In 2009 Garrett was OC of the cowboys
The team went 11-5 and won a playoff game
Next year Garrett took over in mid year
SO
Garrett inherited an 11-5 team that had won a playoff game the year before AND already knew his offensive system
AND inherited a top 5 franchise QB who ALREADY knew his system
AND inherited a HOF LDE and TE
Even now after 6 years we have
The same owner
The same GM
(So I'm not sure what CHANGE you are talking about)
He took over an 11-5 team that had won a playoff game and had a top 5 QB already familiar with his system
That is about as gift wrapped a team as you can get
And in 6 years we are barely above 500 with 1 playoff victory and 2 playoff appearances
With a top 5 QB
That is a pathetic track record
Actually, you just provided the perfect example of not having a plan, no team culture, and the devastation it can cause even to team with talent.
Here is what you are missing:
Who was in charge of the team?
In 2010, The person designated as the Head Coach Wade Phillips, was also given the task of being the defensive coordinator. As expected, he answered directly to the GM, Jerry Jones.
However, Phillips did not participate in any decisions regarding the offense other than game time decisions. The offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, answered directly to the GM.
Now, when the guy who is the DC and the guy who is the OC both answer to the same guy, typically, what is that person's title?
That's right! In 2010 the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys was Jerry Jones. Want some kind of proof. In the very first series of the first regular season game the Cowboys are looking good despite missing three starting offensive linemen all preseason. They make it all the way to the Commander 35 when all of a sudden here comes the Cowboys 1st round pick, a rookie receiver Dez Bryant. Dez did not play a single preseason down, he was injured the whole time.
The 1st down play is a sideline pass to Dez in front of a pro bowl CB. It gains nothing. The 2nd play is exactly the same with the same results. The drive is ruined, the very first driv of the season when they could have made a statement, to themselves as much as anybody else. They go on to lose that game and six of the next seven.
The team was made up of high paid veteran which was productive at first but faltered the minute Parcells exited. Whatotivation did they have? None! Why? Because of their contracts they were automatically given starting slots. They never had to earn them. Even worse, they had no competition from their very low paid backups, due to the starter's cap hits.
Big contract, handed the starting job on a platter, done! And they often played like that.
There was no plan for talent acquisition, it was simply, fill the holes. Trouble with that is, if you fill that hole with a high paid veteran or top draft pick and figure you are done them you are still only one play away from being right where you were before. And that happened often.
Injuries killed seasons because the backups could not fill the void, there wasn't much talent there anyway and they never got the chance to compete so there was zero motivation as well.
There was no team chemistry, just locker room cliques, there were disruptive personalities that were selfish, not team oriented, guys who felt like they didn't need to work with the team.
Everything that Parcells built came crashing down fast. The offensive line was in ruins, three old guys with talent combined with marginal NFL skills. The QB was gone, out for the season. The defense had been in decline since Wade took over. Yes, they were a 3-4 defense with 3-4 guys but Wade used a completely different philosophy than Parcells. The defense had been built for the old style 3-4, big guys up front whose job it was to clog the lanes and funnel the action to the linebackers. The linebackers were big fast guys with true linebackers instincts. The quarterback pressure came from the "mystery" blitzer, the unknown 4th pass rusher that confused the pass blocking.
Wade's 3-4 was basically a 4-3 playing out of position. We always knew who that 4th guy was and so did our opponent.
The most tragic and pathetic part of it came after the Green Bay drubbing when a completely stunned and deflated Jerry Jones vowed to get to the bottom of it all and determine the problem. I'm would have loved to have been in the room when Stephen Jones confronted his father with the truth.
Enter Jason Garrett:
Ex NFL quarterback, ivy league alum, son of a career NFL scout, clipboard holder for none other than Jimmy Johnson.
Jason Garrett detailed his plan, exactly how he was going to change the culture through competition, drafting intelligently, guys with leadership qualities, never filling holes with big contracts but creating competitive squads with close nit teammates.
It took several years to turn the team around, it would have been shorter but Jerry would still insist on "helping" now and then. These days he helps less and his team wins more.
The other guys, Stephen Jones and the personnel guy are big contributors but the driving force is Jason Garrett. He has created a team, not to win the SB in q specific year but to compete for championships for many years to come.
