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Newton's advice to Jason Garrett: Don’t even acknowledge Jerry Jones at Cowboys practice
Staff reports
Published: 19 May 2013 07:13 PM
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett may well be facing an ultimatum this season: make the playoffs or head for the door.
But Garrett’s quest to get into the postseason for the first time as Cowboys coach is being made even tougher by his perceived loss of authority at Valley Ranch. In one off-season, Garrett has seen his coaching staff overhauled, his defensive scheme changed and his play-calling duties have been questioned, all while a roster that went 8-8 last season has seen relatively little turnover.
So if Garrett’s power really has been lessened, how can he maintain control over a team that he needs to win now? According to former Cowboys lineman Nate Newton, he can start by ignoring his owner at at practice.
“What Garrett has to do is when he’s running his practices, make sure he’s running his practices,” Newton said on KESN-FM’s GameDay program last week. “When Jerry [Jones] walks out there, don’t even acknowledge him. I love Mr. Jones. If he comes out on this field, I’m going to want to shake his hand. But I’m not the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I’m not trying to keep control of 53 grown men that’s running rampant. So if I’m Jason – no disrespect to Mr. Jones – but you hired me to do a job and then you stripped away everything that meant something to me during this off-season. Now I’ve got to get some of this back in front of the troops.”
Newton invoked the name of Texas Rangers manger Ron Washington, saying Garrett needed to follow Washington’s lead by putting “his own lineup out there.”
Or – better yet – make a power play just to prove he still can.
“This is an ugly thing I’m fixing to say, but hope that somebody makes a decision and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do it this way,’ and just override it,” Newton said. “Change some things in practice. Let the troops know that you’ve still got a shred of control. But if you don’t – if you just let it go, let Mr. Jones and the players go out there and do what they want – he’s off limits. He’s off limits. That’s how you’ve got to do it if you want any type of control.”
In his two and a half seasons as Cowboys head coach, Garrett has proven popular with his players, but Newton stressed that there's a big difference between popularity and respect.
"The guys love Jason Garrett, but will they die for him? Will they run through walls for him?" Newton asked. "That’s the big question now."
Staff reports
Published: 19 May 2013 07:13 PM
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett may well be facing an ultimatum this season: make the playoffs or head for the door.
But Garrett’s quest to get into the postseason for the first time as Cowboys coach is being made even tougher by his perceived loss of authority at Valley Ranch. In one off-season, Garrett has seen his coaching staff overhauled, his defensive scheme changed and his play-calling duties have been questioned, all while a roster that went 8-8 last season has seen relatively little turnover.
So if Garrett’s power really has been lessened, how can he maintain control over a team that he needs to win now? According to former Cowboys lineman Nate Newton, he can start by ignoring his owner at at practice.
“What Garrett has to do is when he’s running his practices, make sure he’s running his practices,” Newton said on KESN-FM’s GameDay program last week. “When Jerry [Jones] walks out there, don’t even acknowledge him. I love Mr. Jones. If he comes out on this field, I’m going to want to shake his hand. But I’m not the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I’m not trying to keep control of 53 grown men that’s running rampant. So if I’m Jason – no disrespect to Mr. Jones – but you hired me to do a job and then you stripped away everything that meant something to me during this off-season. Now I’ve got to get some of this back in front of the troops.”
Newton invoked the name of Texas Rangers manger Ron Washington, saying Garrett needed to follow Washington’s lead by putting “his own lineup out there.”
Or – better yet – make a power play just to prove he still can.
“This is an ugly thing I’m fixing to say, but hope that somebody makes a decision and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do it this way,’ and just override it,” Newton said. “Change some things in practice. Let the troops know that you’ve still got a shred of control. But if you don’t – if you just let it go, let Mr. Jones and the players go out there and do what they want – he’s off limits. He’s off limits. That’s how you’ve got to do it if you want any type of control.”
In his two and a half seasons as Cowboys head coach, Garrett has proven popular with his players, but Newton stressed that there's a big difference between popularity and respect.
"The guys love Jason Garrett, but will they die for him? Will they run through walls for him?" Newton asked. "That’s the big question now."
There's a thought experiment for you!
