The Jason Garrett Appreciation Thread

[Statman]

Where I annihilate all the false perception, blatant falsehoods, outright lies, shameless deceptions, and just pure plain lack of comprehension about the next great Head Coach in the illustrious history of YOURS and MY Dallas Cowboys.

Embrace the light! Shed your ignorance! Before it's too late and you become the laughing stock of Dallas Cowboy fandom everywhere. It's not your fault. Only the truly enlightened, rare visionaries.....such as myself.....was paying proper attention to what was really transpiring. Don't be left out in the cold, dark recesses of non-believer Hell.

Most of you will not read all the information....right now. No problem. it will continue to be here to educate you if you truly have repentance in your heart.....or haunt you if you continue down the Dark Path.

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www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015/1/15/7549445/jerry-jones-the-gm-who-really-isnt-dallas-cowboys-will-mcclay-stephen-jones-jason-garrett

As to what Sturm said, it was a brilliantly concise way of saying something I have been trying to articulate all along. Jerry holds the title and the ultimate responsibility for all the major decisions that fall under the general manager duties, but he has never done the day-to-day work that is seen as the normal duty of the general manager. For the Cowboys, the general manager position is unique in that Jerry also has the ultimate power that resides in ownership, something no one at any of the other franchises has. But he also has all the rest of the Dallas Cowboys empire to handle, including the ownership responsibilities he has to fulfill for the NFL, the highly profitable operation of AT&T Stadium, and the marketing arm of the organization. That marketing is another unique thing about his team, since Dallas is the only team that retains all of its own merchandise revenue rather than pooling it with the rest of the league.

There are two options for anyone, no matter how good they are, who has such broad and diverse operations under his purview. Either he (or she) delegates to good people, or fails.

The recent past has clear examples of when Jerry wound up doing the latter. From the end of the Jimmy Johnson years until the advent of Jason Garrett, the talent acquisition by the Cowboys was, shall we say, spotty at best.


Notice how bad the results are for the first ten years after the Jerry/Jimmy divorce. No only were there several clear misses, but the team did not pick in the first round five times. The best tool an NFL team has for getting talent was not used, because Jerry and his staff were trading the picks away.

Also notice the clear change after Garrett came on board. For the first time under Jerry, the team was going for decidedly unsexy but ultimately very productive offensive linemen. The team is still trading, but at least has clearly hit on 75% of the picks.

Although the head coach is not in charge of the draft, he should be in charge of the blueprint for the team overall. And if Garrett is good at anything, it is making, communicating, and executing a plan. He calls it the "process", but that is what he does. His promotion to the top coaching job coincides with the growing influence of a couple of other key pieces, Stephen Jones and Will McClay. They have bought into Garrett's long-term vision for the team, and are also very good at what they do. Since Johnson left, there was only one other head coach who had both a clear vision for the team and the ability to sell it to Jerry, Bill Parcells. And it is certainly arguable that he never got the owner as convinced of what he wanted to do as Garrett has.

Parcells also was probably not as good as Garrett is at working with other key members of the staff. One of the amazing things about Garrett is that he has absolutely no interest in who gets credit for anything. He does not care about what anyone else thinks, because he has no need for anyone to validate him. He believes fully in what himself and what he is doing.

Because of his unique position, Jerry is always going to be just as good as the advice he gets, and that is also influenced by how much he trusts the people giving him that advice. All appearances are that he now has as much faith in his three key advisers, Garrett, Stephen, and McClay, as he has ever had in any subordinates.

In essence, Stephen and McClay appear to be doing the main work that is normally done by a general manager in many other teams, and Jerry just has to step in when there is a difficult judgement call to make or some difference in opinion has to be resolved. He is more of an executive and overseer than other GMs are, but now that the right team is in place to support him, he is doing very well at it.

And in reality, no two general managers in the league do things the same or have exactly the same authority. There are many owners who insert themselves into decisions, they just do so behind the scenes rather than out in the open like Jerry. Other teams have coaches who are more involved in the GM side of things, as appears to be happening with the Philadelphia Eagles, where Chip Kelly seems to be consolidating power over personnel decisions.

It has taken the better part of two decades, but Jerry Jones is finally in a situation that plays to his unique strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. He has shown a rare ability for someone who has been in his position so long to adapt and change. And he has to be given credit, because he has either hired or placed the subordinates in their positions (and Stephen deserves some praise too for showing he has his job based on far more than nepotism). As Sturm said, Jerry is not really a GM, as most of the NFL understands the term. He is the GM of the Dallas Cowboys, a one-of-a-kind position that is finally starting to work well.

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http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article4432847.html

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made it clear that the organization feels Garrett is “the right guy for this job” during a radio appearance Wednesday night on KTCK/1310 AM and 96.7/FM, saying his father, owner Jerry Jones, shares the same sentiment.


“Jason not only was qualified when he took the job, but he improves every day, every week, every month, every year,” Stephen Jones said. “You know, one of the things you fear is that you train a guy up and then he leaves and he goes on and he’s even better for the next team than he was for you. Jason has grown leaps and bounds.


Garrett took over the team during the middle of the 2010 season and led them to a 5-3 mark the final eight games. The Cowboys, though, then proceeded to go 8-8 three consecutive seasons without a playoff berth.

They passed the .500-mark this year when they defeated the Bears for their ninth win on Dec. 4.

“It’s an improvement this year and an improvement at a time when a lot of people didn’t think we would improve,” Stephen Jones said. “They actually thought we might go backwards and here we are at nine wins with three games to go.”

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http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/10376181/jason-garrett-coach-dallas-cowboys-had-authority-make-staff-changes

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was given the latitude to make recent changes to his coaching staff, and those changes were not based on orders from Jerry Jones, according to both the owner and his son, Stephen Jones, the team's executive football vice president.

"Absolutely, we gave Jason that authority when the season ended," Stephen Jones said. "This was another disappointing ending, and you just have let your head coach have that latitude. It's not always going to be pretty, it's going to hurt some feelings, but you have to let Jason evaluate his staff and do what he believes is right. That's what we did."


Jones acknowledged that offensive coordinator Bill Callahan was unhappy with the decision to bring in Scott Linehan as the team's passing game coordinator and third playcaller in three seasons. And he confirmed that the Cowboys denied permission to a "couple of teams" -- the Ravens and Browns -- that wanted to interview Callahan for their offensive coordinator vacancies.

"Bill is not thrilled, but Jason didn't expect him to be thrilled," Jones said. "But Bill is an outstanding coach; he will be involved in game planning and overseeing our offensive line. There was no way we were going to let him walk and we kept our promise that nobody was getting fired; in fact, we added another pretty well-paid coach in Linehan. Maybe that's something that happened we didn't originally plan -- we spent a little more money adding someone, but Jason is very pleased and so are we with Scott on board."

Jones was speaking Thursday morning, but it was Jerry Jones who said the day after the season that he "would not fire anybody, but Jason is evaluating his staff and will have freedom to reassign guys or tweak the staff. As for me, I've got to evaluate my own role -- I need to look at the man in the mirror and really be honest about why we keep coming up short."

Jerry Jones has not elaborated but has been adamant he would retain his role as general manager "even though, as you know, we have a collaborative effort within our personnel department."

Stephen Jones thinks the idea that there are "too many chefs in the kitchen" is a popular reaction but conceded that Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells often tinkered with staff assignments.

"Half the time, you couldn't tell who was going to call plays under Bill any particular week -- it could be Tony Sparano, it could be Sean Payton or it could be Bill himself," Jones said. "In this instance, Linehan and Garrett have a good history together, they'll be on the same page, and it will still allow Jason to grow where we want him to grow as a head coach."

 

[Statman]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/01/02/jason-garrett-has-consistent-message-for-cowboys/GMaCaGTzTYl4DQzZclWNTL/story.html

IRVING, Texas — Jason Garrett loves the story of Pudge Huffelfinger, by all accounts the first American pro football player.

Here’s why: The basics of winning football in 1892 were no different than they are today, which means the message doesn’t have to change.

And the message never changes with the Dallas coach. Not during three straight 8-8 seasons that raised persistent questions about his job security. And not during a breakthrough this season that has the Cowboys (12-4) set for Sunday’s wild-card game against Detroit (11-5), their first appearance in the postseason since 2009.

‘‘He’s been giving the same speech since the first day he got the job,’’ cornerback Orlando Scandrick said.

Circumstances have changed.

Garrett took over when owner Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips with the Cowboys at 1-7 in 2010. Garrett was the offensive coordinator, and Jones believed quarterback Troy Aikman’s backup from the Super Bowl days of the 1990s could match the success of one of his coaches, Jimmy Johnson.

When the Cowboys finished 6-10, there was little reason to doubt the move. But then came the .500 rut, questionable game management by Garrett, and three straight season-ending losses that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Not to mention several significant changes in the coaching staff.

Garrett came into this final season of his contract with Jones steadfastly maintaining an extension wasn’t imminent. But now the question has essentially been answered, replaced by talk of Garrett as a Coach of the Year contender.

‘‘I think Jason is going to be a better coach five years from now than he is today, and I think he’s a much better coach today than he was five years ago,’’ Jones said earlier this season. ‘‘He’s a growing, smart, hard-working coach that is really getting some great experience.’’

Garrett’s unflinching message is simple. Show up every day and do your job. Be the best version of yourself, regardless of circumstances. Be ready to play, whether it’s ‘‘home, road, parking lot or the moon,’’ as he likes to say.

‘‘I think you coach them emotional on how to be their best,’’ Garrett said. ‘‘That’s ultimately what you’re asking them to do: be your best, not try your best.’’

The message was never lost on the two players he’s been around the longest, quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten, even through the monotony of season-ending disappointments. Romo recently said one of the best moves Jones made was keeping Garrett even though the Cowboys got within a year of the longest playoff drought in franchise history.

‘‘He’s done a great job motivating,’’ said Romo, who set a franchise record with an NFL-leading 113.2 passer rating this season. ‘‘I think he’s just a great leader and someone that everyone looks up to. He’s done a great job this year.’’

Case in point, according to Witten: Garrett’s upbeat outlook after a season-opening loss to San Francisco that included three first-half interceptions by Romo in his first game since back surgery at the end of the 2013 season.

‘‘I think great coaches are always a step or two ahead of the rest of us,’’ Witten said. ‘‘He just kind of pointed out a lot of things we did well and talked about, ‘Guys, if we continue to do these things, we’re going to be a real good team.’?’’

The son of former NFL coach and scout Jim Garrett, Jason grew up in the game with brothers John, who was on the Dallas staff until a shuffling two years ago, and Judd, a former practice squad player and now director of pro scouting for the Cowboys.

John Garrett agrees that his younger brother succeeds through his consistent message. He says it helped that the Cowboys drafted offensive linemen in the first round three of the past four years. Now they have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray to take some of the load off Romo.

Jones also took some of the load off Garrett by pulling play-calling duties last year, although it took another season for him to get more comfortable with the hiring of Scott Linehan before this season.

‘‘I always knew that Jerry and Stephen [Jones] and the entire organization had the utmost respect for him and they really believed in him as a leader, as a good football coach, and as the leader of the team,’’ John Garrett said. ‘‘With all those traits and all those beliefs, what has to come with it is success on the field. If they had not had a successful year, you wouldn’t have been surprised if they didn’t stick with him.’’

Now that Jones has, it might be worth noting that his coach hasn’t had a losing record and is 41-31 in four-plus seasons. And that there are only two coaches with more wins in Dallas: Tom Landry and Johnson.

‘‘We were always to the point there were a few things that happened that could have went a different way,’’ Scandrick said. ‘‘It wasn’t like we were just horrible and this coach is terrible. No. And it wasn’t his fault that we weren’t getting over the hump.’’

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http://sportdfw.com/2012/04/06/jerry-jones-the-dallas-cowboys-and-the-jason-garrett-effect/

Since the Dallas Cowboys Owner and GM Jerry Jones appointed Jason Garrett to the Head Coach position, the “Jason Garrett Effect” has been easily discernible in the play on the field. The team that was humiliated by the Packers under Wade Phillips did not look like the same team that beat the NY Giants the following week under Garrett. Garrett took over a team that was 1-7 in 2010 and made them competitive in the second half of the season. Although the Cowboys finished with a disappointing 8-8 record in 2011, the quality of football played by the Cowboys has improved considerably since Garrett took over. The Cowboys had a chance to win almost every game last year. They seemed to play with more discipline by avoiding the knuckle-head penalties that were so common in previous years. The certainly showed more resolve and toughness than the first half of 2010. Despite all those changes on the field, the ‘Jason Garrett Effect’ has had its biggest impact off the field.

Cowboys fans are quick to blame Jerry Jones for all of the Cowboy’s woes. Even those who are less critical of Jones will still point to the absence of stability in the coaching staff, the lack of continuity from year to year, and the inability to formulate and stick to a long-term plan as the biggest problems with the Dallas Cowboys franchise. Fans and pundits alike blame these problems on Jerry Jones, saying that he only wants to hire “yes men” and that he can’t co-exist with strong-willed coaches like Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells. It looks like things are changing.

“Jason Garrett Effect” is evident is just about everything the Cowboys have done since he took the helm. The general consensus in the Dallas media is that Garrett is every bit as headstrong as Johnson or Parcells, but the difference is that Garrett doesn’t revel in the attention from the media. Garrett would rather be working than watching himself on the national news. When dealing with the press, Garrett is always polite and courteous, but he is intentionally guarded and short with his answers Garrett will never give the media a one liner or flippant remark that will make headlines. Its seems as though Garrett is content to work behind the scenes and give the media carefully scripted and bland responses. When you watch Garrett on camera, he seems boring and mellow, but the players (even some of the guys on defense) say that Garrett is actually quite spirited and fiery. The Garrett we see on TV is a persona, and it is one that works very well with Jerry Jones.

By the “Jason Garrett Effect“, I mean the changes that are noticeable in Jerry Jones and the way the Dallas Cowboys organization is run since Garrett became the Head Coach. First and foremost, Garret’s reign is, and will continue, bringing stability to the coaching staff and the general program. Even if you don’t agree with all of Garrett’s decisions, it is still preferable to have some continuity in leadership and direction, as opposed to changing Head Coaches every few years.

– in 20 years of Jerry Jones being the GM, he has never made such a focused attempt to improve the OL or build an OL for the future. They have players with 4 players who were rookies last year that not have NFL game experience: David Arkin, Bill Nagy, Phil Costa (was not a true rookie, but he was not activated for a game the year before), and Kevin Kowalski. Starting with a core on near rookies on the OL sounds like a Coach with a long-term plan.

– the Cowboys have been, on both sides of the ball, dumping aging veterans in favour of younger players that are often not definite upgrades or even proven commodities. A GM doesn’t release solid veterans for players who are potentially not as good, over and over again, unless they are following a long-term plan.

– all of the players drafted last year and all of the free agents signed this year appear to be the “Right Kind of Guys”.

– the Cowboys have positioned themselves, by being aggressive and yet restrained in free agency, to be able to draft the ‘best player available’. They don’t have any huge holes or must needs, although they could stand to improve at almost every position other than QB, T, and WR.

– many of the players, judging by their interviews, have bought into Garrett’s overall philosophy and system. You hear them talking about doing things “The Cowboy Way.” The players reiterate his mantra about excellence being “a process” and piling one could practice on another one, and one good day after another one.

Garrett is starting to mould the players into a group who believe in and follow “The Cowboy Way.” The process is far from complete, but he has only had a year and a half. Many of these players are leftover from Wade Phillip’s tenure, and some are still from Parcell’s team (at least when Newman was still on the team). As Garrett has control over the players drafted and the free agents signed, the number of players who will be dedicated to Garrett’s vision of “The Cowboy Way” will increase dramatically.

I believe that Jerry Jones has finally come to the realization that the early legendary greatness he achieved with this team in the 90's is not nearly as easy to duplicate as he originally thought and hoped. He has seen the errors of his ways (granted, not enough to relieve himself as the GM), but he finally appears understands that sustained success in the NFL requires continuity in coaches, philosophy, and systems.

Jerry is painfully aware of the following facts:

The franchise had two coaches in its first 34 seasons, which resulted in 20 consecutive winning seasons and five Super Bowl victories; Jerry has had six different HC’s since Jimmy Johnson left in 1993. No HC has lasted more than four seasons. The Cowboys are 119-118 since 1997.

Jerry knows that the teams that are perennially successful like the Patriots and Steelers have stability in the coaching staffs.

Jerry wants Garrett to be the next Tom Landry. I think that Jones believes that Garrett IS the next Landry. And when you think about it, Garrett has many of the same qualities as Landry.

To enumerate just a few: they both played QB. Landry earned a Master’s degree from the University of Texas; Garrett went to Princeton. Like Landry, Garrett became a HC at a very young age. Garret, like Landry, is considered super intelligent by everyone who interacts with him. Their personalities, at least in pubic, are remarkably similar. The following description could be about either Garrett or Landry: He is supremely professional. He almost always wears his poker-face. He is not prone to emotional outbursts in public. He is obsessively methodical about his work. He is uncompromising in what he expects from his players. He often seems detached and aloof. He will rarely give you a quote or comment that is going to make headlines.

The more I look at the Dallas Cowboys and where they seem to be headed, the less I see Jerry Jones and the more I see Jason Garrett. The Cowboys, despite their success under Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells, have never had the luxury of having a HC coach who could formulate, implement, and maintain a plan for day-to-day operations that was dedicated to long term success. The “Jason Garrett Effect” may be the best thing to happen to this franchise since it won a Super Bowl. It may be difficult to see every aspect of the “Garrett Effect” right now, but remember, he is just getting started.

 

[Statman]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2014/10/17/zack-martin-jerry-jones-johnny-manziel-dallas-draft/17444699/

IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked again Sunday about what may wind up as the best move he never made when he opted not to draft Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 16th overall pick in May.

"I really have had some very stern, succinct instructions not to mention Johnny anymore from people who count," Jones said following his team's 30-23 win against the Seattle Seahawks.

Jones' son, Stephen, laughed when asked in his office this week if he's the stern one who told Jerry to quit talking about Johnny Football.

"Well, we just got a little reminder from the league that Johnny plays for another team and you can't talk about other players," Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president, told USA TODAY Sports.


So what happened to convince the billionaire owner that his Cowboys were better off selecting Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin than Manziel?

"Someone said, '(I) stole the card,' " Stephen Jones said. "And I go, 'It was all documented on television. Zack was a top player on our board.

"And it's turned out even better than advertised."

Probably wise, too, considering $108 million quarterback Tony Romo was coming off his second back surgery in a year.

But Longtime scout Walter Juliff's ringing pre-draft endorsement of Martin has proven accurate for a team that's now 5-1 and running the ball better than any team in the league while reducing the burden on Romo.

"Walter said, 'I'm going to make a statement that's going to make everybody drop because we've had a couple of Hall of Fame guards, especially Larry Allen,' " Stephen Jones recalled. "Walter said, 'Zack Martin is the most high-level ready offensive lineman I've ever seen since I've been scouting here.

"That doesn't mean he has Larry's upside. But as far as ready to start from Day 1, Zack was truly plug and play."

It helped that Martin started 52 games for Notre Dame. Stephen Jones said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett "had a huge influence on selecting Martin," who has the quick feet of a left tackle (his primary position for the Irish) but is a mauling finisher as a guard.

Still, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman wonders how much Jerry Jones wanted Martin over Manziel.

"That story of exactly where Jerry stood will go down in Cowboys lore, because Jerry's been on record saying he wanted Manziel," Aikman, now FOX's lead NFL analyst, told USA TODAY Sports. "Whether he did or didn't, I don't know. ... But it's on record that Jerry felt like taking Zack Martin was like laying up on a par five. And that's not how Jerry was able to buy the Dallas Cowboys.

"But Jim Furyk makes a good living laying up on par fives. ... Zack Martin is a hell of a football player."

Aikman thrived alongside Emmitt Smith's smashmouth running and thanks to airtight protection from one of the league's best lines when the Cowboys won three Super Bowls during the 1990s.

The current Dallas squad has taken a similar tack by selecting three blockers in the first round over the past four drafts: left tackle Tyron Smith in 2011, center Travis Frederick last year and Martin. They've paved the way for tailback DeMarco Murray's league-best 785 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

"Part of the problem in Dallas prior to the last few years has been they've neglected the offensive line and went after the shiny car so to speak, (receivers) Dez Bryant or Terrell Owens," Aikman said.

"Now they're regarded as the best offensive line in football."

Martin has become fast friends with Frederick, a fellow Midwesterner who also loves country rock music. They're roommate on the road.

"Travis has been great to me," Martin said. "This is one of the tightest groups I've ever been part of. ... We go to dinner as a group every Thursday night."

Frederick has plenty of confidence in the man who will line up to his right Sunday when the Cowboys host the 3-3 New York Giants at AT&T Stadium.

"Zack's playing very well for a veteran and playing exceptionally well for a rookie," Frederick said. "Sometimes he gets himself in some situations and still works his way out of it. That's crazy, especially knowing other teams are going to target him."

It sure seems like the Cowboys did the right thing targeting Martin instead of Manziel.

 

[Statman]

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/sturm-how-the-cowboys-were-built.html/

Team-building is a very important study in today’s NFL to see if your franchise is going about things in the right way. That accepted way, it seems, is to build through the draft, churn your roster with homegrown talent, try to only use free agency as a fortification and not the actual foundation, and to keep the age of your talent that you pay premium dollars young so that they may perform at an elite level.

So, every year – both early in camp and right before Week 1, I like to examine how the Dallas Cowboys are built. I try to assemble the chart you will see below to provide some context about how a modern NFL team (or, at least this particular NFL team) is built.

The first thing we do is we figure out how each player is acquired (and what year they were acquired). They fall into 3 different categories, although that was only done for simplicity. Just about every player takes a different path to the league and many are the non-traditional routes. Traditional, of course, would be through the draft or the players who are signed by a team after the draft. Those are labeled as Undrafted College Free Agents and over the years the Cowboys have excelled at finding pieces through that method, including their franchise QB Tony Romo, their defensive leader, Barry Church, their slot receiver, Cole Beasley, and a

starting guard, Ron Leary. And that doesn’t even mention a kicker and a punter who are both solid, with Dan Bailey being amongst the better kickers in the league.

Meanwhile, the draft is where the teams that win have built most of their squad, and the Cowboys are certainly making every effort to make this their principle mode of acquisition – something that wasn’t working out for them much in the Wade Phillips era.

Of the 60 names listed below, 29 are Cowboys Draft Picks. That includes 8 from the 2015 draft, so they have yet to actually make the squad, but we will give them the benefit of the doubt for this exercise in early August Add that to the 12 college free agents who have already made a Cowboys roster at least once, and you have 41 as your “homegrown” number. That is actually a very healthy number that Dallas should be happy about – but, of course, that doesn’t measure the quality of the 41. For instance, are their enough stars in that group? Are they starting quality at least? And, since making an NFL roster is different in each city because of the relative strength of each particular franchise, how hard is it to make the Cowboys team in 2015?

Free Agency and trades were the calling card of the Jerry Jones Cowboys in the 1990s with large level acquisitions. In the decade that followed, there were still some big moments, including one that you could easily suggest still hurts them (Roy Williams trade of 2008 which gutted the 2009 draft), but for the most part, you can see that aside from Brandon Carr (5 years/$50m – signed in March of 2012), they really have nobody on their roster who was a big money/asset acquisition from another team. Almost every other free agent acquisition the Cowboys have made in the last several years has been for a very low amount of money. Greg Hardy is a slight exception, but the total cash outlay for him is still likely to sit at around $10m for 2015, so unless they sign him to a multi-year deal, Carr remains the only massive free agency deal in the Jason Garrett era. That is enough to argue that the Cowboys only use free agency as a supplement to their homegrown efforts, not as a crutch as some teams do.

Now, let’s discuss the colors of the chart below. Those colors represent the different head coaching regimes. The upper silver is Jason Garrett (2011-2015) even though Garrett also had part of 2010, the players listed were brought in under Wade because Phillips was the head coach in the spring when the draft and free agency occur. Wade Phillips is the blue region (2007-2010). Wade had some good teams, but the 2007-2010 personnel-acquisiton performance was about as poor as it gets – especially if you just zero in on 2007-2009. Brutal. It is easy to see why the Cowboys needed to rebuild in so heavily to begin the Garrett era.

Then, the bottom silver is Bill Parcells. His group was nearly cleaned out in the last 24 months with the exits of Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware, Miles Austin, and Jason Hatcher. But, given that this is about to be the 9th season post-Parcells, his impact speaks for itself. Especially since Jason Witten and Tony Romo both go back to his 1st year in office.

There is no doubt this is Jason Garrett’s roster. 3 Parcells players remain and only 5 Wade players are left, too. That leaves 49 players who have been here for 3 seasons or less. That is right, only 11 players on the Dallas Cowboys were here before the 2012 training camp that occurred just 36 months ago. And as amazing as it sounds, 31 players who have only been since the 2014 training camp. Let this be a lesson about the length of your average NFL career. They happen in the blink of an eye for most every player in the league. It is only the outliers who get to 8 or 10 seasons in pro football.

It also shows you the 4-year rolling window of roster building. Because most NFL rookies are on 4-year contracts, you can see how every year you must declare your intentions from the draft class of 4 years ago. For instance, in the spring the Cowboys had to decide about the 2011 draftees who were still with the club. They kept Tyron Smith (who technically had a 5-year rookie deal and then signed the 8yr/$97.8m extension), the punter Chris Jones (3 yr/$4.2m), and the kicker Dan Bailey (7 yr/$22.5m) but passed on extending others from the class of 2011 – Bruce Carter, DeMarco Murray, and Dwayne Harris.

Right now, they are making decisions on the class of 2012. Do they wish to keep Morris Claiborne, Tyrone Crawford, Kyle Wilber, James Hanna, Lance Dunbar, Ron Leary, and Cole Beasley past this season? If so, extensions need to be decided upon. They already extended Beasley in the spring (4yr, $13.6m) and passed on Claiborne’s 5th year option (Mo can still be kept, but this year will prove everything about his future). We shall see if they wait until March on everyone else, but I think Tyrone Crawford is the biggest priority here by a mile to try to get something done – preferably before he busts out this year and the price goes up quickly.

The Cowboys have a young, talented roster that is further fortified by a massive intake of talent in 2015 that includes many potential blue-chippers from the ’15 draft class, including Jones, Gregory, and Collins. They have positioned themselves pretty well with the salary cap where they are paying players who are difference makers in the present tense – not paying players for past performance who are on the wrong side of 30 years old. For the most part, they have invested in franchise altering players like Tyron Smith and Dez Bryant along with the 2 old-timers who have helped carry this thing for more than a decade: Tony Romo and Jason Witten.

We will revisit this when they get down to 53, but you can see how the Cowboys are now beginning to resemble those top franchises that are always credited with home-grown, built-through-the-draft rosters. The front office appears to be getting it done the right way.

 

[Statman]

http://thelandryhat.com/2015/05/29/dallas-cowboys-otas-coachspeak-culture-competition/

Coming out of three straight 8-8 seasons, many questioned Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett’s ability to lead a football team. Many criticized him as a puppet of owner Jerry Jones. Many others wanted to believe in his process but gave up on him. Now they’re all trying to understand how the Cowboys got good. What some still refuse to see is the Cowboys are good because of Garrett.

The team’s recent success and future promise are due to, as much as anything else, the organizational culture instilled by Garrett. That culture of hard work, competition and accountability took time to grow and constant, pounding focus to take hold. It is what drives everything else. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the words of his coaches and players.

Press representatives attended OTA work outs Wednesday, and Cowboys players and coaches spoke with reporters. All these videos are available on dallascowboys.com – the themes should be familiar to any Garrett fans:

What Garrett is doing, and what he’s been doing for four years, is building a perennial contender through a culture of hard work, high expectations, competition and accountability. McFadden and Collins are new to the team. They are two days into their first OTA, and already they sound like veterans of this culture. That’s not easy to do to grown men.

If you still think Garrett is any man’s puppet, well, that says more about you than it does about Garrett.



Consider the Cowboys 2010 roster that Jason Garrett inherited as interim head coach. The offensive-line was breaking down, with four 32 year-old starters and Doug Free starting to reach his prime at age 26. Behind them, a failed first-round draft choice given a final chance at redemption and a collection of players with virtually no playing time in the NFL. Yet, while many complain about the uncertainty at the interior of the Cowboys o-line in 2012, that same uncertainty is driven by the competition between experienced and youthful prospects challenging each other for roster spots and a chance to start on game day. It's a miraculous improvement in less than two seasons.

And this is not the only place that the Jason Garrett regime has left finger-prints of this new philosophy being instilled.

By the end of 2010 there were several aged veterans on the Cowboys roster. But Jason Garrett is all about getting better every day as you achieve to be great. There is a certain point in a player's career when they will no longer be able to improve the next day. While the players can still compete in the NFL, they will never again get better. It seems the new Cowboy Way under Jason Garrett does not consider such players wise investments, and he has finally gotten a business man named Jerry Jones to listen.

By the end of 2010 there were several aged veterans on the Cowboys roster that did not appear to be improving from one day to the next. Not a single one of them remains.

Nearly a dozen starters from 2010 are no longer with the team heading into the 2012 season. That is a remarkable amount of turnover while keeping a team competitive. This may rehash the debate on re-building vs. re-tooling, but one thing is certain, Jason Garrett has wasted no time in making the necessary changes to achieve his vision for this team...and they were fighting for a playoff spot up until the final game of the 2011 season. This team is now competitive, not only on the field, but throughout the depth chart. One of the most exciting things about the 2012 Cowboys is all the competition that will be occurring at camp.

In years prior, Cowboys training camp has been about the competition at the bottom half of the roster, dare I remind us of those dark memories of a special teams draft. In 2012, there will be young talented players competing throughout the entire roster, including for jobs among the starting line-up. It seems there isn't a single player that can't get better if the Garrett approach and the coaches do their job, and the players buy into the approach and process that Garrett seems sure to instill.

In 2010, four starters along the offensive-line were 32 years-old. In 2012, the oldest lineman at camp will be 30 (Nate Livings) and Doug Free (formerly the youngest starter) will be the second-oldest lineman. While some fans complain about the lack of known veterans on our starting lineup, there is only upside to be found along the o-line depth chart. If the organization and new coaching staff do their jobs properly, there isn't a single lineman on this roster that won't improve...or will lose ability due to age. And it's not simply a matter of getting younger and adding competition. Even the approach, the process of revitalizing the o-line, was done with the precision and care that only a coach with a long term outlook can provide.

When was the last time the Cowboys signed a big money contract to an aged veteran to bolster the offensive-line? How long had we been waiting for that first-round talent for the o-line?

The introduction of a potential franchise left tackle was the greatest way to improve the o-line and the Garrett regime did not hesitate to take advantage of the 2011 draft and the availability of Tyron Smith. Doug Free is now (under a long term deal) an experienced swing tackle that can go back to excelling on the right side. Behind them, Jermey Parnell is a young and athletic tackle who will continue to learn better technique as he enters his fourth year in the league. He also has the physical make-up to become a swing tackle.


The best offensive-lines in the NFL are created by relentless and hungry (sometimes angry) individuals that love to battle it out in the trenches, and know the movements of the guys beside them. The longer a group of o-linemen play together the better they get at reacting to blitzes, passing off blockers, taking advantage of another's pancake, or recognizing a lost block by a teammate in time to help out. I expect to see a fiery and competitive camp for the interior o-line and whoever rises to the top also has the chance to play with the same group of guys for years to come.

Oh, did I mention there is now a uniform template for Cowboys linemen? The mix of old maulers and technicians is now a group of smart and mobile linemen that have the juice in their legs to always finish the play, to make blocks on the move, to get to the second level, or to keep fighting to get a second block downfield. It's not the monstrous line of bruisers the Cowboys dynasty was sporting, but it is a clear approach with specific intent.


I don't think Jason Garrett's work is done, and I'm certain he doesn't either. Not every problem can be solved overnight. But in a very short time he has revitalized this team with youthful and hungry competition across the depth charts, invigorated the locker room with players that are driven to work hard and have a knack for inspiring teammates and becoming leaders, all the while fixing immediate problems without risking - nay, while drastically improving - the long term possibilities for this franchise. Garrett has systematically gone about the business of fixing the weakest aspects of the team by increasing the youth, talent, and competition along the depth chart. Along the way he has also been creating a new Cowboy Way, one with an organizational and coaching approach of which fans and players love to be a part.

Jason Garrett's coaching staff is now in place, Mike Woicik is getting an offseason with this young team, the camp will be dominated by competition instead of cupcakes...and there is not an overpaid over-the-hill player for as far as the eye can see. There is a beautiful horizon with a red dawn rising over Dallas. Call it kool-aid, but I am basking in the glow and expect the 2012 Dallas Cowboys to be competitive every game...as they strive to be great ever day.

http://dallascowboys.about.com/od/Dallas-Cowboys-General/fl/Dallas-Cowboys-Fulfilling-Jason-Garretts-Vision.htm

After beating the New York Giants 31-21, the Dallas Cowboys now have the best record in the NFL. For a fan base that has watched a team that was the definition of mediocrity for the past three 8-8 seasons, this is somewhat disorienting, in a very good way. There is still a sense of disbelief about this team after so many predictions were made about how bad this team would be, but gradually the NFL world is starting to realize that this is indeed a team to be reckoned with.

This is seen as rather stunning because, to the casual observer, this happened suddenly with no warning. But if you had been watching the Cowboys for some time, and paying attention to what was happening, you could have seen that this was coming. And it all goes back to a man and his process.

 

[Statman]

Thus Spoketh Jason.....


1. This is a hard room to get into.
To be a professional in any field is an amazing accomplishment. To be a professional football player in the NFL, for the Dallas Cowboys, in a room with only ninety other players chosen from the entire athletic world - that's an incredible feat.


2. Your attitude is the only thing you can control.
Says Garrett: "It's the only thing we can control in our lives. Can't control the past - success - failure - what this person says, or what that person says. When you get up in the morning you can only control your attitude. The happiest people I know in my life, the most successful people I've ever known in my life, they have great attitudes."

3. Be at your best, regardless of the circumstances.
"Passionate people, with a single-minded focus don't listen to the noise," says Garrett. "Do you think Einstein listened to the noise? Do you think Dr. King listened to the noise? Ignore the noise. Be strong mentally."

4. It's going to take a relentless spirit.
The amount of energy and passion required to achieve greatness is incalculable. No matter how many books you read or seminars you attend - nothing will endure longer than your will to succeed. Be unyielding in your desire to win.

5. Overcome any obstacle in your way.
"Those guys that changed the world? Don't you think they had obstacles to overcome? You bet they did. Figure it out. No excuses."

6. Be the best version of yourself.
"What's your identity? Don't be some guy in your past or someone you aren't yet in the future. Be the best version of yourself. Have passion, a great attitude, a single-minded focus, relentless energy, and always finish. Never miss an opportunity in life to establish your identity. "

7. Make all decisions in the best interest of the team.
You will never do anything great in life alone. Getting help is not a sign of weakness, it's a signal to all those who follow you that you believe in them so much that your combined successes are impossible without one another. This mission only gets accomplished as a team.

8. Coach my ass...MAKE ME BETTER.
" The coaches I hate in my life were the guys who allowed me to be as mediocre as mediocre can be. The guys I love to this very day - they rode my ass every day. They grinded me. It was hard. They made me better. "

9. Expect great competition - it's the greatest league in the world.
Do you think you're different? Do you think you have more passion? Greater wits? More experience? A larger network? Execute 24-7. Force your competition to quit from the sheer exhaustion of simply trying to keep up with you.

10. Trust is earned. Respect is earned.
Don't expect anything. If you haven't earned it, then you don't deserve it. Treat others how you want to be treated. C'mon, we all learned this in second grade. It's unfortunate we have to remind ourselves as adults what respect is all about.

11. Always have your teammates' back.
"One of the greatest things that you can say in life is 'That guy was my teammate.' One of the greatest things that can be said about you is, 'That guy was my teammate.'"

12. Get stronger through adversity.
"We might lose a game, we might lose a first down; they may score a touchdown, someone may get hurt-- but you have to persevere."

13. Be on time and be ready to go.
"How you treat your commitments is a reflection of how important they are to you in your life. Don't ever be late."

14. Treat people and the facilities with respect.
It's easy to take advantage of all the amazing resources start-ups are sometimes blessed with (much like world class athletes). Game rooms, free food, 24-7 staff, etc. Understand why these resources exist and don't let them overtake your focus. You're at work to work.

15. Make every rep count.
"When the coach is correcting another player in the group - that's your mistake too. Pay attention - make the mental reps count so you are prepared in what may be your only opportunity to show what you've got."

Maybe you haven't started your own company yet, or you're still working through the "business plan," but that doesn't mean you can't be dedicated about learning from the people around you. Talk to them, learn from them, reach out to them. Everything they do, you'll probably have to do one day too.

16. Take care of the emotional part of your life. You're not alone.
Everyone has some personal issue they are constantly dealing with. Family, friends, money, broken cars, bad landlords - some way, some how, you've got to deal with this and come prepared to work every single day.

17. Hustle and compete.
"It takes absolutely no talent to hustle or compete. Set that standard."
You control your work ethic - no one else.

18. Step up and be a leader. Hold people accountable.
"We don't want flash - we want consistent guys we can count on every single day."
Great teams require great leadership. In the start-up world, the cardinal rule is to hire slowly, fire quickly. There's no better way to hold someone accountable, than to let go of them for underperformance.

19. Get to the next play - you've got to keep going.
The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is that they don't think their product or service is ready for press. The reality is that you have no brand or reputation. Most people who try early products will understand if things break. You're going to mess up. That's OK. Keep going.

20. Don't ever walk. Run. It's a mindset.

Nothing will irk a coach in any sport more than a player who spends time walking rather than running. Building a business or pushing out a product requires the same tone in hustle. Don't ever go slow. What does Zuckerberg always say? "Move fast - break things."

21. Give other people credit.
In a team sport, it's easy to identify the other folks who help lead you to victory. In the start-up world, it's just as easy. Think about the enormous amount of effort, money, energy, sacrifice, and mentorship you've received your entire life to get you to this moment by countless individuals who were compelled to see you succeed. Never forget them and always be grateful for what they've done for you.

22. Distinguish yourself with your play - not what you say.
There is no greater reflection of your success than the results you produce. They're worth more than a thousand press releases, articles, or twitter followers. Set clear goals and knock'em out of the park consistently.

 

[Statman]

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2...ten-players-and-you-hear-jason-garretthttp://

OXNARD, Calif. – As he begins his fifth full season as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, this much is as clear as the calm southern California sky:

Jason Garrett has put his imprint on this team’s personality.

Want proof? Sure, there’s the 12-4 record that busted the three-year 8-8 glass ceiling; the new five-year contract in January; the players’ public support of the Process.

But it’s not what the players say about their coach.

It’s what the coach says through the players.

Let me explain.

A boss’s best trait in any line of work, aside from treating people fairly, is whether his or her department listens to their message, responds to them, performs for them. Could be an office building. Could be a construction site. Could be a grass football field in sunny Oxnard.

The difference between sports and any other profession is there’s a clear record of the boss’s message being followed or ignored.

For the Dallas Cowboys, all you have to do is sample a few players’ quotes throughout the offseason and here in Cali about their approach to 2015:

Quarterback Tony Romo: “We don’t think about last year. Now it’s a whole new team. We’ve got to build. There’s a lot of things you’ve got to do, but you’ve got to start over. You don’t build off anything.”

Cornerback Brandon Carr: “We’ve got to wipe the slate clean. Last year is done. That team is over. We’ve got to have the same hunger, the same chip on our shoulder this year to go after it again.”

Safety Barry Church: “We had a good season (in 2014), but it wasn't a great season in our eyes. We have to tear it down and come in with our new pieces that we have.”

Safety J.J. Wilcox: “Coach (Rod) Marinelli tells the defense all the time, we’re starting a garden. Right now we have weeds everywhere, we’ve got no trees growing, we’ve got a desert right now. The main thing we have to understand is we start at Day One.”

Tight end Jason Witten: “I think for all of us the pace has been set – expectations and really putting last year behind us and moving forward.”

And, finally, guard Zack Martin, moments after stepping off the plane Tuesday at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu: “Nothing’s taken for granted. We know we have a fresh team.”

Hmmm, wonder where this collective doctrine came from.

Jason Garrett, of course. He’s been hammering this home since January.

The coach repeated his message again at Wednesday’s state-of-the-union press conference:

“We really don’t believe that you build on something from the previous year,” he said. “This year’s team is different than last year’s team and we all have to understand that.

“We have to go back to work. We have to lay the foundation for this football team, this 2015 Dallas Cowboys football team. That’s what the focus is. I think our players understand that. That’s how they worked in the offseason. That’s their mindset. That’s their mentality.”

Now, for us beat writers, this ain’t exactly above-the-fold gold. But there’s a compelling message within the players’ platitudes:

This is, without a doubt, Garrett’s football team.

The evidence lies within his players’ comments.

They listen to him. And they repeat what he says, sometimes word for word.

Garrett’s message, of course, is rooted in any possible assumption that the Cowboys will reach Super Bowl greatness simply because they achieved their first winning season in his tenure with poise and grit, and perhaps were a Dez Bryant ‘football move’ away from beating the Packers and reaching the NFC Championship game.

In a speech to his players after the season ended, Garrett tried to ward off any sense of entitlement in the coming months.

“We sat in that room,” executive vice president Stephen Jones recalled, “and (Garrett) said, ‘This team was this team. We’re proud of what you did, but you can’t just pick up where you left off. We’ll have to start from scratch, everybody will have to be accountable, it’ll have a different set of faces out there – there will be new faces. Everybody will have to work harder. Obviously what we did last year was good but it didn’t get the job done.’”

Remember, Garrett was an assistant coach on the 2007 and 2009 Cowboys teams who won the NFC East title . . . and then missed the playoffs entirely the following year as popular preseason title favorites.

He has seen firsthand, as a player and a coach, the unique hype the Dallas Cowboys get when they’re good to great. He knows that hype must be harnessed, because it’s human nature to relax just a little when people say nice things about you over and over and over.

The Cowboys should be proud of the step forward they took last year. Ironically, Garrett sort of wants them to forget it ever happened.

‘Be great today,’ right? Not yesterday.

All for the sake of Progress in the Process.

 

[Statman]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011...cowboys-2011-nfl-draft-strategy-jason-garrett

Apr 27, 2011


Q: Where is this team from a need standpoint? Are you guys at a point where you are trying to stockpile young talent or are you just adding some final pieces to a contend-now roster?

Jason Garrett: "We feel good about the talent on our football team but we have needs throughout our team and a lot of those needs have something to do with whether in fact a veteran player is signed, whether he’s a free agent. The money part of the NFL is significant and we have to understand that, how it relates to our roster and obviously, age is a factor when you’re looking at the draft and if you’re older at the position, maybe you address that, maybe a little bit more than you would otherwise. So, those things factor into it. Hopefully, you want to take the best players throughout the draft just to make our team better."

Q: What are some of the specific areas of need that you guys will address throughout this draft?

Jason Garrett: "Again, I think we’ll always err on the side of taking the best player available. I think that’s an important thing to do whenever you’re approaching any draft. But we have some areas on the offensive line, we have some areas in the secondary, linebackers. We have some contract situations on the defensive line. You can go on and on. Really, at any position, we can take a guy for a different reason. Again, we need to be nimble during the draft to find our way, to address some of those needs and more importantly, pick the best players throughout the draft."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/article3829509.html


ARLINGTON -- Exactly one year into the Jason Garrett era, the Dallas Cowboys are more accountable and competitive.

The Cowboys are 9-7 since owner Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips and promoted Jason Garrett from offensive coordinator to head coach. Eleven games have been decided by four points or fewer. The Cowboys are 5-6 in those contests.

It's not the stuff that gets you enshrined into the Ring of Honor, nor is it seemingly a precursor to the return of America's Team's past dominance. But the culture, the attitude and direction of the organization has certainly changed since the team started last year 1-7 and was going nowhere.

When the Cowboys (4-4) take on the Buffalo Bills (5-3) today at Cowboys Stadium, it will mark the one-year anniversary of Garrett's hiring. There is an organization-wide belief that promoting Garrett was the right move to lead the Cowboys to long-term success.

"It's a resounding yes," Jones answered when asked whether he was pleased with the direction of the team in its first year under Garrett. "I feel that he's lived up to any of my expectations that I might have had regarding what he is as a head coach. When someone has coached only one year in life, I do expect improvement. That is a big plus. If you handicap anything you are doing with the fact that you are going to have improvement, you should be pleased if you are in my shoes, and I am."

Said tight end Jason Witten: "He's been brilliant. He's been great. It's unfortunate the record doesn't show how fabulous of a job he's done -- in all phases, obviously the way we play, the accountability and the urgency. There's been a lot of tough games, and unfortunately some tough losses that probably don't give him enough credit for the job he's done."

True to form, Garrett isn't much interested in looking back at how he's done as a head coach.

"Well, it's a long time ago," said Garrett, when asked about the differences this week from this time last year, when he was named coach on Monday and had the first practice with the team on Wednesday before a game against the New York Giants.

His focus is the next practice and the next game.

Today's game is a big one as the Cowboys seek to stack some wins together to build momentum toward a playoff run and put a little substance behind the good feelings about Garrett's tenure.

"What we're really focused on is the Bills," Garrett said. "Certainly, it was a quick week that week. We had to make a transition and get ready for the Giants. We were in the process of putting our program in place. That's what we're trying to do, and we're going to try to do it this week when we go play Buffalo."

The biggest difference between the Cowboys this season and last season at this time is that Garrett has the attention of the full team. As an offensive coordinator, he was unknown to many of the defensive players.


They all have bought into his messages of consistency and accountability.

"I wake up a lot earlier these days than I did around this time last year," linebacker Anthony Spencer said. "He just makes us be more accountable. Everyone knows what they're supposed to be getting done. There are no questions, no gray areas."

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick said he initially felt he was back in college when Garrett took over because of his organizational skills, structure and attention to detail -- which is an indictment of the culture under Phillips.

"He is a real structured coach," Scandrick said. "He doesn't have a lot of rules. The rules he has are firm and he sticks to them. He's a disciplinarian, and that's good for our football team. He made us more accountable."

Scandrick said change has been good and was certainly needed after the Cowboys opened last season 1-7.

The Cowboys, who were 5-3 in the second half of last year, have been more competitive under Garrett.

However, being competitive, structured and organized is not the goal in Dallas -- winning and winning big is.

"There is nothing no book, no proven theory that if you are consistent and accountable you are going to win every football game," Scandrick said. "But I think we are definitely moving in the right direction."

Jones agrees.

"What I want to look at is how we got back on our feet."

 

[w8lifter]

I will be the 1st one to admit, I was not a JG Fan the 1st - 2 years of his Cowboys coaching career.

I plead guilty to doing some 'Carrot Top bashing' more than a few times.



However, I agree with what you are trying to convey with this JG Timeline'.

1. The front office and staff has really improved with the new Jason Garrett regime.

2. Jerry has less to do with choosing personnel process and thats a REAL good thing.

3. Im excited to see how well with team improves this year!




Keep up the great posting!

 

[Statman]

It's a great time to be a Dallas Cowboy fan, this team is for real.

And to be honest, I fully understand the skepticism. If you've been a fan only for the past 15 years then you have been through some real disappointments and to still be here talking about your team makes you a real and true fan that deserves some good times.

I mean that for all the guys here, especially those that are somewhat adversarial to some of my beliefs about this team as well as my posting style, personality disorders, etc...I would love to be on this forum the evening after the Super Bowl had just been won by the Cowboys, just to see if we were all brothers celebrating, or arguing about who should get the credit and who almost blew it for us. I hope for the former but suspect the latter.

But I'll say this. If you've never experienced it, it's a whole lot of fun. The flip side is, in my opinion, there is absolutely no worse feeling as a fan than for your team to lose the Super Bowl. You might think it has some consolation but the closer you get to the big prize, the more devastating it is to lose. Damn, in the 70's the Cowboys lost the three closest games in history until the 1 point game between the Bills and Giants. The three losses were by a combined 11 points.

On my next post, I'm going to put up some posts and articles about Jason Garrett's philosophy on how to build the right team, all written before his first regular season game as permanent Head Coach. They are prophetic.

 

[Statman]

Jason Garrett interview transcript | ProFootballTalk

"Well, we like DeMarco Murray. We like what he brings to the table. He’s a versatile back. He’s a guy who’s shown he can run the football. He’s been a productive receiver and also been very good as third-down as a receiver out of the backfield. But maybe more importantly, as a blocker. He seems to have a really good understanding of protection and not only who to block, but how to block them. So, we really liked his versatility. We liked the kind of young man that he is and he certainly has been a productive player. So back to the earlier discussion about competition, we feel like that’s a competitive position for us and we like that. We like guys who are competing for time and for touches We think that’s a good thing. That’s how we’ve done it in the past and DeMarco will be apart of that mix this year.

"I think he (Tyron Smith) really was speaking of his work ethic and his approach. He’s got a great story, I don’t know how many people know but he grew up helping his parents their janitorial business. So he was a guy that from when he was really young spent a lot of time after school really into the night going around with his parents and working. So he really has a tremendous amount of respect for the value of hard work and what that can bring him in his life and we think that’s important. We like confident people on our team. We like guys that are going to come to work everyday and really be their best. We talk a lot about the word pride and pride is really trying to be our best and everything we can do in regard to circumstance and I think that’s what Tyron was alluding to was that he was going to come in here and try to be the best Tyron Smith he could be for the Dallas Cowboys. And he believes he can be one of the elite players for that position and we drafted him too. So we’re excited about his approach."

"The time that you spend with your teammates out on the practice field, by yourself working out is really invaluable. The relationships you develop, the camaraderie and the cohesion that forms is really critical, and we encourage that with our players in a typical offseason. Spend some time after practice, spend some time doing things on your own with your teammates. We believe that’s an important part of the process. It’s obviously more important this year when we’re not having the time we’d typically have at Valley Ranch. So, I don’t think it’s the same but I do think it’s important and it’s important to have the kind of guys who have the willingness to do that and understand to try to get themselves ready"

The Jason Garrett Way: Versatility Is King | Bleacher Report

When he was officially hired as head coach, Jason Garrett spoke with pride and nostalgia about “The Cowboy Way” and how he wanted to instill that in this football team. But what is it?

It's an identity, an understanding of who you are.

Whether or not you agree with who and when they were taken, it's obvious that the Cowboys selected these players with a particular team model in mind. So for those who look at this year's draft class and struggle to understand what's the method to this organization's madness, here it is:

When it comes to skill and scheme, the identity that is “The Cowboy Way,” “The Jason Garrett Way,” is simple: Versatility is king.

Jason Garrett's message of accountability with Dallas Cowboys comes through loud and clear

IRVING, Texas -- The word "competition" can no longer be considered empty coachspeak around Valley Ranch.

Jason Garrett consistently emphasizes the importance of creating competition and evaluating players based on performance, not their pedigree. He means what he says.

Just ask Andre Gurode.

The post-lockout releases of veteran starters Marion Barber, Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis and Roy Williams could also be considered evidence, but Jerry Jones made off-season cost-cutting decisions when Wade Phillips was the head coach, at least in title. And, with the exception of Davis, all those players had prized young first-round picks ready to fill their roles.

This is a dramatic change in the depth chart less than two weeks before the season opener. Gurode is gone because he got beat out by an undrafted guy who most Cowboys diehards probably couldn't pick out of a photo lineup.

Sure, salary could have something to do with Gurode getting shown the door. He was due $5.5 million, while new starter Phil Costa will make the minimum. But the dollars didn't drive this decision. The coaches determined that a second-year undrafted center who kept popping out on film throughout training camp was at least as good as a five-time Pro Bowler who reported overweight several weeks after undergoing knee surgery.

"It doesn't really matter where you came from or what you've done in the past," Garrett said. "We're going to try our best as coaches and evaluators to see what you're doing right now and see what you can do for us going forward. We try to do that individually, we try to do that collectively.

"We're not in the business of trying to send a message to the rest of the team. We're trying to make the best decision for our team."

Garrett doesn't have to try to send this message. It's coming through loud and clear. It might as well be featured on the 60-yard

Established Cowboys have accountability. Unproven players have opportunity. Nobody has excuses.

You could call it a breath of fresh air after the warm, cuddly, coddling Wade era. It's more like a fresh blast from an air conditioner.

"It doesn't matter whether you've been to 10 Pro Bowls or been here 10 minutes," perennial Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said. "They're going to evaluate every player, regardless of what the name or number on the back of the jersey is. There's a mentality that you've got to come to work and get better.

"Collectively, that's going to make our football team better."

If Costa can take Gurode's job, why can't Victor Butler or even undrafted rookie Alex Albright push an underachieving first-round pick such as Anthony Spencer?

If Terence Newman isn't one of the team's top two cornerbacks, he'll stand on the sideline when the base package is on the field and search for employment elsewhere next season. An $8 million salary isn't an automatic ticket to the starting lineup.

If Sean Lee is better than Keith Brooking and/or Bradie James, that will be reflected by the snap totals. Captains don't get a pass.

"When you can create that environment and that message is sent throughout your team -- and it's not just a message, there are examples that run through the team -- I think that's a really good thing for everyone," Brooking said. "That's what pushes you, that's what makes you better.

"We're all human. Regardless of your mentality, your mindset, your approach, if you know something's been given to you, obviously your approach could be a little different as opposed to going out there and earning it every day and taking nothing for granted, ever, in everything that you do."

Don't expect to hear Garrett call out players publicly, a la Bill Parcells. That's not his style.

Garrett simply explains the expectations in detail and holds his players to them behind closed doors. That applies to policies such as his travel dress code, which Barber learned the hard way when he paid a $25,000 fine for refusing to wear a coat, tie and slacks during Garrett's first flight as a head coach. It also applies to performance, as the five dismissed offensive starters discovered.

Players don't have to hear their coach rip them via the media to know he's holding them to high standards and judging them harshly. All it takes is a glance at the previous season's team picture to see all the faces that are gone now.

Under Garrett, players can either get ready to compete or prepare to pack up and head out on Cowboys Parkway.

Jason Garrett aims to toughen up Dallas Cowboys

So what makes a physical team?

I think probably a little bit like that description of pornography from years back: I think you know what it is when you see it," Garrett said with a smile.

"After three hours and 60 or 70 plays on either side of the ball, you're the one that's doing the hitting more than being the hittee. We pride ourselves on being a physical football team. It's important to us."

Physical teams consist of physical players who have traits that can be amplified by coaching and refined with flawless technique. That said, you can't expect a poodle to have a rottweiler's temperament.

Garrett wants a group of players who yearn to break their opponent's spirit with their unrelenting effort on every play.

That mentality, he's convinced, is the difference between consistently succeeding or failing on fourth-and-1. Or winning and losing in the fourth quarter.

Now, you know why Garrett spends so much time talking about populating the Cowboys' roster with the right kinds of guys.

He's not just talking about players who don't get in trouble off the field or show up on time for meetings. He's talking about guys who can persevere through pain and adversity and deliver in the fourth quarter.

"We want physical football players, and that comes from drafting and signing them as free agents," Garrett said. "That's a starting point, but then just the way you go about your business every day.

"This is the standard for the physicalness of our football team. This is how we're going to practice and this is what we expect from you. It's positive reinforcement when it's good and it's negative reinforcement when it's not so good to get the behavior the way it needs to be."

The Cowboys lost eight of their 10 games last season by a touchdown or less, including four by a field goal or less. We're also talking about a team that was outscored during the fourth quarter in 11 of 16 games.

Just so you know, the Cowboys allowed 126 points in the fourth quarter. Only Denver and Jacksonville allowed more.

Garrett won't say it because he's too diplomatic, but if the Cowboys hadn't been so mentally and physically soft, there's no way they would've started 1-7 and finished 6-10.

Their downfall started with a Club Med atmosphere in training camp and a laissez-faire attitude that infected the roster. Training Camp 2011 bares no resemblance to Training Camp 2010.

The players have been properly humbled. They're willing to do anything to rid themselves of last season's stench.

"We didn't play well enough, that's the first thing, and as the season wore on we regained some physicalness and that helped us,"
Garrett said of last season. "You have to be physical running the football in this league.
"We're trying to lay that foundation right now with our running game and throughout our football team."

It's no coincidence Garrett's first act as head coach was to make the players practice in pads at least once a week. Sometimes, twice a week.

And it's no secret he hired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and strength coach Mike Woicik because of their intangibles as much as their skill set.

Ryan doesn't tolerate soft players. Trust me, Mike Jenkins' days of passing up tackles have ended.

No strength coach demands more than Woicik, and Garrett has given him the juice to make the life miserable of any player who balks at his program.

It's simple: Garrett wants opponents dreading games against the Cowboys, the same way teams can't stand playing Pittsburgh, Baltimore and the New York Jets.

Win or lose, those games are painful.

Jerry Jones must be patient while Garrett changes the franchise's demeanor. The process can't be rushed.

Eventually, it'll be worth the wait. Tough teams win.


Interim coach Jason Garrett changing culture with Dallas Cowboys

"Practices are supposed to be hard. The seasons are supposed to be hard. But if you work at it and you improve individually and as a group, you have a great chance of having success on Sunday."

Garrett won his coaching debut as the Cowboys beat the New York Giants 33-20 last weekend.

That doesn't mean Cowboys players can't approach Garrett. He considers it important to keep the lines of communication open. They just won't always like what they hear from him.

"You always want to have a relationship with players," Garrett said. "You want to be able to communicate with players, and different players need to be communicated with differently. The best coaches I've been around have been able to do that. Sometimes you've got to drive a guy more; sometimes you've got to pat a guy on the back a little bit more. It's really kind of the nature of life more than anything else.

"But football is hard. It's hard. Sometimes it's easy to say, 'OK, I'm not going to run that last wind sprint. I'm not going to finish this drill.' It's our job as coaches to make sure that the players get pushed through those things."
An example of change since Phillips was fired: Garrett has the players practicing in full pads on Wednesdays. He believes it's the best way to make sure the Cowboys are as physical as necessary to win.

"I just think football is a physical sport," Garrett said. "You can never lose that. You have to be smart going forward over the course of a season, but Wednesday is the day when you're putting the base stuff in. A lot of it is focused on the running game and the play-action passing game, and you need to be physical in those areas."

Practicing in pads often isn't popular with players. That doesn't bother Garrett, who was heavily influenced by playing for tough-minded Jimmy Johnson when he broke into the league.

"Over the course of time, if you're not practicing that way, I think maybe you lose some of that physicalness," Garrett said. "Now there are a lot of other coaching philosophies that have been incredibly successful doing it a different way. This is just something that we believe in."

Jason Garrett Is Dallas Cowboys New Head Coach

"Jason will have the final say on any person that leaves the coaching staff or comes to the coaching staff," Jones said. "There won't be a player on this team that Jason does not want on the team. ... That's the way we're going to operate."

So Jones didn't just change coaches Thursday. He changed his way of doing business. He ceded power and declared the start of a new era, one that could last for a while – maybe not 29 years like Tom Landry's tenure, but something along those lines. Garrett is 44 and received a four-year contract

Jones said it was important for him to make this public announcement of Garrett's authority.

"I wanted to make sure our fans knew the extent of his power," Jones said. "Let's not be naive. You know that I'm criticized for basically making decisions in areas where fans and other people would like coaches to make. ... That's the reason that I'm being as definitive as I am about this."

Garrett avoided directly answering whether he requested such decision-making power. Jones said it is not written into the contract.

"Ultimately, we're going to feel good about the decisions we make as an organization," Garrett said. "We'll communicate, we have very similar football values and we'll come to the right conclusions together."

All in the family: Garrett bred to coach Cowboys | NFL | Sporting News

Garrett’s dad, Jim, spent a lifetime coaching and scouting in college and the NFL. He worked all over the country, but every summer the family would return to that house by the water, where Jason and his three brothers spent hundreds of hours playing in the field adjacent to the house across the street from the ocean.

As the boys got older, Jim Garrett started inviting his players to run drills on the field. That grew into a summer tradition, a veritable free football camp populated by current and soon-to-be NFL players from Dino Hall to Pat Moriarty to Sam Mills and Miles Austin.

Without that field, Jason Garrett would not be the Cowboys’ head coach today. He stuck in the NFL as a backup for 12 seasons because he was smart and accurate, and he was once a rising star coach because he’s open-minded, thorough and well-prepared. All of those attributes can be traced to the field next to their house across the street from the Atlantic Ocean.

With the Cowboys’ struggles this year, the view of Garrett’s coaching career has been obscured, just like development has obscured the view of the ocean from the Garrett home. But don’t assume Garrett can’t seize control of his career again.

“He’s an outstanding individual, great leader, highly organized,” said Steve Verbit, the associate head coach at Princeton and a Garrett family friend. Verbit coached Jason and two of his brothers when they were at Princeton and says he was a good leader even then.

“If someone would have an opportunity to right a ship that’s going in the wrong direction, Jason Garrett is a phenomenal choice, and I think a fabulous football coach,” Verbit said Monday

Dallas opened this season with Super Bowl hopes then quickly fell apart. At 1-7, Jones fired Phillips and gave Garrett his audition.
He took over as if he owned the place.

He started the workday earlier, added hitting to midweek practices, required players to jog between drills and cracked down on rules, including ones he added. He had huge digital clocks installed around the locker room to avoid any excuses about being late to a meeting. He was constantly upbeat, talking about stacking good days.

The Cowboys responded, cutting down on turnovers and penalties, and began forcing other teams into mistakes. They went 5-3, winning four games with 38-year-old backup quarterback Jon Kitna and another with third-stringer Stephen McGee making his first career start. Their losses were by a total of seven points.

"I learned a ton," Garrett said.

 

[Statman]

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/29700339/jason-garrett-on-course-to-becoming-dallas-cowboy-coaching-great


Jason Garrett picked up his first playoff win as the Dallas Cowboys head coach last season and was rewarded with a new five-year, $30 million contract.

Despite Garret going through three 8-8 seasons, he’s closing in on some of the greats who have coached the Cowboys. Garrett doesn’t have a Super Bowl Title to his name yet, but with the four more wins the former Dallas quarterback will pass Jimmy Johnson for all-time wins in Cowboys history and will only tail Tom Landry.

“It's a privilege, not a right, to play or work for the Dallas Cowboys and I certainly believe in that probably more than anybody else,” said Garrett. “I understand the opportunity I have. Since I was six, seven, eight-years-old, I wanted to be a professional football player. I wanted to be a part of this environment. To have that opportunity I think is special.”

Whether it’s a rookie like Randy Gregory or a six-year veteran like Dez Bryant, Garrett has complete respect from all of his players.

"Whenever Coach Garrett tells me something, it's always legit. He's not fooling around with anybody,” said Bryant. “All you can do is respect him, do exactly what he asks and at least try to do the best that he asks."

"Coach Garrett's all about challenging us and I understand that now after being around him so much,” said Gregory. “I really do appreciate him for it."

When Garrett leads the Cowboys on the field in Week 10 against Tampa Bay, only Landry will have coached more games in the history of the franchise.

Garrett’s ability to relate to different personalities on the team makes him special in the veteran’s eyes.

"He can coach any position at this point. Not everybody can do that. I think he has a way of communicating with people and there's a reason he's been here so long. He's the best coach,” said Tony Romo. "Each evening when we go back and look at practice. He shows the good, the bad and everything in between. His ability to reach every position and every group on the team I think sets the standard for our football team"

 

[Statman]

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/08/07/phillips-top-3-rookies-face-competition-start-will-have-roles

I’ll say it for Garrett: The Cowboys have raised their talent level over his four and a half seasons as head coach. In today’s salary cap era, teams typically must replace one-third of their roster each offseason. And high draft picks are often made starters out of sheer necessity.

In 2008 and 2010, coming off a pair of NFC East titles, the Cowboys were deep enough to bring the likes of Felix Jones, Mike Jenkins, Dez Bryant and Sean Lee off the bench early. In 2009, the Cowboys didn’t make their first selection until the third round, and in 2004 not until the second round. The odds of finding immediate contributors shrunk in those scenarios.

This year, the club acquired three players with top-shelf talent: Jones in the first round, Gregory in the second round due to off-the-field matters, and Collins, amazingly, in college free agency. It was a potentially franchise-altering coup for a 12-4 team.

All three just happen to play very competitive positions. And under Garrett, nothing will be handed to them.

At cornerback, Jones must beat out multi-year starters (Brandon Carr, Orlando Scandrick) and a former first-round pick (Mo Claiborne). He could slide over to free safety, but J.J. Wilcox has made strides the last two years as a converted college running back and receiver.

Ron Leary isn’t exactly interested in giving Collins his seat at left guard.

And Gregory isn’t guaranteed a starting job at defensive end even with Pro Bowler Greg Hardy facing a four-game suspension. Jeremy Mincey, the defense’s sack leader last year, could play the left or right side, as well as rush from the interior.

Could one or more rookies crack the first team by Sept. 13? Absolutely. We’re five weeks from the season opener. A lot can happen.
If they don’t, though, you can bet all three will have roles.

At the very least, Jones would be a cover guy in sub-packages, which in some ways is an unofficial starting job the way the league has trended toward multi-receiver sets.

Collins would be a backup swing guard or tackle.

Gregory would be a rotational rusher and part of a formidable nickel line that eventually would include Hardy, DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford. Of the three rookies, he might have the best shot to start based on the pass rush skills he’s shown in camp. The key will be whether he has enough bulk yet to hold up on run downs.

One thing is certain: Whether a rookie (or two, or three) starts against the Giants or not, they should be better players by Week One because they’re getting pushed by their teammates

The franchise’s new Ring of Honor entry, Darren Woodson, described a similar atmosphere in the when he joined a Super Bowl contender as a second-round pick.

“My first year in ’92, I had Thomas Everett, James Washington, Kenny Gant was in front of me, Ray Horton was in front of me,” he said. “And then the next year I come in and I’ve got to battle all those guys to get a starting position. And James Washington was not willing to just give up his spot. And the next year Brock Marion comes in and he’s gunning for a spot, too.
“For me, it never stopped. The competition never stopped. We were always sharpening each other.”
Today’s highly-touted rookies are sharpening their skills against some pretty good teammates.
They will be better for it.

 

[cmd34]

Iced his own kicker....


Stripped of playcalling duties.....


Sits in war room staring into oblivion while Jones clan makes draft picks.....


but Garrett gives great press conferences so there's that.

 

[Statman]

Iced his own kicker....


Stripped of playcalling duties.....


Sits in war room staring into oblivion while Jones clan makes draft picks.....


but Garrett gives great press conferences so there's that.

Great....another serious researcher.

Proof positive that if you repeat something enough times, people will just start believing it. In fact, their gullibility level is so high they will make no effort qualify the statement.

And now the truth:

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/34217/icing-the-kicker-remains-ineffective-practice

On Sunday night, Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey had his potential game-tying 47-yard field goal blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul on the game’s penultimate play.

The block came after Bailey drilled the same 47-yard try moments earlier, a split-second after the Giants called timeout to ice him

Since Bailey also missed a potential game-winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals seven days earlier, after a timeout called by his own coach, many will undoubtedly look at this small sample size and conclude that icing the kicker should be a routine strategy employed by head coaches.

With 10 seconds or less remaining in the 4th quarter, kickers who are not iced have made 70.2 percent of field goals since 2001.

When a timeout is called immediately before the try, they made 83.0 percent of attempts. That increase of 12.8 percentage points means recent attempts to ice a kicker at the end of a game actually increased the kicker’s chances of success by 18.2 percent.

Breaking those numbers down by distance shows that icing is particularly ineffective on long field goals. Field goals are made a higher rate following a timeout at all increments, but kickers more than double their accuracy on tries of 50 or more yards, hitting 77.8 percent after a timeout, compared to 37.5 percent otherwise.

Something coaches should think about as they sidle up to the official, hands poised to call timeout in an end-game situation.

http://www.nfl.com/features/freakonomics/episode-2

Why even ice a kicker?

By Stephen J. Dubner

Icing the kicker: Even casual football fans have come to expect that when a game is on the line and the kicker is brought out to try a crucial field goal, the opposing coach might call a timeout just as the kicker approaches the ball.

Makes sense, doesn't it? The coach can "ice" the kicker -- mess with his mind, throw off his routine, make him stand around like an awkward guy at a cocktail party for all the world to see.

But does it work?

The short answer: No.

In their book Scorecasting, Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim marshal the most compelling evidence to date on the subject, analyzing "pressure" kicks from 2001 through 2009 while controlling for distance of the field-goal attempt. They found that icing the kicker certainly doesn't produce the desired effect, and in some cases might even backfire. The one situation in which icing might confer a slim advantage: When there are fewer than 15 seconds left in the game. Here's their data:

http://cheaptalk.org/2013/01/13/icing-the-kicker/

Icing The Kicker

The final seconds are ticking off the clock and the opposing team is lining up to kick a game winning field goal. There is no time for another play so the game is on the kicker’s foot. You have a timeout to use.

Calling the timeout causes the kicker to stand around for another minute pondering his fateful task. They call it “icing” the kicker because the common perception is that the extra time in the spotlight and the extra time to think about it will increase the chance that he chokes. On the other hand you might think that the extra time only works in the kickers favor. After all, up to this point he wasn’t sure if or when he was going to take the field and what distance he would be trying for. The timeout gives him a chance to line up the kick and mentally prepare.

What do the data say? According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, icing the kicker has almost no effect and if anything only backfires. Among all field goal attempts taken since the 2000 season when there were less than 2 minutes remaining, kickers made 77.3% of them when there was no timeout called and 79.7% when the kicker was “iced.”

So much for icing? No! Icing the kicker is a successful strategy because it keeps the kicker guessing as to when he will actually have to prepare himself to perform. The optimal use of the strategy is to randomize the decision whether to call a timeout in order to maximize uncertainty. We’ve all seen kickers, golfers, players of any type of finesse sport mentally and physically prepare themselves for a one-off performance. The mental focus required is a scarce resource. Randomizing the decision to ice the kicker forces the kicker to choose how to ration this resource between two potential moments when he will have to step up.

The field goal was missed because the holder did not turn the laces in the time frame that would have insured a clean kick.

Furthermore, Dan Baily is a professional football player, not a superstitious little girl.

Finally, Joe Gibbs did the same thing, and that makes him a bum? Emmitt once fumbled the ball late in the 4th quarter that gave the game to the Houston Oilers....Throw his HOF bust through a window and out into the streets? Of course not......Tony Romo fumbled away a playoff victory......cut him immediately, retroactively cancel all previous contracts, automatically ineligible for ROH and HOF???

Yeah, Garrett is human, he'll make mistakes on occasion......but he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He has the ability to learn from them.

The rest of your claims are pure garbage, confirmed a half dozen times each in my previous posts.


"Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was given the latitude to make recent changes to his coaching staff, and those changes were not based on orders from Jerry Jones, according to both the owner and his son, Stephen Jones, the team's executive football vice president."

"Absolutely, we gave Jason that authority when the season ended," Stephen Jones said. "This was another disappointing ending, and you just have let your head coach have that latitude. It's not always going to be pretty, it's going to hurt some feelings, but you have to let Jason evaluate his staff and do what he believes is right. That's what we did."

Top Sports Searches - ESPN


[B]Stephen Jones said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett "had a huge influence on selecting Martin," [/B]

"There is no doubt this is Jason Garrett’s roster"

This is, without a doubt, Garrett’s football team.

Jason Garrett: "Again, I think we’ll always err on the side of taking the best player available

"Jason will have the final say on any person that leaves the coaching staff or comes to the coaching staff," Jones said. "There won't be a player on this team that Jason does not want on the team. ... That's the way we're going to operate."

So Jones didn't just change coaches Thursday. He changed his way of doing business. He ceded power and declared the start of a new era, one that could last for a while – maybe not 29 years like Tom Landry's tenure, but something along those lines. Garrett is 44 and received a four-year contract

Jones said it was important for him to make this public announcement of Garrett's authority.

"I wanted to make sure our fans knew the extent of his power," Jones said. "Let's not be naive. You know that I'm criticized for basically making decisions in areas where fans and other people would like coaches to make. ... That's the reason that I'm being as definitive as I am about this."

 

[Doomsday]

Great....another serious researcher.

So, you answer with a bunch of crap not at all related to the statements and so full of straw it's a major fire hazard.

Which is about what I've decided you are, just a flame baiter.

No one said "icing the kicker" is always successful. Someone pointed out that Garrett ICED HIS OWN KICKER.

Is he the only coach in the NFL to ever do that? I bet so.

So, comparing Emmitt Smith fumbles and Joe Gibbs gaffes isn't the same thing - what they did, ALL coaches and running backs do.

Only ONE NFL coach has ever iced his own kicker.

 

[cmd34]

The kicker incident was at Arizona, I was there.

But google away Walter Cronkite.

I also watched the war room live and saw how little Garrett was involved in the actual draft decision.

I'm sure every article written is 100 percent factual though, never any bias in reporting. Researching is important but it's not like its The Bible. You can usually find research that supports your desired take.

 

[Statman]

So, you answer with a bunch of crap not at all related to the statements and so full of straw it's a major fire hazard.

Which is about what I've decided you are, just a flame baiter.

No one said "icing the kicker" is always successful. Someone pointed out that Garrett ICED HIS OWN KICKER.

Is he the only coach in the NFL to ever do that? I bet so.

So, comparing Emmitt Smith fumbles and Joe Gibbs gaffes isn't the same thing - what they did, ALL coaches and running backs do.

Only ONE NFL coach has ever iced his own kicker.

You are correct, it was not precisely the exact same thing. They had different mistakes that cost their teams a game......And?

Are we rating the severity of the mistake?

http://freakonomics.com/2011/12/05/what-happens-when-you-ice-your-own-kicker/


"As a Washington Redskins fan, I can’t help but crack a smile at the Cowboys’ misfortune. Of course, the Redskins have had their own icing miscues. Back in 2007, then head coach Joe Gibbs tried to ice Buffalo’s kicker twice, by calling two timeouts in a row: resulting in a 15-yard, unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That turned a 51-yard try into a 36-yard try — which Buffalo’s kicker Rian Lindell made."

And yet, he still managed to win a couple of Super Bowls prior to that. Jason Garrett was a rookie Head Coach.

That was a mistake that Gibbs made. He forgot the rules.

Technically, Jason Garrett did not make a mistake. The time out happened. The missed field goal happened. But the time out did not cause the missed field goal.

That was Baily's 2nd miss of the day, okay? He makes the first one, there is nothing to discuss, right?

Let's employ some facts and logic, and you may not agree but I do know you will understand my rationale.

The articles listed give us statistical information that conclude that, in most circumstances, there is a higher probability that a kicker will make the FG after a time out than he will without a time out.

This means that there was more of a probability that Baily would have missed the first one and made the second. Now , under those circumstances, for which there was a higher probability......Garrett would have won the game?

Garrett wasn't in the game. It was a freakin' field goal. Time out or no time out, these are professionals and the time out did not cause the miss, poor mechanics did. To place accountability on Garrett by assuming the guys on the field are so weak minded that they freaked out during a few minute interval is an insult to them and the game.

Again, they were random, unrelated events. Baily did not make the first one because there was no time out, he made it because statistically, before the game, the rookie kicker was the most accurate for an NFL kicker in his first ten games in NFL history. Prior to that game, Baily had hot 25 of 26 attempts.....but that timeout blew his mind so bad that it created the miss?

C'mon, man.

I know you won't do this. I realize you aren't crazy about Jason but you are not going to go down this road.

Again, that was his 2nd miss of the day.

There were other plays in the game, about 65 on offense and another 65 on defense that may have contributed to the outcome of the game, do you agree?

Are we just going to take Terrance Newman completely off the hook because Jason Garrett called a time out and, coincidentally, the most accurate rookie kicker in NFL history missed his 2nd field goal of the day? Coaches all season long had tried to ice him and failed. But Jason magically succeeded?

Back to the real reason the Cowboys lost.....

It's 13-6 Dallas going into the 4th quarter, the Cardinals have the ball. Kolb, of all quarterbacks completes a 40 yard pass over Terrance Newman. Three plays later he completes a 20 yard pass over Newman and it's goal to goal.

In overtime, the Cardinals have the ball and they are stuck deep in their territory at 2nd and 19. But Newman gets a holding penalty and the Cardinals have new life. Two plays later a 16 yard pass is complete over Terrance Newman and the Cardinals are no longer backed up, they are around their 40 yard line.

Two plays later Kolb completes a 52 yard bomb for a TD......over Terrance Newman....game over.

In this game both Felix Jones and DeMarco Murray couldn't break 40 yards rushing. The secondary reeked. Our most dependable scorer, Dan Baily missed the 2nd and 3rd field goal of his career.

But our rookie Head Coach decided to call a time out and Baily missed one of those two field goals....and our logic....our sense of accountability..... places the blame squarely on his shoulders?

And I'm the Flame Baiter?

Fellow Cowboy fans......friends.....brothers.....restore my faith.....tell me you aren't going to use this one incident four years ago, when Jason was still learning how to be a Head Coach....to cancel out everything he has contributed to the success of this team.

Find something else....but not this....it's just wrong.

 

[Sheik]

Just printed this thread out to wipe my ass.

 

[Statman]

Just printed this thread out to wipe my ass.

"SIGH"......

This situation reminds me of the day, ten years ago, that my girtlfirend decided to leave me.

She was walking out the door with her packed bags when she turned her head around and yelled:

"It must be a wonderful feeling to be the smartest damn human being in the history of the world and just know everything there is to know......to know so much more than any other person on this planet..... is it a wonderful feeling?

I just stared at her until I could get the words out of my mouth....."No....Oh, God no.....It's a nightmare....."