Cowboys’ owner, general manager and resident Mr. Burns Jerry Jones said Monday that newly installed interim head coach Jason Garrett would get his opportunity to win the job long term, and it appears that Garrett intends to make the most of it. In Garrett’s inaugural address as head coach, he stipulated that it was an honor to work with the freshly fired Wade Phillips. Then, he made clear that he was the new sheriff in town.
"Wade is no longer the coach," Garrett said. "I am the coach."
Aside from the whole “Wade being fired” thing, this opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time for Garrett. Garrett was touted as a wunderkind and a hot commodity around the NFL after his first season in Dallas, and turned down head coaching jobs in Miami and Baltimore to stay on with the Cowboys for a large sum and the promise of a head coaching position in the future. Since then, he’s fallen out of favor somewhat in NFL circles.
Which, of course, makes this a golden opportunity. Now, all he has to do is stop the bleeding for a team that is 1-7, and coming off their ugliest performance in recent memory. It’s worth noting that the last time the team started 1-7, they finished 1-15--and Garrett is intent on not letting that happen.
"I think anybody involved in this organization, really from the top down, is disappointed with our season so far and how we got here," Garrett said, per ESPN Dallas. "Having said that, we’re all excited about what we’re going to do going forward. This is about going forward.
"We have to put the first eight games of the season behind us, we have to learn from them and we need to go forward. One of the things that I talk to the players about all the time is embracing the moment, embracing the day, being great today. That’s what I’m going to ask the coaching staff to do, that’s what I’m going to ask the players to do, and everyone involved in this organization to do. Be great today. Be great going forward."
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