A Dose of Reality

[Reality]

I know I have not posted one of these in a very long time, but felt now was a good time to do it.

Let me start by saying I am not trying to convince anyone of anything and if you are incapable of hearing someone else's opinions and thoughts, then you should probably avoid this thread.

I am not surprised that Rob Ryan was fired. That is not to say he is not a good coach or even "deserved" it, but I am still not surprised by it. There will be some that say this was a Jerry decision and that is probably the truth. However, I am not on board with the "knee-jerk" or "sending a message" conspiracies. I think this decision was made based on certain aspects that were not happening with Ryan as coach. Again, that is not to say he is not a good coach, but the bottom line is that coordinators get replaced more often than head coaches just like head coaches get replaced more often than general managers.

It has been a while since our defense won the turnover battle. In the NFL, teams can win with average defenses as long as their defenses are opportunistic by getting turnovers. I remember the days watching our defenses where you could just anticipate the defense intercepting a ball or recovering a fumble at any moment. These days, I not only do not expect it, I am actually a little stunned when it happens. Ryan's defense did not get turnovers consistently. That is a huge black mark against a defense because turnovers compensate for botched plays on both sides of the ball.

Is it fair Rob got fired? Not really. Was it a bad move? That will depend on how whoever they bring in to replace him does next season. I am neither sad nor happy with his firing. Given the way the Cowboys have played the last two seasons, something needed to change and most teams will fire their coordinators to eliminate them as the reason for failure. I imagine that Garrett will be on the hot seat all next year because there will be no one of any significance to point the finger at. While not an elite team by any means, there is too much talent on this team to accept mediocrity.

Now that being said, there may be more to Rob being fired than just based on performance. It very well may mean the team intends to switch back to a 4-3 defense. I know some will say, "No way!" while others will say, "About time!", but I think this is very possible. The reason is because teams have figured out that they can force Ware to cover a running back or tightend instead of having to worry about blocking him. Blocking Ware is difficult but the threat of a sack disappears when Ware drops into coverage.

There is also the fact that Ware is getting older. While he is not old, we cannot expect him to continue playing at the level he has played the last few years. That is not to say he is no longer a play maker because he is definitely still that. Injuries hurt him this year especially in the second half so he looked rather unimpressive at times. However, if they go to a 4-3 defense and put him at defensive end with the main focus of rushing the quarterback and tackling running backs, I think we will see a rejuvenated Ware next season.

I think the team also realizes the odds of them resigning Spencer are slim due to cap and market demand. Given the great season Spencer had, you know teams are going after him this off-season. Yes, the Cowboys can franchise him, but with the cap issues they are facing this year and the several other holes they need to address, it will be hard to pay a franchise rate for him and signing him to a long term contract may be hard given what the market will offer him. With Spencer gone, the Cowboys will have to go into the season hoping to find another Spencer in the draft or free agency unless one of the depth players on the team can see a marked improvement. It will be much easier to find a defensive end than a good counterpart OLB for Ware.

With Ware's age and other team's strategy to force him in coverage combined with Spencer's likely departure, I will not be surprised if the Cowboys do switch to a 4-3 defense. I would love to see Lovie Smith come in here as defensive coordinator. However, he deserves a head coaching job and if he doesn't get one this year, he will probably get one next year. I would still take one year of Lovie if I could get it.

The firing of Skip Pete didn't surprise me. In fact, I was surprised he wasn't fired last year. I like him, but coaching is a results oriented job and our running game sucked this year even when Murray returned. Sure you can blame it on the offensive line, which is true, but other teams manage to have more success with even worse lines.

I am disappointed that Wade Wilson was not fired. Again, not because I think he has done a bad job, but I believe that a shake-up of some kind is necessary on offense and Robinson and Callahan have both done a good job given the personnel they have had to work with. I do believe that replacing John Garrett would not be a bad idea simply because outside of Witten, our tightends have not had much of an impact on the passing game.

While I may not agree with every change that Jerry and Garrett make, I do believe this team needs several changes. Every year continues to bring mediocrity and every year we watch our star players get yet another year older. Sometimes you just have to make changes and see what happens. I am sure the fans who are not happy with Garrett and want him fired will get their wish after next season if the team does not do much better next season.

For now, I am going to sit back, wait for the "uncomfortable" period to end and see how the changes play out. If nothing else, things just got a little more interesting finally.

/reality

[LatinMind]

im on the same boat where i dont really have a mad or happy feeling. I knew things needed to change. I just dont see how u can keep Garrett. He was just as bad if not worse.

But if theres a chance at going to a 4-3 where Ware is rushing the QB every play then im all for it.

Wish Ryan all the best but on to the next coach.

[JustDezIt]

Very well thought out post, I expected nothing less. After thinking about it some, the Ware and Spencer situation seems like a very good reason to make the move to 4-3. I also think that its possible that the way Sims played could be another contributing factor if they bring him back.

[CowboysYanksLakers]

I agree with this...

[junk]

Originally Posted by LatinMind

im on the same boat where i dont really have a mad or happy feeling. I knew things needed to change. I just dont see how u can keep Garrett. He was just as bad if not worse.

But if theres a chance at going to a 4-3 where Ware is rushing the QB every play then im all for it.

Wish Ryan all the best but on to the next coach.

Yeah, I'm fine with ditching Ryan. I'm still waiting to see how the rest of this plays out. The offense under achieved more than the defense.

Be interesting if they bring in an OC. Garrett did alright getting the guys to play hard, but the offensive performance is (and has been) underwhelming.

Seems odd that you'd say "Yes, you'll stay HC, but we're revoking your playcalling duties". Guess it probably isn't the first time.

[Shinywalrus]

I'm currently very opposed to the decision, but even so I have to admit that it's possible that there was a lot going on behind the scenes that we as fans may not have been aware of.

I'm willing to give Jerry and company the benefit of the doubt for the time being, presuming there's a plan and vision behind this.

[Irving Cowboy]

I'm with you in that I think Wilson should be standing in the unemployment line too.

Ryan was all mouth. His teams have never finished with a winning record with him as DC. Glad he's gone.

[TheXFactor]

Originally Posted by LatinMind

im on the same boat where i dont really have a mad or happy feeling. I knew things needed to change. I just dont see how u can keep Garrett. He was just as bad if not worse.

But if theres a chance at going to a 4-3 where Ware is rushing the QB every play then im all for it.

Wish Ryan all the best but on to the next coach.

I would love to see Ware rush the QB every down as well, but you don't have to switch to a 43 to do this. Rob's scheme caused ware to drop into coverage, and that can now be changed.

[Reality]

Originally Posted by LatinMind

im on the same boat where i dont really have a mad or happy feeling. I knew things needed to change. I just dont see how u can keep Garrett. He was just as bad if not worse.

I think if anything, Jerry may be afraid to let him go too quick because of what I call the "slot machine" effect. Basically, if he lets him go and Jason goes elsewhere and has success, the media and even the fans will never let him forget it. If he lets him stay another year, he can at least say he gave him 3.5 years and he didn't succeed. After 3.5 years, it will be hard for him to regret the decision to move on and it will be hard to justify accusing him of a huge mistake in letting him go.

/reality

[lostar2009]

This team been losing the turnover battle with Wade and with RR. The defense has been unsound at times but heck this whole team has been that way. I would think the guy would be given another year this gy has play and battle through a lot.

I just cant believe it..

[CyberB0b]

Nice post. Nothing I can really add.

[Reality]

Originally Posted by Shinywalrus

I'm currently very opposed to the decision, but even so I have to admit that it's possible that there was a lot going on behind the scenes that we as fans may not have been aware of.

I'm willing to give Jerry and company the benefit of the doubt for the time being, presuming there's a plan and vision behind this.

Businessmen do not make rash decisions without some sort of contingency plan. Jerry and Garrett probably have a couple of candidates already in mind to talk with to replace Rob. That said, I will admit I am a little nervous as to who they will eventually hire. There are a couple I would love to have, but you never know with Jerry.

/reality

[batman36]

Count me in with the agreement group.

[RS12]

You are dancing around the real issues here.

[Reality]

Originally Posted by lostar2009

This team been losing the turnover battle with Wade and with RR. The defense has been unsound at times but heck this whole team has been that way. I would think the guy would be given another year this gy has play and battle through a lot.

I just cant believe it..

While I am not surprised he was fired, I could have easily seen him last another season given he has one more year on his contract and he did do a pretty good job with a lot of off-the-street players late in the season. I still think there were other factors in the decision to fire him that go beyond his performance. Whether it is to switch to the 4-3 or because they have someone in mind already to replace him, I think it is hard to fault him too much at least for this season's results based on all of the injuries other than the lack of turnovers.

/reality