Despite the fact that Jason Garrett is still employed as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, it is a foregone conclusion that his expired contract will not be renewed and a new head coach will be hired to replace him. Several names have been thrown out as possible replacements, some that make a lot of sense while others are purely nonsensical (sorry Tony Romo enthusiasts). One thing that all of the potential candidates have in common is that no one seems to agree upon who will be the best man for the job? The following is a breakdown of some of my favorite candidates and who I believe would be the best fit as the Dallas Cowboys head coach.
First off, I am not interested in any former coaches such as Mike McCarthy or Bill Cowher. The list of candidates from that group has either had limited success or have not had any recent experience coaching. I am also hesitant about current NFL assistants or co-ordinators such as Greg Roman or Eric Bieniemy. I would prefer someone who has been a head coach and has experience handling the overall operations of a football team. Someone experienced at putting the right people in place rather than an offensive or defensive guru that would micromanage and perhaps get in the way. I would definitely want to avoid any in house hires such as Kris Richard. Let’s face it, the 2019 Dallas Cowboys failed catastrophically and the previous in house hire (Garrett) did not lead us to the promised land. Ideally, I would love to hire a current NFL coach. A proven winner such as Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, or even Mike Tomlin but I would be hesitant to pay the premium in terms of draft picks that would be required even if the Patriots, Saints, or Steelers were willing to part ways with any one of those guys. This leaves me with the college ranks as my only alternative. There are some that believe NFL experience should be a prerequisite but I on the other hand am willing to take my chances on a proven winner rather than a first time head coach regardless of any experience in the pro’s. That said, there are some candidates from the college ranks that can boast some NFL experience. With that, I present the case for the most popular coaches in the college ranks and my personal favorite to land the Dallas Cowboys head coach job.
LINCOLN RILEY
Lincoln Riley has been a popular candidate right from the start. He has ties to the Jones’s and his work with Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma has Cowboys fans excited about the possibility of his offense vaulting Dak Prescott into elite status I am not convinced that he would be the answer. Oklahoma plays in the Big 12 where the quality of defenses his team plays against inflate the offensive statistics some. More importantly, he has not won a championship and his team’s performance against LSU in the college playoff was underwhelming to say the least.
MATT RHULE
Matt Rhule is an intriguing candidate given how he has turned around two struggling programs at Temple and now Baylor. He is a forward thinker, a leader, and has some NFL experience to boot. I wouldn’t hate this hire but I would prefer him more if the Dallas Cowboys were in rebuild mode, starting from scratch. With a talented roster already in place and the goal of winning now, I would much rather go with a much more proven commodity that has won on the biggest stage.
BOB STOOPS
Former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops has an impressive record. He has won a national championship for a big-time program. Again, I wouldn’t hate this hire but there are few things that would cause me to hesitate on him as well. He did win a national championship but that was 20 years ago. He coached his entire career with one school and there has not exactly been a drop off since Lincoln Riley took over from him. For me, there is a better option available.
URBAN MEYER
Urban Meyer is a winner. He has won at every school he has ever coached. He has won national championships for two different schools. He has won on the biggest stage with one of the most iconic organisations in all of sports, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The pressure he faced there is not unlike the pressure he would face as the Dallas Cowboys head coach. Sure, there are concerns. Concerns about his health. Concerns about his inexperience at the NFL level. Concerns about his propensity to abruptly depart at a moments notice, but, there are concerns with every other candidate as well. What I do know is that he is a proven winner, he can evaluate talent, manage talent, and put people in place under him who will be successful. I believe he would be successful by hiring competent assistants, letting his coordinators do their jobs while overseeing the whole operation and managing the game and the players. Urban Meyer is my ideal hire for the next Dallas Cowboys head coach.
There is only one fear I have with hiring Urban Meyer, or for any candidate for that matter. It is that Jerry Jones and the front office will not afford the new head coach the autonomy required to control the program on every level therefore hampering their ability to succeed. Time will tell who the right man for the job will be or if Jerry Jones is a problem that cannot be overcome. But, if there is a guy I have faith in to run the show and appease the Jones’s, it is a guy that has done it at multiple college programs while appeasing boosters and fan bases alike. That man is Urban Meyer.
*Photo by Laura of Locomotion Photography https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
