In 2014, Jason Garrett’s second year as a so-called “walk-around coach,” the Dallas Cowboys head coach fully experienced the benefits of being freed up to focus on the big picture.
The positive effects of the move were certainly seen on the field. With Garrett taking a step back, and Scott Linehan taking over the offensive play-calling duties, Dallas went 12-4 and won the NFC East for the first time since 2009. Also for the first time since 2009, they won a playoff game.
“I think when you’re a head coach and you’re calling the defensive signals or you’re calling the plays on offense, you still want to be the head coach of the whole football team,” Garrett said, per ESPN Dallas. “I made a concerted effort when I became the head coach, when I was calling plays, to do that. I tried to sit in meetings on the defensive side, be with the special-teams group. But there’s a logistical aspect to it too. When you’re the offensive coordinator and play-caller, you have to prepare for that. I just think as much as anything else, once we got Scott Linehan in here to handle that role, I could really, truly spend my time equally between and among those three different units.
“I think that’s an important thing. It’s not only the time during the week. It’s time during the game. It’s the emotions, addressing the different weaknesses that you might have on the football team, try to shore those up. I just think it allowed me to do that better.”
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