The Cowboys Need To Start Over…
If he keeps Garrett, then he would have to, ok, should have to, have a fire sale and rebuild the team into Jason Garrett’s image. Would we in Cowboys Nation have the patience for that? Does Jerry have the deep pockets to go through, potentially, even more years of mediocrity? He might need them if Cowboys Nation jumps ship in droves. The potential loss in revenue is mind boggling, but the reward would be a team with a system in place for the long haul, like the Cowboys had with Tom Landry. Then the playoffs would come, then the Super Bowls. The fulfillment of Jerry’s dream. Then, as we did in the early 90’s, the fan base would return and bring band wagoners with them. Sounds nice in theory, but I’m not sure I’m up to it.
The other direction Jerry has to consider is to replace Garrett. The Cowboys have some great young talent, especially on defense. They also have a core group of talented veterans that are easily in the top 5 or 10 at their positions. These players, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and Demarcus Ware are still in their prime and the young players with some talent: Sean Lee, Demarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Brandon Carr, and Bruce Carter, are good enough to contend now. Because of where these players are in their careers, Jerry would have to replace Garrett with a proven, successful person.
January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-US PRESSWIRE
The replacement list is short, with Sean Payton and Mike Holmgren at the top the list. Why these two? Mainly, at least to me, is the obvious potential ability to maximize Tony Romo’s abilities. Don’t laugh yet. Sean Payton likes Romo and tried to bring him to New Orleans. Who knows what kind of success the pairing would have had, but the very fact that Romo was hand picked and groomed by Payton is enough for me. Holmgren is another intriguing choice because he was able to help the QB that Romo is most compared to, Brett Favre, have his most success, including a Super Bowl ring. He would or should be able to work with Romo’s skill set better than most coaches could. The common theme here is working with the players the Cowboys have now.
Nov 18, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Mike Holmgren (left) talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (right) before the game at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE
Jason Garrett will not be successful unless he is able to build an offense with the skill set that can carry out his style. When Garrett does have his team in place, his Cowboys may reach the Super Bowl. Tony Romo, Jason Witten and, collaterally, DeMarcus Ware, will not reach a Super Bowl on a Garrett run Cowboys team. Romo is not the best fit in a Garrett offense and Garrett is still in a learning curve as a head coach, effectively wasting the prime of the teams current star players.
Jerry brought this on himself, he knew the risks. Now it’s time to choose. Choose a new head coach and try to make a run with the stars you have while continuing to reinforce the team with young talent (like they do in New England). Or choose to keep Garrett and really commit to him, knowing that this team will not be good for a while, but after that while, they will be good again (like the Cowboys did in the 90’s).
Both these choices are viable. Pick one and stick to it Jerry. The reason the Cowboys have been mediocre for years is he can’t make up his mind. Jason Garrett is a talented young coach that may be your Tom Landry. Romo, Witten, Ware and some of the others are talented players that are good enough to get you to a Super Bowl soon. Talented coach and talented players. Unfortunately, they don’t go together. One’s the baby, the other the bath water. Which is which?
Points and Observations:
-I just have one point, just one observation: Jerry Jones, you’re a business man, how long do you think we are going to continue to pay to watch this team? In the word’s of a good friend of mine – but not a Cowboys fan – ‘You got a billion dollar stadium and a fifty thousand dollar team.’
– Artie Cappello