A frustrated Jerry Jones knows there will be no happy ending, no saving Jason Garrett
As this point, it’s well chronicled that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went scorched earth on the coach Jason Garrett and his staff after Sunday’s 13-9 loss to the New England Patriots.
It is the first time Jones has ever publicly called out Garrett since promoting him to the head job after firing Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season.
This was not an emotional Jones simply venting after a disappointing loss.
He was purposeful and pointed when he talked about his frustrations and the results he has gotten in 2019 — at 6-5 with five games to go.
“With the makeup of this team, I shouldn’t be this frustrated,” Jones said with disgust.
But if you are looking at the situation and coming to the conclusion that Jones has finally put Garrett on notice, then you haven’t been paying attention.
Garrett has already been put on notice.
Jones did that when he didn’t give him a contract extension after last season. Garrett came into 2019 in the last year of his contract coaching for his job.
The only way he would get a new contract was if the Cowboys made a long run into the playoffs. Jones said as much.
Garrett needed to take the next step.
A division title and a wildcard win was not going to cut it.
Jones’ frustration on Sunday was about him finally coming to the realization that Garrett can no longer be saved.
There will be no fairy-tale ending for the Cowboys in 2019, and thus Jones will have to finally fire a coach who is like family to him.
Jones has simply done all he can to help Garrett, the fifth-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind New England’s Bill Belichick, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but the only one of the top five with no trips to the Super Bowl.
All Garrett has to show for his time is three playoff wins, scores of mediocrity and lots of unfulfilled expectations.
The Cowboys came into the season believing they had their most talented team since the 1990s and were poised to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
Jones gave running back Ezekiel Elliott, tackle La’el Collins and linebacker Jaylon Smith lucrative contract extensions and he is ready to do the same for quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper if they can agree upon a number.
The Cowboys followed a 3-0 start with three straight losses.
The first one was to the 9-2 New Orleans Saints, who played without quarterback Drew Brees.
Jones felt so confident before that game that he pranced on Bourbon Street in anticipation of a Cowboys coronation. At 4-0, with a win over the Saints, there was no way this was not going to be a special season in Dallas.
Payton played video of the spectacle for his team before the game and used it as motivation, according to sources.
It was the first evidence for Jones in how superior coaching made the difference.
The Cowboys followed with a loss to the Green Bay Packers (8-3) under first-year coach Matt LaFleur. Then came the still unforgivable loss to the then-winless New York Jets (4-7).
Yet, Jones continued to believe magic was possible.
Buoyed by a 37-10 blowout win against the Philadelphia Eagles, he doubled down by trading for defensive end Michael Bennett during the bye week.
The Cowboys beat the lowly New York Giants (2-9) but then lost to the Minnesota Vikings (8-3), when Jones went out of his way to praise coach Mike Zimmer for the job he did.
A closer-than-it-should-have-been win against the Detroit Lions (3-7-1), who were playing without quarterback Matt Stafford, set the stage for Sunday’s prove-it game against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots (10-1).
Despite their sterling record, this was not a dominant and invincible Patriots team. Jones believed the Cowboys were more talented and would finally start to live out their destiny for greatness in 2019.
But coaching ...
On a perfect day, the Cowboys likely would have beaten the Patriots. But on this gloomy, cold and rainy afternoon, the legendary Belichick put a clown suit on Garrett and his coaching staff, sending Jones into a place of resignation about his team’s fate.
“I’m frustrated,” Jones said. “This was an important game for us to win. We all saw why we didn’t win it. And that’s very frustrating. We had a lot of things we wanted to show up for. The quality of our opponent was tops but they were certainly a team we could beat and should be beatable. I’m disappointed we didn’t get it done. It was pretty glaring as to why we couldn’t get it done.”
Later he added: “It’s frustrating to be reminded of the fundamentals of football and coaching that beat us out there. So, yeah, I’m frustrated.”
Sure, the Cowboys (6-5) remain in first place in the NFC East, one game ahead of the Eagles (5-6) with five games to go.
But the Cowboys have the far tougher schedule with games against the Buffalo Bills (8-3) Thursday, at the Chicago Bears Dec. 5, at home against the Los Angeles Rams (6-4) Dec. 15 before closing out with a showdown at the Eagles and at home against the Washington Redskins (2-9).
The Cowboys have no victories over a team with a winning record.
Who has confidence in them doing something they haven’t done now?
Certainly not Jones.
The Eagles face the Giants (2-9) twice, the Redskins and the Dolphins (2-9) in addition the Cowboys.
And even if they somehow get in the playoffs because the Eagles are cratering, who has confidence that the Cowboys do something in the playoffs?
Certainly not Jones.
“I don’t think there’s a game that a coaching staff couldn’t do better in,” Jones said. “I just don’t like that we’ve got so many as I’m standing here. Again, I really think it speaks for themselves.”
Yes, the dream is dead in his eyes.
Lincoln Riley, Urban Meyer, Matt Rhule, stay by phone.
Garrett is done in Dallas.
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 1:12 PM.
