Jason Garrett is on notice after coaching flops in Dallas Cowboys’ loss to Patriots
When the owner calls the loss “significant,” you are both in trouble and effectively called into the principal’s office.
The head coach of the Dallas Cowboys has to look at himself on this one. And then he has to look at his special teams coach, too.
Because their boss sure is looking at them.
The Dallas Cowboys lost to the New England Patriots 13-9, even though this was a game they could have won.
The Cowboys showed why you should have some faith, as well as the difference between themselves and the top teams in the NFL.
There is a reason why the Cowboys are better than most of the NFL. There is a reason why the Dallas Cowboys aren’t quite at the top of the NFL.
Jason Garrett, who has spent his entire life around pro football, knows this is how this works. In the final year of his contract, Garrett is now firmly coaching for his job. He knows this, too.
Some of Garrett’s closest friends in football, most notably former teammate and Fox announcer Troy Aikman, were critical of the coach during the game. Cowboys radio analyst Babe Laufenberg said the team did not look ready to play.
That is not easy commentary for either of those two men, no matter how true it may be. They like Garrett and don’t want to see him fail. They are also professionals who are going to call a game the way they see it.
Neither one of them was being hyperbolic just so people would listen to them.
The Cowboys came to New England looking to validate themselves and showed up more than 15 minutes late. How they were not ready to play the Patriots is an indictment on every single coach — and player.
When the owner of the franchise calls it a measuring stick game, you don’t take a second to grab a cup of coffee or screw around before you leave the house. You set the alarm clock early, and you take every measure to arrive well ahead of schedule.
The Cowboys deserved to lose against the Patriots, but they owed themselves a better effort. Had they put in a better effort from the beginning, they may have left Sunday with a win — a real victory rather than a moral victory.
No team shows up late quite like the Cowboys, who lost because of self-inflicted errors and continued a pattern of inept special teams.
That was it.
That’s coaching.
“It’s complete concentration. It’s something we really hound ourselves, but we have to live it throughout the week and on Sundays,” Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith said. “We have to concentrate and dial in, and do right longer. We weren’t able to do that.”
The words “concentration” and “dial in” are typical buzz words for coaching. I asked him, “Is it coaching? Is that a fair assessment?”
“Coaching?” he asked.
Yes.
“I’m not a coach, but I’m a player, and players are on the field playing,” Smith said. “We are the ones that make the mistakes or make the plays. So for us it’s about looking in the mirror, individually and collectively.”
That’s the right answer to deliver.
The Patriots won an ugly game simply because they didn’t beat themselves.
The Cowboys started the afternoon in typical fashion — by taking every available measure to fall behind.
Kicker Brett Maher missed a field goal. Punter Chris Jones had his punt blocked deep in his own territory, which led to a Patriots’ touchdown.
“That is super frustrating,” safety Jeff Heath said. “If you’re going to beat a good team on the road, you’ve got to bring special teams. You can’t let that happen. There is a reason (the Patriots) make a living off that.”
Before he put a glove on his throwing hand, Dak Prescott threw an interception. All of that was just in the game’s first 16 minutes.
The Cowboys were down 10-0 before they arrived.
Other than not forcing a turnover again, the defense limited the Patriots. Fist bump to the miserably cold, wet weather for its dynamic performance against both offenses.
But even as the Cowboys eventually got into it, there was Garrett doin’ his thing. With 6:15 left in the game and the Cowboys down seven, their offense did the impossible and reached the Patriots’ 11-yard line.
This was as close as the Cowboys had been all day to scoring a touchdown. Facing a fourth-and-7 play, Garrett opted for the short field goal and a four-point deficit.
Whether they kicked it or not, they were going to have to score a touchdown on their next drive.
Trusting his defense in this game was logical. Trusting his offense to penetrate the Patriots’ 20-yard line on a second consecutive drive was not.
The Cowboys got the ball once more, deep in their own end, but failed to cross midfield. A bad tripping call on center Travis Frederick negated a first down, and Dak’s long fourth-down pass to Amari Cooper was ruled incomplete after review.
That’s how it has gone against the New England Patriots for nearly 20 years. It’s easy to hate the Patriots because they always win these types of games.
It’s easy to be irate with the Cowboys because they seldom win these types of games, specifically against this caliber of opponent.
That’s on the head coach, and the owner knows it.
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 8:29 PM.
