Magnifying Glass Honed In On Dallas' Phillips and Garrett

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS—It’s hovered over the Dallas Cowboys through their good times and, more recently, their not-so glistening moments. If one thought the magnifying glass over “America’s Team” was indestructible then, it’s definitely not going anywhere now that it weighs 600 tons.

Hope you’ve got your popcorn ready, Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. The world’s largest HDTV that will be hanging over your every move inside the new Cowboys Stadium might be easy on the eyes. But its truths will be unforgiving.

Whether this will cause more harm than good can only be determined come the regular season by the product that is put on the field. Considering this screen won’t change channels, these two need to be more effective than armchair quarterbacks or risk being tossed to the side. They’ve somehow got to revert to their ways of 2007, when the team posted a 13-3 record and captured home field advantage before, uh, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Plenty of the static that clogged up the bigger picture is no longer present in the Cowboys’ locker room. Terrell Owens, Adam “Pacman” Jones, and Tank Johnson have all been ousted. And former defensive coordinator Brian Stewart was let out of his contract to make room for Phillips, Dallas’ head coach in the final year of his contract, to man defensive responsibilities.

Simplistic Ways Have Got to Go for Garrett's Offense

Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed didn’t hold back his feelings after his team closed Texas Stadium with a 33-24 victory last season. Reed questioned why Garrett’s name was linked to so many coaching vacancies after the “real simple game plan that they attacked us with.” Ray Lewis echoed similar sentiments. Owens and Tony Romo also criticized the offense.

It’s hard to reject their opinions. Sure, Romo missed three games with a fractured pinkie. Marion Barber struggled to regain form after a late toe injury. Jason Witten had issues with his shoulder, knee, and ankle. Guard Kyle Kosier missed all but three games. Felix Jones missed the final 10 games with hamstring and toe injuries and Roy Williams had an ailing foot. This didn’t make life any easier for Garrett. But excuses are like, well, you know—everyone has them.

Garrett was supposed to be the heir apparent to Phillips as Dallas’ next head coach. Who could blame Dallas owner Jerry Jones for thinking that after he directed a unit that finished second in the league in scoring and third in total offense in 2007? The Ravens offered him their head coaching position at season's end, but he turned it down to take a $3 million per year contract to stay in Dallas. Somewhere, Reed is wiping the sweat off his brow.

After a season that saw Dallas drop in virtually all areas offensively, Garrett better find his mojo or he’ll likely see his name removed from the short list of head coaching candidates. As much grief as Owens caused the franchise, he still produced 25 touchdowns during Garrett’s tenure. That has to be replaced somehow.

Put Up or Shut Up for Phillips

A lot of the talk this offseason has been focused on the offensive side of the ball, and with good reason. But in no way, shape, or form should Dallas’ defense skate through without taking some of the blame. The Cowboys’ defense ranked eighth overall last season, but their 22.8 points per game were 13th in the league.

It was October of last season, after Dallas had dropped games to Arizona and St. Louis, that Phillips took over play-calling duties from Stewart, who was eventually fired. While the defense did see improvement, it was their performances in the final two weeks that left lingering questions in everyone’s mind as to Phillips capabilities.

Youth through the draft and experience in free agency were added to Dallas’ roster to supply Phillips with as much ammunition as possible to help his 3-4 defense succeed. If he can’t fit these new pieces with those already in place, remember one thing: Stewart’s no longer around to be the scapegoat.

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