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Forward-thinking Jason Garrett plots new course
This is the honest-to-goodness truth: Around lunchtime Tuesday, I looked at the weather report for Fort Worth. Skies were reported to be clear. Then I looked up Irving, and the skies there were mostly cloudy.
A day after the firing of Wade Phillips, there were clouds hanging over Valley Ranch.
The Fire Wade crowd received the splash of sunshine it had been hoping for Monday afternoon. But the clouds quickly settled back in with the realization that with Wade gone, and with the Cowboys 1-7 after losing 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers in what turned out to be the final game of the Phillips Era, Wade rode off into the sunset with a 34-22 regular-season record.
That is a .607 winning percentage.
Barry Switzer's winning percentage is .625.
Once again, Barry boasts the best regular-season winning percentage among all former Cowboys head coaches.
Ouch.
With the 1-6 start, Wade had slipped below Barry.
A victory against the Packers would have tied them at the top.
If only Wade would have marched into the locker room at halftime Sunday night, looked his players straight in the eyes and said, "'Boys, if we lose this game, I lose my job."
Never mind, that wouldn't have worked.
If only Wade had marched in at halftime and told his players, "'Boys, if we lose this game, Barry Switzer is the best coach in Cowboys history again," they would have stormed through the doors and quickly erased that 28-7 halftime deficit.
But that didn't happen, so Monday happened, and now we're all wondering what will happen next.
The answer to that last part appears to have something to do with the word "forward."
"Winning games and winning players will be the criteria upon which we move forward for the remainder of this season." -- Jerry Jones.
"I think the personality of this group going forward will have my stamp on it more than in the past." -- Jason Garrett.
"We have a chance to do something about it going forward." -- Jon Kitna.
"The only thing we can do is keep going forward." -- Phillips.
Oops. That last one came from Phillips after Sunday night's loss.
The rest of those forward-thinking comments came after Phillips was told that his forward and the Cowboys' forward were moving down separate paths.
"A decision has been made to move forward [emphasis mine] with a new person in the head coaching position with the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said in introducing the change.
That decision was made by the only Cowboys owner ever to fire a coach because Phillips' defense had suddenly become unable to keep opposing offenses from moving forward.
So now the Cowboys are moving forward with Garrett. At least for eight games. Remember, Jones has never fired an interim coach during the season. Although if Garrett's running game doesn't start moving the ball forward...
Take a look back over your shoulder and you have to hope the Cowboys move forward with Garrett. Who wants to revisit anything from this 1-7 start?
So good luck, Jason, with your attempt to move the Cowboys forward.
Barry's up there waiting for you.
Find sports humor columnist David Thomas on Facebook by searching for "Fans' Insider," and follow him on Twitter @FansInsider.
David Thomas, 817-390-7697
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/09/2619115/forward-thinking-jason-garrett.html#ixzz14sYBaOOw
This is the honest-to-goodness truth: Around lunchtime Tuesday, I looked at the weather report for Fort Worth. Skies were reported to be clear. Then I looked up Irving, and the skies there were mostly cloudy.
A day after the firing of Wade Phillips, there were clouds hanging over Valley Ranch.
The Fire Wade crowd received the splash of sunshine it had been hoping for Monday afternoon. But the clouds quickly settled back in with the realization that with Wade gone, and with the Cowboys 1-7 after losing 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers in what turned out to be the final game of the Phillips Era, Wade rode off into the sunset with a 34-22 regular-season record.
That is a .607 winning percentage.
Barry Switzer's winning percentage is .625.
Once again, Barry boasts the best regular-season winning percentage among all former Cowboys head coaches.
Ouch.
With the 1-6 start, Wade had slipped below Barry.
A victory against the Packers would have tied them at the top.
If only Wade would have marched into the locker room at halftime Sunday night, looked his players straight in the eyes and said, "'Boys, if we lose this game, I lose my job."
Never mind, that wouldn't have worked.
If only Wade had marched in at halftime and told his players, "'Boys, if we lose this game, Barry Switzer is the best coach in Cowboys history again," they would have stormed through the doors and quickly erased that 28-7 halftime deficit.
But that didn't happen, so Monday happened, and now we're all wondering what will happen next.
The answer to that last part appears to have something to do with the word "forward."
"Winning games and winning players will be the criteria upon which we move forward for the remainder of this season." -- Jerry Jones.
"I think the personality of this group going forward will have my stamp on it more than in the past." -- Jason Garrett.
"We have a chance to do something about it going forward." -- Jon Kitna.
"The only thing we can do is keep going forward." -- Phillips.
Oops. That last one came from Phillips after Sunday night's loss.
The rest of those forward-thinking comments came after Phillips was told that his forward and the Cowboys' forward were moving down separate paths.
"A decision has been made to move forward [emphasis mine] with a new person in the head coaching position with the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said in introducing the change.
That decision was made by the only Cowboys owner ever to fire a coach because Phillips' defense had suddenly become unable to keep opposing offenses from moving forward.
So now the Cowboys are moving forward with Garrett. At least for eight games. Remember, Jones has never fired an interim coach during the season. Although if Garrett's running game doesn't start moving the ball forward...
Take a look back over your shoulder and you have to hope the Cowboys move forward with Garrett. Who wants to revisit anything from this 1-7 start?
So good luck, Jason, with your attempt to move the Cowboys forward.
Barry's up there waiting for you.
Find sports humor columnist David Thomas on Facebook by searching for "Fans' Insider," and follow him on Twitter @FansInsider.
David Thomas, 817-390-7697
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/09/2619115/forward-thinking-jason-garrett.html#ixzz14sYBaOOw