Dallas Cowboys: 4 Reasons 2012 Is Jason Garrett's Last Chance to Prove Himself

The Dallas Cowboys enter the free agency period of the 2012 offseason with tons of uncertainty. Two things that are certain, however, are the return of Anthony Spencer after the use of the franchise tag on Monday, and the beginning of the second full season of Jason Garrett.

After an 8-8 campaign that featured four losses by four points or less and the infamous icing your own kicker charade, this season will likely be the year questions are raised over his ability to be the long-term head coach.

Owner/general manager Jerry Jones certainly has publicly stated confidence in Garrett's ability to lead the team in 2012, but for how long?

Here are four reasons why the upcoming season is the last chance for Garrett to cement himself as the long-term solution as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

History of Past Coaches

From 1960-1988, the Cowboys had only one coach—Tom Landry. There is a highway named after him in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. After Jerry Jones took over, Landry was fired, and there have been seven coaches in the 23 years since.

The average tenure of Jones' head coaches runs right around 3.5 years. That's exactly the amount of time Wade Phillips got to succeed, and he became the first coach to be fired midseason by Jones.

Garrett was the coach-in-waiting for some time. Even during his days as the offensive coordinator, it felt like a ticking clock on the Phillips experiment.

Now, in year three of Garrett's time at the reigns, Jones will expect significant improvement from a roster that arguably has the talent to compete, if not win, the NFC East. The time is now for Jones, so if the Cowboys go out and finish sub .500 and miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, Garrett could be on the chopping block come 2013.

NFC East Isn't Getting Any Easier

Within the NFC East, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants will obviously boast the most impressive slate of expectations for 2012. The Philadelphia Eagles, who many thought would far-and-away win it in 2011, are hungry to prove last year was a fluke.

Even the dismal Washington Redskins could be a threat this year, since many believe they have the inside track on trading up and drafting Baylor Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

Needless to say, the competition will be fierce. The Cowboys were a 31-14 loss in the final regular season game away from making the postseason, so it's conceivable they'll be able to put the right pieces in place to put themselves in a similar position of self-control this year.

Anything less than a postseason berth is a failure, and it will be up to Garrett to "cowboy" this team into position to achieve that.

Mismanaging Late-Game Situations

The Cowboys lost two close games in December in the middle of a playoff race. The first, against the Arizona Cardinals, was the game in which Garrett called a timeout moments before kicker Dan Bailey nailed what would have been the game-winner. He went on to miss his next attempt, and Dallas lost in overtime.

The following week, up 34-22 on the New York Giants, Garrett's late-game play-calling and managing of a game against a division rival with a chance to make the playoffs was horrendous.

Those kind of mistakes as a coach can't be tolerated. It's hard enough to win in the NFL without your head coach making shaky decisions.

Consider the icing of Bailey a one-time mistake. But if late-game situations arise in 2012 that warrant use of clock management, I don't know if Garrett is the best guy for the job yet.

Talent, Core Is There to Win

Gaze across the Cowboys' roster when you get a chance. This team has gone with the same core for the past five seasons, and they continue to add pieces in an effort to secure the kind of team chemistry, work ethic and talent it takes to win a Super Bowl.

On offense, Tony Romo might have had his best season last year. Jason Witten is guaranteed between four and five catches per game. Young guns Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are both expected to start again. Miles Austin was a pro bowler just three seasons ago.

Defensively, DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff are studs. Mike Jenkins is on his way to being a consistent corner, and Sean Lee was the MVP of the unit at times.

Free agency and the draft will help fill the holes this team needs to fill (OL, DL, DB). The core of your team is in its prime, and not to capitalize this season would give serious consideration to begin a rebuilding process in 2013.

Garrett has to get it done. Jerry has invested time, faith and decisions in his ability to lead, and 2012 should be his last real shot to prove he has what it takes to take this team above treading water.