The Dallas Cowboys have four more games in the 2019 regular season to make a statement and earn their way into the playoffs. Head Coach Jason Garrett is coaching for his future for as long as the Cowboys’ 2019 season lasts. While there isn’t a lot of confidence at this point that Jason Garrett can lead the Dallas Cowboys on a deep playoff run, the man who matters most still believes that Garrett has what it takes to get the job done.
Speaking to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas-Fort Worth, Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones shared some of his thoughts on Garrett’s ability to get the job done.
It’s been known that Jerry Jones has hoped Garrett would be his version of Tom Landry; a coach that would be with the team for a really long time. However, now in year nine without anything more than division titles and divisional round playoff appearances to show for it, even the most ardent Jason Garrett supporter — myself included — realizes that his time coming to a close.
With the Cowboys sitting at 6-6 speculation and outside pressure have grown to question the Owner’s decision to hold onto Garrett. The Cowboys have gone 3-6 in their last nine games and have struggled on both sides of the ball. They’ve been inconsistent in both their effort and execution, and while the players are responsible for some of that, at some point, the responsibility for the Cowboys underachieving has to fall at the coaching staff’s feet.
Even as a “lame duck,” coach in the final year of his contract, Jerry Jones has continually expressed a belief that Garrett is the guy to get the job done for the Dallas Cowboys. However, his comments yesterday leaves some room to assume that that confidence may be cracking. Jones believes that Garrett “will be coaching in the NFL next year.” That’s a far cry from the votes of confidence that Garrett’s received in the past from Jones.
Since they didn’t offer Garrett an extension during the offseason, the assumption has been that the Cowboys need to go on a deep run into the playoffs in order for Jason Garrett to keep his job. Jones’ desire for Garrett to be the guy that gets the Cowboys to the promised land is the reason he continues to support him. However, that support is certainly slipping.
The thing keeping Jason Garrett employed despite the Cowboys’ struggles in 2019 is that they’re still in the driver’s seat for the NFC East. Even at 6-6, they hold a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles and currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over their division rival. The Cowboys only need to go 2-2 over their final four games as long as one of those wins is over the Philadelphia Eagles. With as poorly as the Eagles are playing, there’s a scenario where the Cowboys could go 1-3 and still win the NFC East.
The future of the head coaching position for the Dallas Cowboys remains to be seen. There’s always a possibility that Jerry Jones is proven right in 2019 and the team goes on a deep run into the playoffs and return to contender status. They have the talent to make some noise in the NFC playoffs if they’re able to get out of the wild card round and out of their own way.
For someone who’s been known to gamble, Jerry Jones continues to double down on Jason Garrett as his guy. While many in Cowboys Nation are ready to move on from the coach that’s helped them win three division titles in the five seasons prior to 2019, the Cowboys and Jason Garrett can still prove Jerry Jones right.
