Is Confidence Eroding in Cowboys Offensive Centerpieces?

The Dallas Cowboys dropped to 1-2 on the season after a 24-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. It was a game that many thought the Cowboys could win as the Seahawks looked to be floundering, having started the season 0-2. However, yet again, we sit here with questions about the coaching staff, particularly Head Coach Jason Garrett and Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan.

As one of the more optimistically minded fans out here in Cowboys Nation, even I am beginning to have doubts that the key offensive pieces aren’t going to cut it anymore. Yes, that even includes Quarterback Dak Prescott.

I’ve held all offseason that we should be looking at Dak Prescott’s first 24 games as a sample of the potential franchise quarterback he could be instead of the final eight games of 2017. In six of the eight games in that span, he looked more like a fourth round pick. Yes, the offense wasn’t good around him for those eight games, but he hasn’t done much in 2018 to show us or the front office he’s going to be worth investing in moving forward.

While I get that Dak Prescott isn’t a perfect quarterback and am starting to concede that he may not be the long-term answer for the Dallas Cowboys, I still believe he’s a quarterback that can win you a lot football games.

Jason Garrett and Scott Linehan, however, I’m not so sure anymore.

I’ve always been a Jason Garrett fan. I know many out there would disagree with me when I say he’s a good NFL Head Coach. Is he great? No. However, you’re going to be really hard pressed to find a great head coach. It’s going to require you taking a chance on someone with no head coaching experience and hoping that guy turns into a great coach.

The biggest strength of Jason Garrett as a head coach has always been his ability to get his team ready to play mentally and get the best out of them. Garrett’s teams typically came to play and even when they were bad on defense (2011-2014), the offense kept games close. On the flip side, when the offense was bad in 2015, they still found a way to keep games close with really good play on the defensive side of the football.

They’ve lost by an average of 9.5 points this season and have a negative point differential.

Though I’m a fan of Garrett, it’s getting harder and harder to defend him as the long-term answer for this team at head coach. Loyalty is an admirable quality, and he’s not going to throw Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan under the bus, but that loyalty — or stubbornness — is going to cost him his job.

Jason Garrett at this point is tied to Scott Linehan and Dak Prescott. For better or worse, Garrett’s future hinges on the success of his offensive coordinator and quarterback.

It’s hard to argue that Scott Linehan has been good for the Dallas Cowboys this year. The Dallas Cowboys offense is averaging just over 13 points per game in 2017. That ranks 31st in the NFL. The only team worse is the Arizona Cardinals who are averaging less than seven points per game.

Though I’m typically able to see the bright side with the Dallas Cowboys, the light is being dimmed by the offense’s performance to start the season. Even the most optimistic fan is having a hard time finding the silver lining with this team.

For the center pieces of the Dallas Cowboys offense, Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan, and Dak Prescott, time is running out for them to cement themselves as the future of a Dallas Cowboys team still searching for their sixth Lombardi Trophy.