Garrett should have final say on staff, but doesn’t and that’s a big issue for Cowboys
Watching Jason Garrett on Monday do his thing is a reminder that pets are not the only thing spayed and neutered.
On Monday morning, the Cowboys head coach told 105.3 The Fan that, “We don’t anticipate any significant changes on our staff (with regards to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan).”
On Monday mid-morning, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones told the same station it was too early to talk about those types of decisions.
On Monday afternoon, Garrett said in his season-ending press conference that he didn’t remember what he said about Linehan’s status, and that they have not had any discussions about the subject.
I asked Garrett if he has the final authority on who is and is not on his staff, because as the head coach, he should.
“Uh, you know, like with everything they’re all collaborative decisions,” he said. “I do not own the team. Jerry Jones owns the team. So ultimately he has the final say of everything we do, but I do believe our relationship is very collaborative. I have tremendous faith and trust in him and hopefully he has the same in me.”
That’s a no.
This situation underscores one of the single biggest problems of the Dallas Cowboys. The head coach should always have final authority of who is on his staff, so if Garrett wants to retain Linehan, and money is not the issue, it should be his decision and his alone.
If Jerry wants Coach Process to be his head coach, which clearly he does, he must let him be his head coach with all of the normal responsibilities that the position entails.
But he doesn’t.
Consider this: Baylor coach Matt Rhule would not accept the New York Jets head coaching spot because, reportedly, the team was not on board with him assembling his own staff. Rhule rejected those terms to become a first-time NFL head coach under guidelines that Garrett must work with to coach the Cowboys.
Make no mistake, Linehan is an issue on this staff.
Talking about him with several players, there is a concern that the play-calling is dull and too predictable. There is also the recognition of the work that Linehan, and former quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, did with quarterback Dak Prescott.
Some of this is typical finger-pointing by players who can’t admit they aren’t good enough.
Some of this is talent. Linehan became a better play-caller after the team acquired receiver Amari Cooper. Both he and Prescott are in desperate need of a better tight end.
And all of this is the truth.
“Scott did a good job this year,” Garrett said Monday at his press conference. “I feel very good about Scott Linehan and the job he did.”
If the Cowboys depart with Linehan, who has one year remaining on his contract, we know who made the call.
Linehan knows how Garrett feels about him, and now he knows about the people above him, too. That alone should tell you that the ground under Linehan’s toes is made of quicksand over a fresh bed of melting ice.
The moment the Cowboys were indecisive about a decision like this, anyone with a pen, a keyboard, or so much as a toe could conclude Linehan’s future with the team lies somewhere between bad and terrible.
The Cowboys can change Linehan for a Gary Kubiak or some other recycled older white guy to call plays, but do not expect a dramatic change in results. Linehan is a fine pro who made a positive impact on Dak, but the Cowboys’ owner is fooling himself if he thinks this team as presently constructed is good enough to contend for a Super Bowl under this head coach with a new play-caller.
The Cowboys under Garrett have become a good little football team that has some nice little pieces and good players. They also have never made the playoffs in consecutive years since he became the full-time coach in 2011.
And in their best seasons under Garrett, the Cowboys have not won more than a wild-card playoff game.
The one area Garrett has made the biggest difference is not in scheme, but rather in personnel. It is not a coincidence that under Garrett the Cowboys have become proficient at talent acquisition, and development.
The typical NFL head coach is not always going to win on personnel decisions, but he should when it comes to his coaching staff.
Garrett may not deserve another contract extension, which he said he has not discussed as has been reported, but if he is going to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys he deserves to be in full control over his own staff.
But he’s not because he’s the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, which means he had to be spayed and neutered.
