Weekly 5 Points: How Jason Garrett can cool off his hot seat

Jason Garrett is entering his 9th season as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. His regular season record is 67-53 and his playoff record is 1-2. In 8 seasons, he’s only been tot he post season twice with one win to show for it. For some of the teams in the NFL, Jason Garrett would be a dream choice for a head coach based off of that record, but some teams, like the Cowboys have a higher standard. They have a long history of winning playoff games and winning Super Bowls. Now, you could look at certain instances and say they weren’t his fault, but you could also look at instances where he didn’t give his team any favors either. Let’s look at 5 things Garrett can do to keep his job past the 2018-19 season.

1. Garrett needs to be inspiring. While being very knowledgeable of the game, sometimes he can be too academic. In his approach to players, press conferences and sideline demeanor, he sometimes comes off as too nice. Maybe it’s a part of the huge support of Jerry Jones, maybe he’s just too easy going to light a fire under his team. Whatever your perception of him is, he needs to find a way to intimidate opponents with his knowledge of the game. He needs to start bringing unwavering confidence to his team.
2. Garrett needs to get more out of Dak Prescott. In his small sophomore slump, the Cowboys are putting everything into Dak Prescott this season. Getting a “Dak-friendly” offense in place is a start but Garrett needs to have a bigger impact on Dak. This will mean more game planning on Garrett’s part. I’d suggest a call to Lincoln Riley to inquire about the Air Raid+running attack offense. This will help Dak have the ability to go anywhere on the field. A run option or a quick, intermediate pass to his plethora of receivers.
3. Garrett needs to challenge more often. Sometimes, challenging isn’t even about getting the call right, it’s about believing your own. When someone says they caught it, if it’s an on the fence call, Garrett need to challenge. Pull the flag out and support your players. Even if he wants to conserve those for later, he could create some swagger by not being so afraid of the flag. He only challenged 5 times this past season and 3 in the one before that. It’s time to create some controversy and spectacle.
4. I think cutting Dez was a good move for the culture of the team. He wasn’t a “bad-seed” but I think he did create some unwanted feelings in the locker room. Since the cowboys have been so famous for their suspensions recently, I think Garrett needs to hold people even more accountable. This goes back to point one. Garrett sometimes is so loyal that players get away with too much. He needs to set a higher standard for his team so they hold a higher standard for each other. Sometimes, just cutting some of your bad apples can be the most inspiring thing you can do.
5. Finally, Garrett needs to win in the playoffs. We know he can win 13 games. We know he can win 4 games. But we don’t know if Garrett can string together some playoff wins. With Zeke and Dak in rookie contracts, the Cowboys must capitalize on the salary cap they have. This means Garrett need to win playoff games now. If Garrett doesn’t win at least two playoff games this year, Jerry Jones will need to make a hard decision. Should he keep a clean cut average coach or should he stir up his team to stir the pot and look elsewhere? 

What do you think Jason Garrett needs to do to keep his job safe? Comment below!

Nicolas Greenfield

Staff writer covering the Dallas Cowboys. Reside just North of Atlanta representing America’s Team. Husband, Daddy, Grad Student, Pastor, Teacher.