Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett Struggling To Hire Assistant Coaches

With his interim tag recently removed by owner and general manager Jerry Jones, first time head coach Jason Garrett is now scrambling to find a defensive coordinator.

Paul Pasqualoni, elevated to defensive coordinator for the final eight games of the 2010 regular season, is bolting back to the college ranks. He becomes the head coach at the University of Connecticut as of this week.

Previous candidates for the Dallas head coaching position seem to be heading elsewhere.

Vic Fangio will apparently head right back into the NFL following a year at Stanford under former head coach Jim Harbaugh, recently named the new head coach in San Francisco. Easy math calculated there. But at least Garrett squeezed an interview out of him.

Greg Manusky has also stopped by Valley Ranch for a visit since he’ll be moving on from San Francisco in the wake of the new regime there. But the prospect of staying in California to become defensive coordinator in San Diego seems to be Manusky’s preference.

That brings us to the remaining candidates, at least as of right now.

Rob Ryan, twin brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, is currently unemployed after being let go in Cleveland. A true 3-4 guy, Ryan has seen both good and bad at the pro level.

Good coming with New England while serving as linebackers coach from 2000-2003. Of course, the Patriots took a couple Super Bowl wins (and likely some video of the Rams and Panthers) in that time but one has to know the names Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest, both Pro Bowl linebackers in that span.

Bad coming with Oakland from 2004-2008 when the Raiders won a total of just 20 games in that five year span. This stint may not have offered much in terms of victories but I would bet that Ryan will never employ a 300 pound nose guard like Warren Sapp again. Dallas needs that kind of common sense in the worst way.

We do know that despite Rob Ryan’s up and down coaching results, he does bring attitude. His father, Buddy Ryan, brought torment to the Dallas Cowboys just prior to their return to glory in the early 1990s and brother Rex certainly has no issues with stating his mind for anybody and everybody to hear. This is always a good thing in my book.

And finally, do you remember Ray Horton?

I recall Horton well as a safety for the Cowboys back when Jones purchased the team and he hung around basically until Darren Woodson came into the picture. I will always remember his biggest play in Dallas. It came on my birthday in 1991 against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Horton’s forced fumble early in the third quarter was returned by himself for a touchdown that put Dallas up 14-3. Going on to win 21-16, it was the first little glimmer that the Cowboys were definitely catching up to the rest of the NFC East.

For 17 years Horton has been an assistant coach for what seems like half the league. He’s currently the secondary coach in Pittsburgh. He has never been a coordinator. His experience with Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is certainly attractive right along with his association with Troy Polamalu, arguably the best safety in the NFL, especially when it comes to changing football games with huge plays. Since Horton’s Steelers gig could take him all the way back to Dallas for the Super Bowl, he won’t be officially able to interview until following this weekend’s monster playoff game against Baltimore. Horton could win a Super Bowl and buy a house all on the same trip!

Stay tuned. This search for a defensive coordinator is a huge deal.

No, it will not be Dom Capers either.

The Dallas defense was pathetic for most of 2010 and among the biggest reasons was a defensive line that was either too small or too soft. Why former head coach Wade Phillips tolerated this I will never understand. But the middle has to be plugged just like this position does.

My money is on Ryan.

He is a name.

He is available.

He is about all that is left!