The Dallas Cowboys have lost three straight games after starting out with a red hot 3-0 record and Cowboys Nation is officially in panic mode. The first three victories were impressive but against teams with a combined 3-14 record. The first 2 losses came against far better competition, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. Those teams were missing key players Drew Brees and Davante Adams respectively, but are still very good teams regardless. After those two losses, critics were already starting to claim that the Cowboys were an overrated team. That was before they lost to the 0-4 Jets coming in as a touchdown favorite. Despite the Jets getting their starting QB Sam Darnold back and the Cowboys being without both starting offensive tackles and a banged up wide receiver corps, the Cowboys were expected to win that game. After the loss Cowboys fans are searching for answers. They are blaming the refs, blaming injuries, blaming the players for not executing, blaming the quarterback, the defense, but most of all they blame the head coach. Is Jason Garrett to blame for the Dallas Cowboys struggles or is he just an easy target who never gets credit for team success?
Looking objectively, it is hard to deny that Jason Garrett is a good football coach. He has been a head coach for nearly 10 years and has a winning record. It is debatable how talented his rosters have been during his tenure, but regardless it is not easy to win over a long period of time in the NFL so he deserves credit for what he has accomplished. I have never been a fan of his as head coach, yet often whenever I doubt him or call for his job he defies logic and comes through when I least expect it. He did it in 2014 with a roster that was expected to have a losing record. He did it in 2016 with a rookie named Dak Prescott after Tony Romo was lost for the season. Then he did it again last season after the Cowboys started 3-5 and looked like a team on the verge of collapse but then went on a run to miraculously win the division and a playoff game.
Then, again looking objectively, I cannot ignore the fact that he has never been able to string together back to back successful seasons. Every time the Cowboys come into the season with expectations of contending for a championship, they have failed to make the playoffs. This is unacceptable in a results driven league. Compare Jason Garrett with every other coach that has been tenured as long as he has and he has accomplished the least by far.
| Head Coach | Career Win % | Division Titles | Playoff Appearances | Playoff Wins | Conference Titles | Super Bowl Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Belichick | .746 | 16 | 16 | 30 | 9 | 6 |
| Sean Payton | .621 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Tomlin | .644 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| John Harbaugh | .593 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| Jason Garrett | .563 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Carroll | .630 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
As the chart above clearly illustrates Jason Garrett falls short in every single category. He is the only head coach hired in or before 2010 that has not won a Super Bowl. He is also the only coach on that list to have never played in a Super Bowl. Worse still, he is the only head coach on that list to have never appeared in a conference championship game where every other coach on that list has done so on multiple occasions. Ironically, a couple of those coaches, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin, have been at risk of losing their jobs despite having had so much more success than Garrett has had. It is a testament to how much of a results driven league the NFL is and how rare it is for coaches to hold on to their position for such a long time.
That is what is so puzzling for Dallas Cowboys fans. No other franchise would stick it out that long with a coach who has not met expectations. Jerry Jones once fired Chan Gailey after 2 seasons and regretted having pulled the trigger too soon. That decision is the primary factor behind his patient approach with Jason Garrett and it has hindered the success of the organization. The problem with Jason Garrett is that he is a good coach, a players coach, and he can fool you into thinking he is a great coach. Jason Garrett can take a 4 win team and somehow manage to win 8 games with them. Jason Garrett can also take a 12 win team and still only manage to win 8 games. He seems to be a good motivator, with a simple approach that is predicated on hard work and execution. He also appears to be limited in terms of creativity and adaptability. Qualities that are necessary in order to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
So despite all the injuries, bad calls, and mistakes; Is Jason Garrett to blame for the Dallas Cowboys struggles? The answer is yes, he is the leader of the pack, the driver of the bus, and the Captain of the ship. Whatever fate befalls the team, he deserves both the credit and the blame. If he can manage to right the ship and finally attain the unattainable (in his case a trip to the NFC championship game) then he deserves to keep his job. Anything less and the Dallas Cowboys need to finally move on. The next man up may not do a better job than Garrett but that is a risk that must be taken. If then his replacement fails to succeed, hopefully Jerry Jones does not take another 10 years to realize it.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
All Data and Statistics obtained and verified through https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
