On Tuesday Cowboys’ Offensive Line coach Bill Callahan revealed that he would be calling the plays for the offense this season. Callahan’s statements gave confirmation to speculations that had been swirling around Dallas for some time now.
Callahan said that he was “flattered” to be given the responsibility of play calling, a duty that Head Coach Jason Garrett has handled himself since 2007.
This most recent change at Valley Ranch has possibly caused a great stir among the media and fans. Many speculate that Garrett himself is not happy with the change because he has yet to confirm that Callahan will be calling the plays.
It should be noted however, that most head coaches don’t handle the play calling. This isn’t to say that Garrett won’t be involved in the play calling. He most certainly will be largely involved, and it should take some pressure off Garrett, allowing him to become more of a head coach and less of an offensive coordinator.
Garrett was a good offensive coordinator for the Cowboys, but now he is the head coach and that obviously entails a lot more responsibility. Without having the burden and criticism of play calling, Garrett will arguably have room to improve as a head coach.
Now whether or not Callahan will be a good play caller is another matter entirely. He hasn’t called plays since he was the head coach at Nebraska University. This will be the first time he has been an NFL play caller so we won’t really know what to expect until the season begins.
Jerry Jones and Garrett both praised Callahan’s ability to call plays and apparently this led to the decision that the Cowboys organization has been talking about for some time. However, expect Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo to be heavily involved throughout the season in offensive scheming and play calling as well.
While the media is trying to turn this whole ordeal into a Jones versus Garrett controversy, it isn’t. It’s just a change that needed to be made. It makes sense and it’s a practical decision as far as football goes. The Cowboys organization believes it is the right move and there’s nothing more to it than that.
