Cowboys’ first-round playoff victory sweet vindication for Jerry Jones

If there is one thing that DFW fans enjoy more than football itself, it’s complaining about Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.

After the team dropped to 3-5 earlier this season, calls for his firing came from just about every direction.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stood firm and loyal and Saturday’s wild card win served as some sort of vindication.

“I think that this win against a very credible Seattle team will make people think more highly of Jason,” Jones said after the 24-22 win over the Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. “And you look around at all the teams that are on the search for Red October trying to find them a head coach right now and we’ve got one that has a lot of experience on our dime over the last several years. And I’d like to use it.”

Garrett is now 2-2 in the playoffs since taking over halfway through the 2010 season. Jones admitted to feeling a little bit vindicated.

“I do. I do,” he said. “It is a feeling that I’m proud for him. I know how hard he works. He’s right there with the hardest working coach that we’ve had. And that’s supposed to pay off. But he certainly has some things that he’s worked on, like all of us do, and he’s gotten much better at it. A lot of his fingerprints are on this team and so I’m proud that he’s having this success as a head coach.”

Jones, however, may have trouble holding onto to one of Garrett’s assistants. Defensive backs coach Kris Richard, who is in his first season with the Cowboys, will be interviewed by at least one team’s owner on Monday, Jones said. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross was at the game Saturday night.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that clubs have the interest that they have in him,” he said. “There are no secrets in the NFL when it comes to people that can help you win football games. He’s a winner. And he’s made a big impact on our team here which is amazing considering he’s just been here [since] the Spring. But he’s obviously a very qualified individual if you’re looking for a head coach.”

Jones joked that he was planning on hiding Richard from other teams.

“I’ve got a house between the Oklahoma line and here, you handcuff him, you tie him up and you don’t let him out until right before the game next week,” Jones joked. “That will work. I’ve done things like that before.”