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Dallas Cowboys right to stick with Jason Garrett
Jan 11, 2016
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- This is probably not the right time to speak positively about Marvin Lewis after the Cincinnati Bengals' meltdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, but his coaching arc brings perspective to the Dallas Cowboys.
When Lovie Smith was surprisingly fired by the Tampa Buccaneers last week, Jason Garrett’s job security came into one question, even if the questions were foolish.
Jason Garrett will face the challenge of trying to get the Cowboys back on track after a disappointing 2015 season. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Garrett is/was going nowhere. And he shouldn’t be going anywhere. He deserves the chance to show 2015 was a bad year, not the start of a downward trend.
Smith went 8-24 in two seasons with the Buccaneers and one of those wins came this season against the Cowboys. Having picked Jameis Winston No. 1 overall Smith deserved more than one season with the quarterback.
From the outside, it was a panic move by Tampa Bay.
So what does this have to do with Lewis and Garrett?
Lewis had three 8-8 seasons in his first four years, like Garrett. He went 11-5 in 2005 and made the playoffs. In 2007, the Bengals finished 7-9.
Instead of moving away from Lewis, owner Mike Brown stood by him that year and even through a 4-11-1 record in 2008. He stood by him in 2010 with a 4-12 record.
Lewis is still looking for his first playoff win (0-7) but he has had the Bengals in the playoffs five straight seasons. Even with how the Bengals lost to the Steelers, Brown is not planning on firing Lewis, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.
The Dolphins hired their seventh coach in 10 years, if you count interim coaches, hoping Adam Gase can do what Dan Campbell, Joe Philbin, Todd Bowles, Tony Sparano, Cam Cameron and Nick Saban couldn’t.
The San Francisco 49ers are looking for their third coach in three years.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are in the same coaching search as the Buccaneers. The Tennessee Titans might have one if they don’t stick with Mike Mularkey, who took over as the interim coach last season. The Detroit Lions could be looking for a replacement for Jim Caldwell if their new general manager, Bob Quinn, wants his guy.
Oh, and the Cleveland Browns are starting over again because that's what they do almost every year.
Garrett is 40-40 with one playoff victory in five full seasons. He signed a five-year extension worth $30 million a year ago.
He said a week ago 2015 marked the first year he felt his program took a step back. He saw progress through the three straight 8-8 seasons from 2011-13 as the Cowboys retooled their roster from an older one to a younger one. With their 12-4 record in 2014, the Cowboys looked like they broke through for a run of sustained success.
But then came the 4-12 record in 2015.
Now comes Garrett’s greatest challenge: Get the Cowboys back on the rails. A healthy Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will help. So too will the fourth overall pick in the draft and the ability to do what they need in free agency.
But it will be about more than personnel. It will be about more than slogans on T-shirts too.
It will be about Garrett’s coaching chops, figuring out a way to get a critical first down or a crucial fourth-down stop.J
If he doesn’t, then Jerry Jones’ patience might finally run out.
Jones is standing by Garrett and not just because of economics. Yes, Garrett is owed $24 million but since when has money gotten in Jones’ way? He has invested time and patience in Garrett, long viewing him as his version of Tom Landry. He has lamented giving Chan Gailey just two years, especially since the Cowboys made the playoffs both times.
There couldn’t be two more disparate franchises than the Cowboys and Bengals, yet both are family-run operations with the owners as decision makers. Since taking over in 1989, Jones has made a trade with every team in the league but Cincinnati.
But how they are treating their current head coaches could not be more alike.
Jan 11, 2016
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- This is probably not the right time to speak positively about Marvin Lewis after the Cincinnati Bengals' meltdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, but his coaching arc brings perspective to the Dallas Cowboys.
When Lovie Smith was surprisingly fired by the Tampa Buccaneers last week, Jason Garrett’s job security came into one question, even if the questions were foolish.
Jason Garrett will face the challenge of trying to get the Cowboys back on track after a disappointing 2015 season. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Garrett is/was going nowhere. And he shouldn’t be going anywhere. He deserves the chance to show 2015 was a bad year, not the start of a downward trend.
Smith went 8-24 in two seasons with the Buccaneers and one of those wins came this season against the Cowboys. Having picked Jameis Winston No. 1 overall Smith deserved more than one season with the quarterback.
From the outside, it was a panic move by Tampa Bay.
So what does this have to do with Lewis and Garrett?
Lewis had three 8-8 seasons in his first four years, like Garrett. He went 11-5 in 2005 and made the playoffs. In 2007, the Bengals finished 7-9.
Instead of moving away from Lewis, owner Mike Brown stood by him that year and even through a 4-11-1 record in 2008. He stood by him in 2010 with a 4-12 record.
Lewis is still looking for his first playoff win (0-7) but he has had the Bengals in the playoffs five straight seasons. Even with how the Bengals lost to the Steelers, Brown is not planning on firing Lewis, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.
The Dolphins hired their seventh coach in 10 years, if you count interim coaches, hoping Adam Gase can do what Dan Campbell, Joe Philbin, Todd Bowles, Tony Sparano, Cam Cameron and Nick Saban couldn’t.
The San Francisco 49ers are looking for their third coach in three years.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are in the same coaching search as the Buccaneers. The Tennessee Titans might have one if they don’t stick with Mike Mularkey, who took over as the interim coach last season. The Detroit Lions could be looking for a replacement for Jim Caldwell if their new general manager, Bob Quinn, wants his guy.
Oh, and the Cleveland Browns are starting over again because that's what they do almost every year.
Garrett is 40-40 with one playoff victory in five full seasons. He signed a five-year extension worth $30 million a year ago.
He said a week ago 2015 marked the first year he felt his program took a step back. He saw progress through the three straight 8-8 seasons from 2011-13 as the Cowboys retooled their roster from an older one to a younger one. With their 12-4 record in 2014, the Cowboys looked like they broke through for a run of sustained success.
But then came the 4-12 record in 2015.
Now comes Garrett’s greatest challenge: Get the Cowboys back on the rails. A healthy Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will help. So too will the fourth overall pick in the draft and the ability to do what they need in free agency.
But it will be about more than personnel. It will be about more than slogans on T-shirts too.
It will be about Garrett’s coaching chops, figuring out a way to get a critical first down or a crucial fourth-down stop.J
If he doesn’t, then Jerry Jones’ patience might finally run out.
Jones is standing by Garrett and not just because of economics. Yes, Garrett is owed $24 million but since when has money gotten in Jones’ way? He has invested time and patience in Garrett, long viewing him as his version of Tom Landry. He has lamented giving Chan Gailey just two years, especially since the Cowboys made the playoffs both times.
There couldn’t be two more disparate franchises than the Cowboys and Bengals, yet both are family-run operations with the owners as decision makers. Since taking over in 1989, Jones has made a trade with every team in the league but Cincinnati.
But how they are treating their current head coaches could not be more alike.
