Dallas Cowboys: One Down, One To Go

As expected for some time, Wade Phillips was relieved of his duties as the seventh head coach in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.

To mostly anybody, this was completely justifiable given the team's current 1-7 record.

And mind you, this is not exactly a “rebuilding” 1-7: This is a 1-7 that coincides with a season of Super Bowl expectations based solely on continuity and last season’s brief success in the NFC Playoffs.

The eighth head coach, on an interim basis, is Jason Garrett and the ninth head coach should only be a couple of months away.

But with Phillips gone, who remains aside from the other half of the problem? Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. 

That’s right, the same Jason Garrett that runs tosses to the outside with the rapidly getting slower Marion Barber as opposed to speedy, albeit brittle, Felix Jones.

This is the same Garrett that routinely runs with no fullback and rather chooses to run spread out shotgun formations which rely completely on an overrated offensive line. Further, it’s the same Garrett who chalks up some games in which Tony Romo may very well pass the ball 50 times.

I have been known to play some Madden football on the console from time to time and even kids who play “air-it-out” in a video game don’t win online very often without cheats or something.

Sure, anything is possible, but as anybody who follows football or has played it can tell you, throwing the ball is risky business. It is never a great idea to even temporarily relinquish possession of the football. This is fundamentals, said to be a focus of Cowboys practices in recent weeks.

Well, in recent weeks the players themselves have been outright demoralized. For all the attention to fundamentals that was said to have taken place, I just wonder if the same is true of the coaching staff. I really have my doubts.

You can fire Phillips for not just the unimaginable record at the midway point of the season but specifically for the complete meltdown on defense in recent games against Green Bay, Jacksonville and New York.

But even prior to Romo’s injury against the Giants, possibly keeping him out for the remainder of the season, the offense could really move the ball.

Garrett did not exactly light up scoreboards however, and the complete lack of a running game is a huge reason why.

Despite having one of the biggest offensive lines in the NFL, Dallas simply does not run well. Much of this has to do with the weird offensive philosophy Garrett seems to subscribe to.

And this is the problem: Garrett went to Princeton and has a family that has been in football his entire life; he has to know better than this.

Upon looking closer into the background of a guy I like to call Garrett-Top, what exactly is it that we see? For starters, he is a quarterback who played at Princeton. No, this may not be Pop Warner but lining up against Colgate is not exactly like lining up across from recent programs like Alabama, Texas or LSU.

This is not to say Garrett can’t play quarterback or that he does not understand the position, but one should note that Garrett went undrafted into the NFL. Like most who ever even play quarterback professionally, he had to pay some dues and did so in both the former World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League.

Ultimately, he landed where is today: In Dallas, as backup quarterback for Troy Aikman beginning in 1993.

Another guy named Emmitt Smith was also in the backfield if you’ll recall. In fact, the Cowboys were reigning Super Bowl champs and were poised to do it again in Garrett’s first year with America’s Team.

About that running game, Emmitt Smith was a holdout to begin 1993, as Dallas would get off to an 0-2 start without the league’s defending rushing champ and eventual league and Super Bowl MVP later that same year.

Garrett was there to see exactly how an offensive loaded with Hall of Fame talent was all but dysfunctional without Smith. He also saw what happened the rest of that year once Smith returned to the lineup.

Garrett’s lone shining moment came on Thanksgiving 1994 in a critical game against the Green Bay Packers at Texas Stadium. I was actually at this game and saw one of the great moments at Texas Stadium as Garrett staged an unlikely second half comeback that saved Dallas’ bid for a third straight championship, at least momentarily.

Smith was a big part of it, despite Garrett’s heroic touchdown bombs to Alvin Harper and Michael Irvin in the second half.  

Here is the point: Garrett should know better than what he’s brought forth to the Dallas Cowboys as offensive coordinator in 2007.

Sure, Dallas went 13-3 that season while clinching home field advantage in the NFC playoffs. However, things finally caught up with Garrett as Dallas’ high-powered offense failed to score even 20 points against a Giants team that the Cowboys had already beaten twice during the regular season. 

And there’s been several other losses Dallas suffered against teams they clearly should have beaten and almost always because of turnovers and/or the lack of a running game. In the two and a half years since 2007, the Cowboys have been nothing more than a finesse offense that simply cannot impose its will on the opposition.

A team with Super Bowl aspirations can do this, on the other hand.

Since an “oh-so-close-to-losing” effort against 7-9 Detroit Week 14 in 2007, the Cowboys are a quite average 23-21 under Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator.

The Dallas offense has always been sloppy and unpredictable under Garrett and why would anyone expect this to change now because he’s the head coach?

Sure, when Dallas’ offense has been hot, it’s been hot. But when it’s not, it’s just not very good. Sure, the defense has it’s problems (perhaps not as much as before with Phillips gone), but that is another story.

The Dallas Cowboys are at an interesting place in history: The next eight games will tell a great deal about where Jerry Jones is at, both as an owner and hopefully not as a GM.

Garrett will have his shot but nothing shows me that he is ready to lead Dallas back to Super Bowl contention.

I would love to say that I hope I am wrong, but I just can’t do that.