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Why Jason Garrett is more of a Dallas Cowboy than any coach who came before him
11:28 PM CST on Sunday, January 9, 2011
By BILL NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
brnichols@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Sure, he hails from New Jersey, attended an Ivy League school and calls folks "you guys."
But y'all can't find a more homegrown Cowboys coach than Jason Garrett. He's got more Cowboy in him than his seven predecessors.
Garrett and his family are steeped in Cowboys tradition. He has worn the star for 12 of his 44 years. He has climbed the franchise ladder, from backup quarterback to offensive coordinator to coach.
That unprecedented progression came naturally to Garrett on account of being practically akin to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
At least one Garrett has been on board for 20 of the 22 seasons since Jones bought the team in 1989.
The U.S. government has the Kennedys. The Cowboys have the Garretts.
Garrett is the first former player to coach the Cowboys. He also is the first in his coaching family to ascend to the pinnacle of NFL head coach.
Don't underestimate the impact the Jones-Garrett bond had in determining Dallas' eighth head coach. Jones said Garrett's ability to quickly turn around the downtrodden team, which closed with a 5-3 record, reinforced a longstanding belief.
"Jason has two brothers that are on our staff, so you can see the kind of respect that we have for their football background," Jones said. "There's no other way to say it. All of that has a real impact when we're making decisions."
Paternal instincts
Jim Garrett spent 38 years in the NFL as a coach and scout. He served 21 years with the Cowboys' scouting staff, until his retirement in 2004. He worked for every head coach in team history before Wade Phillips, who was fired in November after the Cowboys' 1-7 start.
Jim and his wife, Jane, had eight children – Jim III, Jane, Jennifer, Janine, Jill, John, Jason and Judd. The four boys followed their father into coaching. John is the Cowboys' tight ends coach, and Judd is director of pro scouting.
Jason, the seventh child, played backup quarterback behind Troy Aikman from 1993 to 1999. Jones thought enough of Jason that, despite having only three years' experience in coaching, he hired him as offensive coordinator before Phillips was named head coach in 2007. Jones made Garrett the NFL's highest-paid offensive coordinator with a $3.5 million salary.
And so Jones beamed like a proud father when he announced Garrett's promotion last week, saying the family ties bode well for future Cowboys teams.
"I'm just so comfortable with him," Jones said. "I know him so well. The thing that I want you to understand is how much I value his judgment."
That comfort level was so high, Jones gave Garrett the final say on staff and personnel matters.
"We have very similar football values, and we'll come to the right conclusions together," Garrett said. "It's always been a very honest relationship Mr. Jones and I have had. I've always told him what I thought about everything."
Jones' son, Stephen, serves as executive vice president and director of player personnel. Jerry Jr. is vice president/chief sales and marketing officer. And Jones' daughter, Charlotte Anderson, is vice president of brand management/charity foundation.
When Garrett's wife, Brill, arrived at Thursday's news conference, she was greeted with hugs from Jerry Jones' wife, Gene, and Charlotte before settling into a seat between them.
Jones may have considered other coaches as the Cowboys' season unraveled. But once Garrett took over as interim, his high energy jolted the team. He acted as if he had prepared for this since he started coaching.
"His actions all the way through have spoken to the fact that he obviously has a love for the Cowboys, and he's turned down tremendous opportunities," Stephen Jones said.
"I mean these jobs in the league, Atlanta and Baltimore, are top franchises. Both of them are in the playoffs. He turned down those jobs to get more seasoned and hopefully ready for this job."
Career path
About one-third of the league's head coaching jobs are held by former NFL players. Tennessee's Jeff Fisher played defensive back for Chicago; Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio played linebacker for 11 years, including three in Dallas; Houston's Gary Kubiak was Denver's backup quarterback; Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt played tight end; and Minnesota's Leslie Frazier was a Chicago cornerback.
Mike Ditka became head coach of his former team, the Bears. When the Bears asked permission to interview him in 1981, Ditka was an assistant with the Cowboys.
"Everyone knows that for a long time, I've been interested in returning to the Bears," Ditka said then. "It's my dream." He would lead the Bears to a Super Bowl title.
Undrafted out of Princeton, Garrett landed on the Cowboys' practice squad in 1992. He spent the next seven years as a backup to Aikman, storing knowledge gleaned under offensive coordinators Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese.
Garrett experienced six division titles and three Super Bowl victories with the Cowboys. He played in 23 games, nine as a starter. He is best remembered for leading Dallas to a dramatic Thanksgiving Day victory over Green Bay. He threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-31 comeback victory.
"It was my introduction to the NFL on an intimate level," Brill Garrett said of the early days in Dallas.
"The atmosphere that we had with those players and those coaches – Norv Turner, Ernie Zampese – those are some of our best friends in the world. We keep in touch with them and see them every year."
Garrett also played four seasons with the New York Giants and one season with Tampa Bay. He started his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
He was on the fast track when Jones came calling in 2007. Garrett turned down chances to become head coach with other teams, primarily because returning to Dallas was like going home.
"I think you make decisions intellectually," Garrett said. "You can make them with your gut and your instincts, and I just felt it was the right thing to do at the time, to stay here with the Cowboys. I'm certainly awfully pleased with the outcome."
• • •
11:28 PM CST on Sunday, January 9, 2011
By BILL NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
brnichols@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Sure, he hails from New Jersey, attended an Ivy League school and calls folks "you guys."
But y'all can't find a more homegrown Cowboys coach than Jason Garrett. He's got more Cowboy in him than his seven predecessors.
Garrett and his family are steeped in Cowboys tradition. He has worn the star for 12 of his 44 years. He has climbed the franchise ladder, from backup quarterback to offensive coordinator to coach.
That unprecedented progression came naturally to Garrett on account of being practically akin to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
At least one Garrett has been on board for 20 of the 22 seasons since Jones bought the team in 1989.
The U.S. government has the Kennedys. The Cowboys have the Garretts.
Garrett is the first former player to coach the Cowboys. He also is the first in his coaching family to ascend to the pinnacle of NFL head coach.
Don't underestimate the impact the Jones-Garrett bond had in determining Dallas' eighth head coach. Jones said Garrett's ability to quickly turn around the downtrodden team, which closed with a 5-3 record, reinforced a longstanding belief.
"Jason has two brothers that are on our staff, so you can see the kind of respect that we have for their football background," Jones said. "There's no other way to say it. All of that has a real impact when we're making decisions."
Paternal instincts
Jim Garrett spent 38 years in the NFL as a coach and scout. He served 21 years with the Cowboys' scouting staff, until his retirement in 2004. He worked for every head coach in team history before Wade Phillips, who was fired in November after the Cowboys' 1-7 start.
Jim and his wife, Jane, had eight children – Jim III, Jane, Jennifer, Janine, Jill, John, Jason and Judd. The four boys followed their father into coaching. John is the Cowboys' tight ends coach, and Judd is director of pro scouting.
Jason, the seventh child, played backup quarterback behind Troy Aikman from 1993 to 1999. Jones thought enough of Jason that, despite having only three years' experience in coaching, he hired him as offensive coordinator before Phillips was named head coach in 2007. Jones made Garrett the NFL's highest-paid offensive coordinator with a $3.5 million salary.
And so Jones beamed like a proud father when he announced Garrett's promotion last week, saying the family ties bode well for future Cowboys teams.
"I'm just so comfortable with him," Jones said. "I know him so well. The thing that I want you to understand is how much I value his judgment."
That comfort level was so high, Jones gave Garrett the final say on staff and personnel matters.
"We have very similar football values, and we'll come to the right conclusions together," Garrett said. "It's always been a very honest relationship Mr. Jones and I have had. I've always told him what I thought about everything."
Jones' son, Stephen, serves as executive vice president and director of player personnel. Jerry Jr. is vice president/chief sales and marketing officer. And Jones' daughter, Charlotte Anderson, is vice president of brand management/charity foundation.
When Garrett's wife, Brill, arrived at Thursday's news conference, she was greeted with hugs from Jerry Jones' wife, Gene, and Charlotte before settling into a seat between them.
Jones may have considered other coaches as the Cowboys' season unraveled. But once Garrett took over as interim, his high energy jolted the team. He acted as if he had prepared for this since he started coaching.
"His actions all the way through have spoken to the fact that he obviously has a love for the Cowboys, and he's turned down tremendous opportunities," Stephen Jones said.
"I mean these jobs in the league, Atlanta and Baltimore, are top franchises. Both of them are in the playoffs. He turned down those jobs to get more seasoned and hopefully ready for this job."
Career path
About one-third of the league's head coaching jobs are held by former NFL players. Tennessee's Jeff Fisher played defensive back for Chicago; Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio played linebacker for 11 years, including three in Dallas; Houston's Gary Kubiak was Denver's backup quarterback; Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt played tight end; and Minnesota's Leslie Frazier was a Chicago cornerback.
Mike Ditka became head coach of his former team, the Bears. When the Bears asked permission to interview him in 1981, Ditka was an assistant with the Cowboys.
"Everyone knows that for a long time, I've been interested in returning to the Bears," Ditka said then. "It's my dream." He would lead the Bears to a Super Bowl title.
Undrafted out of Princeton, Garrett landed on the Cowboys' practice squad in 1992. He spent the next seven years as a backup to Aikman, storing knowledge gleaned under offensive coordinators Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese.
Garrett experienced six division titles and three Super Bowl victories with the Cowboys. He played in 23 games, nine as a starter. He is best remembered for leading Dallas to a dramatic Thanksgiving Day victory over Green Bay. He threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-31 comeback victory.
"It was my introduction to the NFL on an intimate level," Brill Garrett said of the early days in Dallas.
"The atmosphere that we had with those players and those coaches – Norv Turner, Ernie Zampese – those are some of our best friends in the world. We keep in touch with them and see them every year."
Garrett also played four seasons with the New York Giants and one season with Tampa Bay. He started his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
He was on the fast track when Jones came calling in 2007. Garrett turned down chances to become head coach with other teams, primarily because returning to Dallas was like going home.
"I think you make decisions intellectually," Garrett said. "You can make them with your gut and your instincts, and I just felt it was the right thing to do at the time, to stay here with the Cowboys. I'm certainly awfully pleased with the outcome."
• • •