loss.  So, he needs to find one win against the Eagles.

I don’t expect six wins by the Cowboys… but Garrett has an opportunity to earn one of the most prestigious positions in all of sports.  Regardless of how difficult the task and how long the odds, it is a position that should be envied.

Amongst the myriad of names is the current head coach of the Carolina Panthers, John Fox. Eric Quankenbush of CatCrave.com has agreed to answer a few questions regarding Coach Fox.  Thank you Eric for taking the time to give us a bit of insight.

1. Is Coach Fox on the hot seat in Carolina? When is the last year of his contract up?

I don’t know that I’d term Fox as being in the hot seat. As a lame duck head coach, and one who almost certainly won’t be offered an extension to remain with the Carolina Panthers, it’s difficult to label Fox as “in the hot seat.” In terms of auditioning for another head coaching job, I suppose you might loosely say he is in the hot seat to get the team to perform as well as possible in his last year as head coach of the Panthers, but his future in Carolina does not hinge on success or lack thereof.

2. How is Coach Fox’s time and timeout management? Does he frivilously challenge plays, does he call timeouts to save five yards but it later haunts him?

Overall I would say that when Fox uses a challenge against an official’s call, 85 percent of the time, I would agree with throwing the challenge flag. Of course there are times where a call is so close to be overturned, that as spectators and upon review, we realize the previous play should not have been challenged. I do believe Fox makes a good case for using challenges wisely and most sparingly.

As for clock management, I would say Fox is slightly below average in managing the game clock. There are numerous times I can recount where there have been timeouts remaining and they haven’t been used (sometimes it’s player error), and a loss or penalty has been the result. Other times time outs have been needlessly wasted, which usually impacts the team negatively in the long run.

3. How involved is he with the defensive calls and game planning? Ya’ll run a version of the Tampa 2 defense. Would he be able to transition to the a version of the 3-4, or like Mike Tomlin, defer to a defensive coordinator?

I would say that until this year, Fox has been fairly well-involved with the defensive play calling. However this season it seems more like Carolina is actually utilizing a Ron Meeks defensive style more than a John Fox style. In his eight or nine years with the Panthers, Fox has been very controlling over the defensive play calling; so much that I would in fact be surprised if he would defer defensive play calling to a defensive coordinator on a new team. I believe the main reason Meeks has been allowed to run his style of defense, is because it’s one which Fox isn’t as familiar with as a 4-3 defense. Which will probably answer your other question on if Fox can run a 3-4 defensive set. I suppose he could, but I don’t think he’ll want to. He’s a 4-3 style of defensive coach. If that means deferring defensive playcalling to a coordinator who is versed in the 3-4 defense, then I suppose that would be different, but will he allow another coordinator full control of either side of the ball? I would venture to say I doubt it.

4. Fox has had some up and down seasons. Have there ever been any issues of the players quitting or not playing hard?

To date, I can’t really recall ever seeing or hearing of a team quitting on Fox. Maybe certain individuals are not performing or have not performed to their full potential at times, to date Fox has never coachedd worse than a 7-9 record. I believe that a major factor of this season’s downfall has been the lack of veteran playmakers and veteran leadership. There are a lot of rookies and three – four year starters who are still finding their ways. Even with a record of 1-6, this team has still not thrown in the towel.

5. Is Fox a disciplinarian coach? How physical are training camps and practices?

I would say Fox is not quite a disciplinarian style of coach, but he’s also not one who lets the team run itself. He’s very active with players during camps and practices, and he expects everyone to put in an honest day’s work. Some coaches run their training camps like a resort, while others like an army base. Fox is somewhere between those two extremes. Training camps are mostly like the rest in the NFL: two-a-days for the most part. For the Panthers, since the extreme heat and humidity in central SC is mostly unbearable, training camp practices usually take place in the late morning and right around dusk.

Coach Fox will seemingly be available, but he doesn’t appear to be a perfect fit in Dallas (scheme and disciplinary attitude).  Unfortunately the Cowboys have dug themselves into an unenviable position where the players are overrated and overpaid, and management usurps the authority of the head coach.  The question has been asked, “Who exactly would want to coach in Dallas?”