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He could have moved on after three straight 8-8 seasons and a 29-27 overall record following three-and-a-half years of Garrett’s leadership as head coach.
But he waited.
Jones had long wanted Garrett to be his Tom Landry, who lasted 29 seasons in Dallas, but he needed tangible proof on the field to flip the switch.
That came in bunches in 2014 when Garrett led the Cowboys to a 12-4 record, an NFC East title and a playoff win for the first time since 2009.
When the Cowboys officially put the finishing touches on a new five-year, $30 million contract extension for Garrett on Wednesday, it will be certain evidence that Jones’ patience was rewarded.
And it’s the perfect marriage and the right fit for the Cowboys.
Garrett often talks about the process of building a football team and having the right kind of guys who play with passion, emotion and enthusiasm.
Well, Garrett is the right coach for Jones.
Garrett understands Jones from his days as backup quarterback with the Cowboys in the 1990s and his time as an assistant under Wade Phillips from 2007-2010.
So he gets the circus that oftentimes comes with working under Jones and his seemingly meddlesome ways.
Jones gets to have his press conferences as owner and general manager. He still gets to come on the sideline at games as the face of the franchise.
He can sell the Cowboys like P.T. Barnum as much as he wants.
But don’t paint Garrett as a puppet coach.
Garrett has learned how to strike the right balance with Jones and it showed with how the Cowboys were painstakingly and deliberately rebuilt into winners over the past four years.
He took control of the roster and immediately got rid of several of Jones’ financial mistakes in receiver Roy Williams and running back Marion Barber.
More importantly, the players know he runs the locker room and controls their fate on the roster.
The Cowboys drafted offensive linemen in the first round in three of Garrett’s four full years as head coach, including tackle Tyron Smith in 2011, center Travis Frederick in 2012 and guard Zack Martin in 2014.
The threesome proved to be the foundation to the team’s success in 2014 and all made the Pro Bowl.
Martin may be the best pick of the bunch as he was named a Pro Bowler and first team All-Pro as a rookie.
But he was the player lamented the most by Jones, who wanted take a more high-profile and sexier player in former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel with the pick they used on Martin.
Garrett and his process won out as Jones showed faith in his coach.
Certainly, Garrett made mistakes early in his tenure. But he has grown immensely as a coach and finally has the right staff around him, which was a big key in helping him develop as a game manager and a walk-around coach in 2014.
That Jones and the Cowboys are also on the verge of details to retain top assistants in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and offensive play-caller Scott Linehan is crucial for Garrett going forward.
It’s another example of Jones showing patience with Garrett and hoping to get rewarded with the big payoff in the new future.
It wasn’t unlike in 1964 when then-owner Clint Murchison rewarded the Hall of Famer Landry with a 10-year contract extension despite four straight losing seasons as head coach.
In fact, Landry didn’t get his first winning season until 1966, beginning a streak of 20 straight winning seasons, including five NFC titles and two Super Bowl victories.
Its unlikely Garret will last 29 years with the Cowboys, but he has already seemingly lasted a lifetime with Jones.
Garrett’s 72 games as coach are second only to Jimmy Johnson, who coached 80 games from 1989 to 1993 before walking away after a fallout with Jones.
Barry Switzer lasted four seasons with Jones, as did Bill Parcells. Chan Gailey was let go after two seasons, Dave Campo after three seasons. And Wade Phillips was fired eight games into his fourth season.
Garrett will become the Cowboys' longest tenured coach since Landry sometime in the 2015 season, proving that he is the right fit and right coach for Jones.
He showed patience. Now he is hoping to be rewarded.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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