Why Jason Garrett Does Not Deserve A Contract Extension In Dallas

Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett reacts to a call against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Elsewhere, there was brother John Garrett serving as tight ends coach and also passing game coordinator – yes, the same position currently held by Linehan. I’d say there’s a slight difference right there, wouldn’t you? This Garrett did wonders for former Dallas tight end Martellus Bennett, didn’t he?

John Garrett left Dallas following the 2012 season to coach wide receivers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) and then landed in the college ranks this season with the Beavers of Oregon State as offensive coordinator (5-7).

I didn’t move around this much during my 15 years behind the mic in the radio industry, and that was one nomadic profession for sure.

Back to head coach Garrett: Suggesting that now is the time to extend this guy’s contract just makes no sense on any level I understand. It’s kind of like suggesting that Garrett should have taken over at starting quarterback for Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman on the basis of his heroic performance on Thanksgiving Day way back in 1994.

Sure, it was a great come-from-behind victory that day as I witnessed it firsthand.

But did we ever see anything else from Garrett as player that suggested that he was starting material?

Of course not, and this is because he just didn’t have the skill set for that.

Have we seen much different from Garrett, or anybody else in his family, that suggests he’s a ‘must have’ head coach? We’re not talking about a former NFL quarterback turned head coach like Jim Harbaugh, are we? Does Garrett have the juice that one time-young offensive firecracker Jon Gruden had as Y2K was passing us by? Does Garrett have the credentials that former Dallas assistant and current Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton has in New Orleans?

Nah.

Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen more and more coordinators with previous head coaching experience surrounding Garrett. In fact, the Cowboys are the only team in the NFL that essentially creates new titles for redundant offensive and defensive coordinators.

The combination of PGC Linehan and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Callahan seems bloated, even if it’s a vast improvement over the previous Garrett Bros. combination.

On defense, there’s assistant head coach Monte Kiffin, a known defensive guru, and his partner in crime, actual defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. We’re still waiting to see what happens on this side of the ball, but clearly these veteran coaches with Super Bowl-winning credentials need more talent.

Now, if a 16 year old hops behind the wheel of a brand new sports car and wrecks it, it’s easy to point out how unqualified he is along with the fact that this should have never happened, right?

However, there’s a virtual certainty that there’s an adult, or billionaire owner for this analogy, that gave him the keys in the first place.

Garrett is no teenager in the coaching ranks anymore. He’s grown some and presumably won’t be icing his own kicker anymore. In fact, his 4th down play calling in Chicago was actually a thing of beauty amidst an environment and a contest that had ‘must win’ written all over it.

How many times have we seen this happen, though?

New contract for Garrett?

No way – but Cowboys Nation should probably expect it to happen, thus making Garrett possibly the last head coach to be hired during the era of owner and general manager Jerry Jones.