Cowboys Mailbag: Where do you think Jason Garrett needs to improve the most?

[burmafrd]

one must remember that Red Balls coaching experience is limited. He has never been anything but a OC in the NFL. Being HC is a lot different; and it will take time for him to figure it all out.

[jday]

Originally Posted by Idgit

I'm surprised how many of our fans think the short-yardage running problems are really related to play calling.

Granted, the OL contributes to the issue, but I'm referring to an aspect of Jason Garrett's play calling that many opposing defenses, particularly our NFCE foes, have point out: He's predictable. If a defense already knows where the play is going, there is really nothing an OL can do to help that.

[jobberone]

Originally Posted by Idgit

I'm surprised how many of our fans think the short-yardage running problems are really related to play calling.

It is around the goal line for sure and likely for most other short yardage plays and will be as long as the OL can't get the necessary push and the FB/RBs can't finish the job.

[junk]

Originally Posted by jday

Granted, since he began calling plays for the Cowboys offense, statistically speaking, the Dallas Cowboys have typically maintained top 10 rankings by season end (of course, Romo's ability to keep plays alive well after they are dead contributes considerably to that). Nevertheless, I still have to say I've never really been a big fan of JG's play calling/playbook. I scream at the TV everytime I see him attempt the now infamous shotgun draw at the goal line play. But I love the direction of the team and think he's smart enough to eventually figure out that he's not outsmarting anyone with that play anymore.

Top 10 in what? Yards? Points?

Points - no. They've been 2, 18, 14, 7 and 15th.
Yards - 3, 13, 2, 7, 11

Garrett definitely needs to work on red zone offense. The other thing he needs to work on is game management. Understanding the flow of the game and understanding play calling on both sides of the ball.

I really wish they hadn't run Dan Reeves off. His influence would have been so helpful to a young guy like Garrett. Hopefully, Callahan helps some as well.

[CoCo]

Originally Posted by Idgit

I'm surprised how many of our fans think the short-yardage running problems are really related to play calling.

I'm not surprised anymore. If Garrett runs misdirection they claim he thinks he's smarter than everyone else. If he plays power run, they call him predictable. There really will be no satisfying his critics until (as you suggested) we get the personnel capable of picking up those short yardage gains on the ground.

That doesn't mean he never makes mistakes, or can't get better. He certainly can.

Someone in here claimed he screwed it up even when he had the personnel. But I recall the loss to San Diego in I believe 2009 when we had four downs to punch it in the endzone with Barber behind Davis & Columbo and failed time after time. We'd seen the hints previously but to me that was the watershed moment.

My hope is that we can get something done with Murray behind Vickers, Tyron & Livings. We shall see.

[CoCo]

On the original question I liked 3 answers already mentioned.

1. Situational game management.
2. Less coachspeak in the media. He could build the confidence in this organization and not compromise anything by being a bit more genuine and/or sincere at times.
3. Missing out on Reeves presence here was a bummer. I think that could have really helped. Yes, hopefully Callahan can fill that role.

[Hoofbite]

Not sure how much falls on him, some no doubt, but having guys who don't know their assignment after a few years in the system is discouraging as all hell.

If you choose to have idiots on the team or inheret them, dumb down the material so they can actually begin to execute it.

How Ogletree was so lost in that Washington game last year is a complete mystery.

[Hoofbite]

Little less being cute.

He scrapped the Wildcat thankfully but I can't understand what he's trying to do by motioning a WR into the backfield and running a pitch.

Plays like that don't really make a whole lot of sense.

1. They weaken the team in a number of areas, just as the Wildcat did.

I said for so long that any team with a legitimate QB would be nuts to run that formation. You weaken your ability to pass and you weaken your ability to catch.

When you motion a WR into the backfield, you've just removed a good portion of that players threat to receive. I'd bet anything that defensive coordinators would gladly let a WR catch a short pass out of the backfield all day if it meant that the offense had one less guy on the outside stretching the field.

It also means the RB is out of the equation. I can't remember what the personel was on the play where Austin motioned into the backfield but he went right into the RBs position. Now, Austin is good with the ball in his hands but he's not going to give you more than Murray or Felix in that regard so Dallas also weakened it's running ability.

I guess the thinking is the defense responds to the package on the field but if the effect of your "sneak" attack is less ability to catch downfield and run out of the backfield, you've done nothing but outsmart yourself.

2. Dallas uses these formations and sort of things so sporadically that it's likely there isn't a single defense that spent time working on them. It's also likely that Dallas spent very little time working on them. I don't foresee a situation in which a defense is caught offguard pre-snap by a little bit of unconventional motioning that they completely lose all ability to think and fall flat on their face.

It might be asking too much to want less of it when they use it so rarely but these types of things are almost wasted downs, IMO.

[Sarge]

Clock management and playcalling in the redzone.

[JakeCamp12]

Originally Posted by Zordon

Decisiveness on the sidelines.

Also, wish we'd employ more hurry up offense throughout the game. Tony seems to work well under those conditions.

I too wish he would go hurry up more often to keep the defense on its heels...

[Beast_from_East]

Originally Posted by Chuck 54

many other little things go into it, but he needs to learn how to translate good performance (stats in all three phases and time of possession) into WINS.

In one year, performance matters as one tries to change a losing culture, but after one year, nothing matters but WINS...you need more wins every year.

Agreed.

Garrett has got to show that his philosophy, style, and overall approach to the game translates to actual wins. All of this "stacking good days on top of each other" means jack, only wins matter at this point for Garrett.

No playoffs and Garrett is either gone or playing for his job in 2013.

[dallasfan4lizife]

play calling and clock management. basically all the fundamentals.

[Eskimo]

I really think people underestimate the job Garrett has done because of all the alleged "talent" he inherited. I really think this team was in rapid decline starting in 2008 due to age on the OL and a weak secondary. The start of the 2010 season was not some great aberration. This team needed a revitalization after four poor drafts from 2006-9 but the salary cap was screwed because of a number of highly paid vets that were underperforming and some cap hell would have to be experienced to get rid of the dead weight. Last season we set Roy Williams, Colombo, Bigg Davis, Gurode and Barber packing. Save Colombo all of those guys had been in the Pro Bowl and their average salaries on their last contract amounted to about $33M. There were large amortizations on their contracts to deal with and our effective salary structure for the players on the roster in 2011 was small. The fact that we contended with this roster was mostly due to a very good job done by the FO. I still think we went so weak on the OL because we internally realized that 2011 was a throwaway year to get the franchise back on track. We purposefully avoided bringing on quick-fixes that would have helped our team so that we could have a cap neutral year in 2012 with a stronger roster after another draft.

Now the roster is much sounder with the additions of Carr, Claiborne, Connor, Bruce Carter, Livings and Mack. I don't think there are any huge weaknesses on the roster anymore. We should be able to match up with any team in the league so long as Costa picks up where he left off and the new OGs give us league average play.

So outside of a couple of issues with game clock management I really do think Garrett did a very good job with squeezing wins and competitive games out of last year's roster.

I really think there is a good chance that we can win a lot of games this year. I also think we can beat the Giants and Eagles so long as the OL can hang in there against the pass rush. JPP and Babin were huge thorns in our sides last year. We have to compete against them by running the ball effectively as this offense cannot function without balance.