Dallas Cowboys coaching change: One advantage of waiting

The problem with Jerry Jones’s loyalty

Jerry Jones is not the perfect owner. He really wants to win, but at times he’s gotten in his own way. One quality he has, however, is loyalty. This can be both a positive and negative thing.

Many would say he’s been too loyal to Jason Garrett. Some commentators have said signing star running back Ezekiel Elliott to a six-year $90 million contract was a mistake, as his numbers have declined this year.

Let’s not forget how Jason Garrett got his job in the first place. In 2010, Garrett was the offensive coordinator of a losing team. Under Coach Wade Phillips, America’s Team got off to a 1-7 start. Jones fired Phillips and installed Garrett as the interim head coach.

The Cowboys then went 5-3 in the second half of the season. Encouraged, Jones then rewarded Garrett with a contract, officially naming him as the head coach of the Cowboys.

Since then, Garrett has been, basically, a mediocre coach. With a record of 85-69, he’s won more than he’s lost, and Dallas only had one losing season in his tenure. But he’s never taken the team beyond the divisional round in the playoffs.

But let’s go back to his hiring in 2010. What if Phillips had been allowed to finish out the year, and Dallas had conducted a national search for his replacement? Would they have chosen Jason Garrett?

I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. But they would at least have interviewed other candidates before making a choice. Maybe they would have hired someone better. Who knows?

But that didn’t happen because Garrett got his shot and won some games. So, Jerry Jones felt he deserved an opportunity to coach a whole season.  And the rest is history.

Jones always wants to reward good performance. This is good, in theory. But in this particular situation, it comes with a drawback.

Let’s say Jones had fired Jason Garrett after the Chicago Bears game last Thursday. He would have named someone as interim head coach, most likely passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Kris Richard, though he’s done nothing to earn it this season.

What if the Cowboys then won their final three games, and maybe one playoff game? It would have been difficult for the front office to conduct an impartial coaching search. I think they would be very tempted to hire Richard as the head coach.

Like most fans, I would like to see the Cowboys hire a truly great coach, someone who can take the team to a Super Bowl and win. Hopefully, more than one. I think this will take a truly tier-one coach, someone who has demonstrated superior strategy and leadership skills.

I just don’t think that would have been as likely had the Cowboys fired Garrett last week. Let’s take the two different scenarios and I think you’ll see what I mean.