Jason Garrett: Cowboys' Road to Greatness Is Crossing the Line, Then Owning It

It's past time for the circus to leave town. It's past time for the hype and hoopla to be done with.

If the Dallas Cowboys are to return to greatness—if they are to find it under Jason Garrett, it is the line drawn in the sand, or in this case, the turf that Garrett must teach them to cross.

I'm talking about the line of scrimmage, of course. The spot where the ball is placed at the beginning of each play, the place where the physical battle will be won or lost.

The time for dazzling air shows is over, and it's time to get back to basics. When the Cowboys of 2011 take the field, personal statistics and highlight reels should be the last thing on their minds.

In the past, it was Emmitt Smith who ran to daylight and led a Cowboys offense that was intimidating to other teams. Before that, it was Tony Dorsett that would slice through the slightest opening and electrify fans with his lightning speed. The Dallas Cowboys built a dynasty that has stood for 50 years because they were willing to get in there with the meanest and nastiest groups that the NFL had to offer and match them man for man.

The Cowboys of the early '90s were powerful at the line of scrimmage, able to move the opposing team off of the ball at will and Emmitt Smith bounced off of would-be tacklers like a tennis ball bouncing off of a wall.

Even the offense under Bill Parcells was a group that would play 60 minutes of hard-nosed football. Many times opposing teams would begin to celebrate their victories at halftime after going ahead early, but it would be the Cowboys who would be laughing at game's end, for they were just getting started when the final five minutes of the game came around.

Those days seem long ago, as the passing game for the Cowboys now seems to be their preferred mode of transportation. The acquisitions of big-name free agents Terrell Owens and Roy Williams signified the Cowboys desire to control the skies, and the emergence of Miles Austin reinforced that hope.

But it was the failure of the offense to remember the basics of what made the Cowboys great that has led to the repeated disappointments of the last four years. The lack of willingness to compete for the line of scrimmage led to red-zone woes, stalled drives, and a stagnant offense.

It was this type of offense that led the Cowboys' demise in the first half of 2010. Jason Garrett's approach seemed to be one of a quick-strike mentality, unwilling to allow his offensive line to put in the work for the tough yardage that reaps big dividends as the opposing defense begins to wear down.

He had all but abandoned the run in the first eight games of 2010, leading to a 1-7 start. As soon as he was named interim head coach he produced a balanced offense, but after enjoying some success, the temptation to return to the quick-striking capability of the passing game seemed too much for him to resist.

When he would find himself in trouble he would return to the run, but even then it often seemed as if his only purpose for running the ball was to change from the passing game just enough to allow the passing game to be more successful.

Some will say that's enough, but it's not. He doesn't seem to understand that there are certain responsibilities of the offense and its coordinator. In order to put the Cowboys in the best position to win, the offensive line must take control of the line of scrimmage, manage the clock and weaken opposing defenses in a systematic attack that will not only wear them down, but weaken their spirits as well.

For the Cowboys to return to greatness, it is this fundamental flaw in Garrett's philosophies that he must correct.

He must understand what it is that his offensive line must accomplish. Running the ball in order to keep the defense from keying on the pass is only one part of the equation. For the Cowboys offense to be as deadly as they once were, Jason Garrett must understand his responsibilities.

The Cowboys offensive line must be structured and filled with players that not only can pass block, but that can take over that line in the turf. As the offense begins to move forward, there must be a purpose in mind for each play that will help the offensive line take—and then control the line of scrimmage.

It is the failure of the Cowboys offense to control the line of scrimmage that has caused their red zone woes in the past. While the passing game rolls up big yardage, the red zone allows defenses to play both the run and pass more effectively due to the restraints on receivers caused by the back of the end zone.

Unless the Cowboys offense controls the line of scrimmage by that point, and can push opposing defenses off of the ball, the drives will grind to a halt. While they do not have to be able to run on every play, it is the knowledge that they can if they need to that will free up space for receivers in the red zone, as opposing defenses scramble to adjust in order to avoid being trampled over by the run.

Nothing is as demoralizing to an opposing defense as an offense able to simply push them aside while they run at will in a systematic drive to the end zone. It wears them down physically as the offensive line fires off the ball and strikes them from different angles, and they gradually begin to wear down from the punishment.

Often a running back may see limited gains in the first half of a physical, smash-mouth attack, but as the third quarter winds down, the openings begin to be bigger and bigger, and that is when you see the game-breaking runs that finish off an opposing team.

This is the philosophy that Garrett must adopt, and before he can adopt it successfully, he must understand it. While the passing game will always be a crowd favorite and can be a quick-strike attack when it is needed, it also allows the defensive linemen and rushing linebackers to move forward in their advance towards the quarterback, while the offensive linemen must retreat and block at the same time.

So long as the defense remains healthy, and can stop opposing offenses, it will be  these fundamental improvements to the offense that can make the difference in the hopes of the Cowboys and their fans.

Common sense teaches us that it is easier to move forward than backwards, and this is a simple rule that Garrett must acknowledge if he wishes to control the line in the turf.

And that's the bottom line.