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Whether he returns or not, Garrett stood tall in time of tragedy
Posted Monday, Dec. 10, 2012
By RANDY GALLOWAY
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
Unthinkable tragedy within a football team brought out the very best in Jason Garrett, the head coach, the man, the leader. Totally gone has been the robotic "process" preacher the media normally sees and hears.
What has replaced that Jason Garrett is the real Jason Garrett, even though he'd been drone-like consistent over the past two years in never allowing the real him to publicly surface.
Why this ongoing blah-ness, sometimes mistaken for cluelessness, with the public face? I haven't figured that one out yet.
But based on what the media and the public have been allowed to observe, both postgame Sunday in Cincinnati and again Monday at Valley Ranch, Red J has delivered the right everything in dealing with a tragic and controversial situation caused by one player still living and another who lost his life because of that player.
A man. A leader. That's been Jason.
There's also no doubt his players rallied around the miserable situation, and rallied around the head coach, and came away Sunday with a road victory in Cincinnati, mainly because of persistence in overcoming a better opponent. The Cowboys didn't play that well. They just won, and it was impressive how they finally won.
What any of this means, however, for Garrett's future beyond this season is unknown. Ironically, on Monday the future of Garrett as the head coach became rather cloudy.
Two very large national media names, Dan Patrick on radio, and Peter King, who works many media streets in covering the NFL, had Garrett observations.
Patrick offered that Jerry Jones was kicking the tires on several names as the next head coach of the Cowboys. That is kind of random, but Dan is hearing something, you can believe that.
Meanwhile, King is and always has been a leading national voice with access to information at Valley Ranch. What Peter says about the Cowboys, listen closely.
This is what he wrote Monday for SI.com:
"I would not be at all surprised, if the Cowboys have a bad final three weeks, if Jerry Jones goes after Gruden hard."
That, of course, would be Jon Gruden, the current ESPN TV voice.
Personally, I've said many times that Gruden is absolutely the worst personality fit with Jerry, and the possibility of an arranged football marriage between these two would never get beyond the first kiss stage.
Jerry is an upfront, rah-rah, love-my-players guy. Jon, by reputation, is a guy who hates all his players, loves all the players on the opposition, and attempts to motivate through negativity, which, by the way, was a good enough way to have won one Super Bowl.
But because the Gruden report came from Peter King, I stand down. Put Gruden on the top, or near the top, of the list of possible next head coaches for the Cowboys.
Is Garrett close to losing his job?
Closer than I possibly thought a month ago, yes.
Can the final three games save his job?
Can a multitude of season-ending injuries, with receiver Dez Bryant now the latest scare coming out of the Cincinnati game, be excuse enough to give Garrett more time, no matter the final three games?
Got no answer to any of that.
It's still hard to believe Jerry really wants Garrett gone, despite anything that happens in the wrap-up of this season. But the financial bottom line for 2013 may be forcing him in that direction. He might need something dynamic to happen in the off-season to sell tickets and bring back sponsors.
Is Gruden dynamic enough? I'd say no, but Jerry could disagree.
There's only one name that is the definitive dynamic dynamo:
Sean Payton.
I will say it again about Payton:
If an opening happens at Valley Ranch, yes, he's interested in coaching the Cowboys. Interested enough that I'll up the odds to 50/50 that Payton will be the next head coach here.
And let's make the salary at $8 million a season, far beyond what any of us ever thought Jerry would pay a head coach.
Again, Payton is interested in the job here.
But returning to the Saints is also a priority, because of the obvious loyalty reasons.
Then there's the commissioner, Roger Goodell. After his total and excessive bounty-gate wreckage of the Saints, and then the Saints' current awful season, there's a valid theory the last thing Goodell wants is to be blamed for Payton leaving that franchise.
Even though it was Goodell who made Payton a free agent by nullifying a new contract he had with the club, could the commissioner also rule that Payton must coach one more season in New Orleans -- next season -- before he's free?
At the moment, however, Payton is in play to be the next head coach of the Cowboys. If, of course...
Garrett is going to be fired here.
I can't answer that, but does Dan Patrick know something? Does Peter King?
All any of us know at the moment is that in tragedy, Jason stands tall as a leader, as a man, and as a head coach.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7760
Posted Monday, Dec. 10, 2012
By RANDY GALLOWAY
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
Unthinkable tragedy within a football team brought out the very best in Jason Garrett, the head coach, the man, the leader. Totally gone has been the robotic "process" preacher the media normally sees and hears.
What has replaced that Jason Garrett is the real Jason Garrett, even though he'd been drone-like consistent over the past two years in never allowing the real him to publicly surface.
Why this ongoing blah-ness, sometimes mistaken for cluelessness, with the public face? I haven't figured that one out yet.
But based on what the media and the public have been allowed to observe, both postgame Sunday in Cincinnati and again Monday at Valley Ranch, Red J has delivered the right everything in dealing with a tragic and controversial situation caused by one player still living and another who lost his life because of that player.
A man. A leader. That's been Jason.
There's also no doubt his players rallied around the miserable situation, and rallied around the head coach, and came away Sunday with a road victory in Cincinnati, mainly because of persistence in overcoming a better opponent. The Cowboys didn't play that well. They just won, and it was impressive how they finally won.
What any of this means, however, for Garrett's future beyond this season is unknown. Ironically, on Monday the future of Garrett as the head coach became rather cloudy.
Two very large national media names, Dan Patrick on radio, and Peter King, who works many media streets in covering the NFL, had Garrett observations.
Patrick offered that Jerry Jones was kicking the tires on several names as the next head coach of the Cowboys. That is kind of random, but Dan is hearing something, you can believe that.
Meanwhile, King is and always has been a leading national voice with access to information at Valley Ranch. What Peter says about the Cowboys, listen closely.
This is what he wrote Monday for SI.com:
"I would not be at all surprised, if the Cowboys have a bad final three weeks, if Jerry Jones goes after Gruden hard."
That, of course, would be Jon Gruden, the current ESPN TV voice.
Personally, I've said many times that Gruden is absolutely the worst personality fit with Jerry, and the possibility of an arranged football marriage between these two would never get beyond the first kiss stage.
Jerry is an upfront, rah-rah, love-my-players guy. Jon, by reputation, is a guy who hates all his players, loves all the players on the opposition, and attempts to motivate through negativity, which, by the way, was a good enough way to have won one Super Bowl.
But because the Gruden report came from Peter King, I stand down. Put Gruden on the top, or near the top, of the list of possible next head coaches for the Cowboys.
Is Garrett close to losing his job?
Closer than I possibly thought a month ago, yes.
Can the final three games save his job?
Can a multitude of season-ending injuries, with receiver Dez Bryant now the latest scare coming out of the Cincinnati game, be excuse enough to give Garrett more time, no matter the final three games?
Got no answer to any of that.
It's still hard to believe Jerry really wants Garrett gone, despite anything that happens in the wrap-up of this season. But the financial bottom line for 2013 may be forcing him in that direction. He might need something dynamic to happen in the off-season to sell tickets and bring back sponsors.
Is Gruden dynamic enough? I'd say no, but Jerry could disagree.
There's only one name that is the definitive dynamic dynamo:
Sean Payton.
I will say it again about Payton:
If an opening happens at Valley Ranch, yes, he's interested in coaching the Cowboys. Interested enough that I'll up the odds to 50/50 that Payton will be the next head coach here.
And let's make the salary at $8 million a season, far beyond what any of us ever thought Jerry would pay a head coach.
Again, Payton is interested in the job here.
But returning to the Saints is also a priority, because of the obvious loyalty reasons.
Then there's the commissioner, Roger Goodell. After his total and excessive bounty-gate wreckage of the Saints, and then the Saints' current awful season, there's a valid theory the last thing Goodell wants is to be blamed for Payton leaving that franchise.
Even though it was Goodell who made Payton a free agent by nullifying a new contract he had with the club, could the commissioner also rule that Payton must coach one more season in New Orleans -- next season -- before he's free?
At the moment, however, Payton is in play to be the next head coach of the Cowboys. If, of course...
Garrett is going to be fired here.
I can't answer that, but does Dan Patrick know something? Does Peter King?
All any of us know at the moment is that in tragedy, Jason stands tall as a leader, as a man, and as a head coach.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7760
