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By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The Cowboys can win out, giving interim coach Jason Garrett a 7-1 record. They can stack good days, a favorite Garrett expression, as high as the eye can see.
None of that assures Garrett of having the "interim" removed from his title. This is not a one-man race.
The dynamics of the Cowboys' pending coaching-search game dramatically changed Thursday. Bill Cowher , a Super Bowl winner, told USA Today that "I'm open to listen to opportunities" and indicated he is willing to return to coaching after a four-year sabbatical.
That scurrying sound you hear is Cowboys owner-general manager Jerry Jones going through his files to make sure he has every bit of contact information on Cowher. All bets are off in this pageant.
Whom would you hire?
A coach who ranks among the top 20 in wins and winning percentage, with at least 100 games, in NFL history, or a coach with eight games of experience in the hot seat?
Experience, or promise?
"I consider [experience] a lot," Jones said. " I have a little problem with going to school with the Cowboys."
None of this should be seen as a knock on Garrett, who has brought respectability and accountability back to the club. The point is he is not operating in a vacuum.
No matter how well the Cowboys fare under Garrett, Jones owes to himself, the organization and everyone who pays big money for tickets to check all possible candidates with stellar resumes.
When a hyper-qualified potential candidate such as Cowher indicates he is interested in coaching again, Jones has no choice but to do his due diligence.
"I explore all possibilities," Jones said Friday. "I look for what-ifs. And where individuals haven't expressed the direction of where they are going with their careers. I work through that.
"With our great tradition of the Cowboys and what we're about, there certainly is some interest in what we're doing with the coaching. On the other hand, they are very aware of how well Jason is doing here at this juncture, with the wins that we've had. All of that comes to bear."
Some of Jones' talk is based on a desire not to run afoul of the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which requires clubs interview minority candidates for senior football operations positions. Jones risks a heavy fine if it appears the coaching search was rigged.
Some of Jones' talk is based on a new-found sensibility. In short, he is trying hard not to be fooled again.
In the past, Jones would be shouting to heavens about Garrett's work in going 3-1. Jones is more reserved now, more aware that a small sample can be deceiving. He is acting more like a general manager than a promoter.
Jones also recognizes Garrett, as offensive coordinator, had a hand in the 1-7 record that cost Wade Phillips his job. Jones wants to avoid creating the impression he believes Garrett "has all the answers."
Said Jones: "Rather than sound like I'm not promoting Jason, what I'm really trying to say is we are very disappointed as to why we're even having the conversation. I don't want anybody to confuse the positive from me with not understanding how much we need to be responsible for what we've done so far this year."
Jones could very well end up with Garrett as his seventh head coach since purchasing the franchise in 1989. That would be the proper move only if Jones looks at the big picture of this season and compares Garrett to the top candidates, such as Cowher.
To do anything less would be a dereliction of duty by the owner-general manager. It all gets back to how that guy operates.
Tale of the tape
While Jason Garrett may have the Cowboys playing better in his short stint as interim head coach, he can't match the experience of someone like Bill Cowher:
Category.................................Garrett...............Cowher
Age...........................................44......................53
Seasons.....................................¼......................15
Wins..........................................3......................149
Winning percentage.................. .750................... ..623
Division championships...................0........................9
Super Bowl appearances................0........................2
Super Bowl wins...........................0........................1
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The Cowboys can win out, giving interim coach Jason Garrett a 7-1 record. They can stack good days, a favorite Garrett expression, as high as the eye can see.
None of that assures Garrett of having the "interim" removed from his title. This is not a one-man race.
The dynamics of the Cowboys' pending coaching-search game dramatically changed Thursday. Bill Cowher , a Super Bowl winner, told USA Today that "I'm open to listen to opportunities" and indicated he is willing to return to coaching after a four-year sabbatical.
That scurrying sound you hear is Cowboys owner-general manager Jerry Jones going through his files to make sure he has every bit of contact information on Cowher. All bets are off in this pageant.
Whom would you hire?
A coach who ranks among the top 20 in wins and winning percentage, with at least 100 games, in NFL history, or a coach with eight games of experience in the hot seat?
Experience, or promise?
"I consider [experience] a lot," Jones said. " I have a little problem with going to school with the Cowboys."
None of this should be seen as a knock on Garrett, who has brought respectability and accountability back to the club. The point is he is not operating in a vacuum.
No matter how well the Cowboys fare under Garrett, Jones owes to himself, the organization and everyone who pays big money for tickets to check all possible candidates with stellar resumes.
When a hyper-qualified potential candidate such as Cowher indicates he is interested in coaching again, Jones has no choice but to do his due diligence.
"I explore all possibilities," Jones said Friday. "I look for what-ifs. And where individuals haven't expressed the direction of where they are going with their careers. I work through that.
"With our great tradition of the Cowboys and what we're about, there certainly is some interest in what we're doing with the coaching. On the other hand, they are very aware of how well Jason is doing here at this juncture, with the wins that we've had. All of that comes to bear."
Some of Jones' talk is based on a desire not to run afoul of the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which requires clubs interview minority candidates for senior football operations positions. Jones risks a heavy fine if it appears the coaching search was rigged.
Some of Jones' talk is based on a new-found sensibility. In short, he is trying hard not to be fooled again.
In the past, Jones would be shouting to heavens about Garrett's work in going 3-1. Jones is more reserved now, more aware that a small sample can be deceiving. He is acting more like a general manager than a promoter.
Jones also recognizes Garrett, as offensive coordinator, had a hand in the 1-7 record that cost Wade Phillips his job. Jones wants to avoid creating the impression he believes Garrett "has all the answers."
Said Jones: "Rather than sound like I'm not promoting Jason, what I'm really trying to say is we are very disappointed as to why we're even having the conversation. I don't want anybody to confuse the positive from me with not understanding how much we need to be responsible for what we've done so far this year."
Jones could very well end up with Garrett as his seventh head coach since purchasing the franchise in 1989. That would be the proper move only if Jones looks at the big picture of this season and compares Garrett to the top candidates, such as Cowher.
To do anything less would be a dereliction of duty by the owner-general manager. It all gets back to how that guy operates.
Tale of the tape
While Jason Garrett may have the Cowboys playing better in his short stint as interim head coach, he can't match the experience of someone like Bill Cowher:
Category.................................Garrett...............Cowher
Age...........................................44......................53
Seasons.....................................¼......................15
Wins..........................................3......................149
Winning percentage.................. .750................... ..623
Division championships...................0........................9
Super Bowl appearances................0........................2
Super Bowl wins...........................0........................1