Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones Is Right to Give Vote of Confidence to Jason Garrett

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones came to the defense of embattled head coach Jason Garrett on a local radio show, based on a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The outspoken owner balked when asked if Garrett would be replaced should his team miss the playoffs.

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“That is not a question worth responding to,” Jones said before adding. “The answer is no. We are just getting started here.”

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Despite Dallas' recent struggles, including a shocking loss to Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Sunday night, Jones made the right decision by leaving no doubt about Garrett's job status. The last thing players need right now is a distraction like a lame-duck coach.

Garrett is 12-9 as head coach since taking over for Wade Phillips halfway through last season. The team's fourth-quarter struggles are well documented, but you can't pin nearly as much of that on the coach as some people have tried.

If anything, those problems prove that Garrett puts his team in a position to win most weeks, and they can't finish the job.

Should Jones even consider giving Garrett a pink slip, that would be a huge red flag to other potential head coaches. It's understandable for an owner to be frustrated if a team misses the playoffs, but a coach deserve more than one full year to prove his worth.

While the Cowboys job continues to be one of the best in football because of the team's resources, it would take a significant hit if the standards are set impossibly high. No big name would be willing to walk into a high-pressure situation like that.

Not to mention all of this talk comes with the Cowboys tied for first place, trailing only due to a tiebreaker. It's not often a coach is on the hot seat while in doing that well.

It's not common, but it appears Jones is the only one with a level head in Dallas. He's turned out to be a voice of reason when one was desperately needed. His assurance ensures the only thing Garrett has to worry about this week is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Just as it should be for a coach who's won 57 percent of his games.