Cowboys Fans: Say Goodbye To Jason Garrett
By Tyrone Starr
Dec 15, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) reacts after getting sacked in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at AT
Forget the 2013 season. It’s over. Yeah, yeah I know the Cowboys are not mathematically eliminated and if Philadelphia lost to Minnesota than it is completely rational to think they will also do so to the Bears and even Dallas but forget it. It won’t matter. Why?
Because the Dallas Cowboys will not win another game this season.
Blame it on the quarterback who can’t shake the rep of a choker, mainly because he continues to feed it at the most inopportune times.
Blame it on the defense who can’t stop a first string or second string or third string quarterback from leading his team up and down the field at will.
Blame it on the injuries… like other teams don’t have those too.
Blame it on the egotistical, delusional owner who thinks he has a team so close to a championship.
Blame whoever and whatever, it doesn’t matter. This team accomplished its goal. The Dallas Cowboys will not finish 8-8 this season…
They’ll finish 7-9.
In the latest mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, train wreck of a game, Dallas once again found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Up 26-3 (you know, much like the Lions game from 2011 which you can relive here if yesterday was not already enough pain – http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201110020dal.htm…) DeMarco Murray was only given the ball seven times even though…
A. He had 93 yards and a touchdown prior to that point.
B. He was averaging 5.85 yards per carry on those final seven runs.
C. Dallas had a lead almost the entire time.
D. Running the ball keeps the clock going and when coupled with an almost six yard average likely means you will gain multiple first downs.
The excruciating thing is that I have mentioned twice in the last couple of weeks that the Cowboys are undefeated when Murray gets twenty carries. This game, he got eighteen. Two more would have likely ended the game in a much different manner. With 2:58 left on the clock, Green Bay had just used their second time out to stop the clock after Murray got four yards on first down. Instead of running the ball once more to exhaust the Packers’ final time out and likely gain more yards, a play-action pass was called. Green Bay sent a run blitz because, you know, the Cowboys SHOULD BE RUNNING THE BALL HERE and was able to force a bad throw from Romo who was moving away from his body. Interception. Running the ball twice would have definitely eliminated the Packers from stopping the clock. It’s also fair to assume, that even factoring Murray getting half his average per carry, Dallas would have picked up the last first down needed to win.
I am aware that it was Romo’s decision to change the play to a pass. Assuming that is true, he should no longer be given to deviate from the play call. Yet and still, Garrett is supposed to be the HEAD COACH. He took ownership of the play call process (their favorite word). He has a voice and it should be the loudest. For Garrett to not impose his voice and demand sticking to the original call to run it shows a weakness that cannot be tolerated from someone in a position of authority. That one play does not answer why there were not other attempts with a bigger margin for error to continue to attack on the ground.
So now, with yet another lost season coming to an end, one has to wonder if the defensive coordinator will not be the only change that is made this offseason. If Jerry is ever serious about winning, it is clear that it cannot be done with the current regime. Three years and a few other games of nearly pristine mediocrity was enough to make a change. The robotic coach speak and constant refrain of “process” and “all three phrases” rhetoric falls on deaf ears when there is no improvement to behold. The countdown to Garrett’s firing began when the clock read 0:00 Sunday night.