I maintain that coaching is the most overrated component in sports. The most underrated? Continuity.
Add those thoughts together and it’s a no-brainer that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will bring back Jason Garrett as his head coach in 2015 and beyond.
Garrett said he absolutely wants to return, and fans and players should absolutely want him back.
Not that Garrett is a great coach. But he’s finally become a good fit.
Since the days I covered him in the ‘90s as a backup quarterback behind Troy Aikman, I’ve always like Garrett. He’s smart and disciplined and accountable. This season we saw him suddenly become a more confident, aggressive head coach who called onside kicks and went for fourth downs that used to be punts.
Jones made Garrett coach for his job, and he did just that in leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 season, an NFC East championship and a playoff win.
But rather than Garrett evolving into a better coach, I simply suggest Garrett was armed with better players. And it’s players that win championships, not coaches.
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For all his dings, Tony Romo stayed upright most of this season and, for the most part, made intelligent decisions in the pocket. DeMarco Murray remained healthy and became the NFL’s leading rusher behind an offensive line highlighted by three first-round draft picks. Jason Witten is still reliable. Dez Bryant is a monster.
The Cowboys’ offense changed play-callers, but more than anything its players stayed healthy and improved.
Garrett should be back not because he’s the best coach in the NFL, but more so because his system is now firmly in place and his players have matured into, well, better players. Fixing something that – finally, after all these years – isn’t broken just doesn’t make sense.
Bringing in a new coach with Romo at this late stage in his career would be foolish. And allowing Garrett to leave would be equally ignorant.
He’ll be re-signed, probably by the time you read this.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
