Can Garrett Evaulate Talent?

[windjc]

No agendas here, except I'd like to see Dallas win a Superbowl before I die in the next 50-60 years.

There are at least three important sides to a great coach: x and o's, motivation/leadership and talent evaluation/drafting.

Its a lot easier to win the battle of X and Os when you have more talent on the field than your opponent. Its a lot easier to motivate when you are winning.

Garrett is off to a good start. And while the sample size is way to small to really do more than speculate about his motivation/leadership and his X and Os, the thing we really have little to no empirical evidence on is whether Garrett can evaluated and draft talent.

There are so many question marks - Barber, Free, Ball, Bennett, Felix - just to name a few - but we really don't have any way of knowing how much Garrett's input lead to decisions to draft, play or not play each of these players.

If Garrett is named head coach for 2011, his biggest, most important test will be the draft.

Since we don't have a GM, its really up to the coach to pull the trigger on our picks. Jerry will do what the coaches ask him to do if he is out numbered. Garrett will have to not only make a stand and demand his own choices, but Garrett will have to make choices that establish himself as a person capable of putting the best possible talent on the field.

Can he do this? Who knows. Will he do this? Who knows.

It's the biggest unknown in our near term future and our hopes of being a contender again soon.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

IF Jerry makes him head coach, which I expect, then he must be able to spot talent if not Dallas will be in big trouble IMO...

 

[Picksix]

I think it will be, and should be, a cooperative effort of Jason, the coaches, Jerry, Stephen, and the scouting department. Jason will have a significant say in who gets drafted, IMO. I think he'll listen to everyone, and then of course fight for the ones he really feels has a chance to help the team.

The question is, how effective will he be? I like to think he'll be good at it. Again, just my opinion. He won't hit on every one of them. No one does. Parcells sure didn't. Even Jimmy will be the first to tell you, that he missed on as many as he hit on. He just had so many picks those first 3-4 years that he had a greater margin of error. JG just has to have a good deal more hits than misses.

 

[Doomsday101]

I think it will be, and should be, a cooperative effort of Jason, the coaches, Jerry, Stephen, and the scouting department. Jason will have a significant say in who gets drafted, IMO. I think he'll listen to everyone, and then of course fight for the ones he really feels has a chance to help the team.

The question is, how effective will he be? I like to think he'll be good at it. Again, just my opinion. He won't hit on every one of them. No one does. Parcells sure didn't. Even Jimmy will be the first to tell you, that he missed on as many as he hit on. He just had so many picks those first 3-4 years that he had a greater margin of error. JG just has to have a good deal more hits than misses.

I agree and I think the scouting department has allot of say. No doubt the HC and Head of scouting though need to work with each other and be on the same page with each other.

 

[TheSport78]

He doesn't need to. We have a great GM who can do that job. Oh wait...lol

 

[burmafrd]

Well he sure missed the boat on Brad Johnson. And his refusal to use Choice until he was forced to makes you wonder.

 

[CanuckCowboysFan]

next year is the start of a dynasty....mark my words.

 

[TheCount]

It doesn't matter, Jerry calls the shots!

 

[Doomsday101]

It doesn't matter, Jerry calls the shots!

So does that mean he choose, Romo, Miles,Ware,Ratliff,Dez and Lee?

 

[speedkilz88]

The coach should get input on draft day but he should not be the one to lean on. The scouts are the ones that are paid to evaluate talent and find the best prospects. If they aren't doing a good job you find replacements for them.

 

[TheCount]

So does that mean he choose, Romo, Miles,Ware,Ratliff,Dez and Lee?

Yup. If Jerry hadn't wanted any of those guys, they wouldn't be Cowboys.

 

[ChooChoo73]

I couldn't care less about his ability to spot talent. I do expect him to be able to bring the best out of whatever level of talent he has in a player. I expect the scouting department to do their job on free agency and the draft and that includes JJ. One question though: How can we continue to hear how talented we are even within this board and out of the other side of our mouths complain so much about Jerry the GM? Which is it or is it really somewhere down the middle?

 

[Doomsday101]

Yup. If Jerry hadn't wanted any of those guys, they wouldn't be Cowboys.

True, but I do think Jerry changed how things are done after the years with Lacewell. It is a group effort and that too me is not a bad thing. For years the 3 men involved with drafting players for the Cowboys was Gil Brandt, Tom Landry and Tex Schramm all working together.

 

[DBOY3141]

I hope he's the second coming of Jimmy. No one currently has that ability. Dez and Lee look good. Felix was a mistake, you don't draft a RB in the 1st round to pair with someone. Felix is not a number 1 back. Front office got cute. Need to draft football players and not athletes.

2009 draft is a complete joke. To miss on 12 picks is an embarrassment.

 

[reddyuta]

its not only about the draft.Garrett has made some questionable calls so far and people will like to bash JJ for it but he has to input from the coaches on some issues.

 

[TheCount]

I hope he's the second coming of Jimmy. No one currently has that ability. Dez and Lee look good. Felix was a mistake, you don't draft a RB in the 1st round to pair with someone. Felix is not a number 1 back. Front office got cute. Need to draft football players and not athletes.

2009 draft is a complete joke. To miss on 12 picks is an embarrassment.

That was actually exactly the reason they took Felix over Chris Johnson. They passed on the athlete.

 

[gimmesix]

Well he sure missed the boat on Brad Johnson. And his refusal to use Choice until he was forced to makes you wonder.

Moves like these do make me worry about his ability to contribute in this area.

He's also the offensive coordinator who didn't start Austin until an injury forced it, so it makes you wonder.

Of course, Garrett is showing a different "personality" overall as the head coach than he did as the OC, so it's hard to tell. ... Still wouldn't have played Choice, though, if he hadn't been forced to by Barber's injury.

 

[gimmesix]

2009 draft is a complete joke. To miss on 12 picks is an embarrassment.

Then the Cowboys' drafts have been a joke at times under Landry and under Jimmy Johnson.

Dallas technically has missed on six picks (so far) in that class, but for argument's sake, I'll give you nine (keeping Butler, Buehler and Phillips).

Johnson missed on 11 in 1992, with the only successful picks coming in the first three rounds. (I count Jimmy Smith as a miss because he didn't succeed here.)

He also missed on 11 his first year (1989). The only good picks were the early ones, and Tony Tolbert in the fourth round.

In 1979, Landry and Co. did worse than that, missing on 12 of 15 picks, and that's not counting first-round pick Robert Shaw, who I probably should list as a bust. The only good picks from that draft were Doug Cosbie and Ron Springs. ... And I just picked that out at random from drafts that qualify; there are other Landry drafts that are equal to that one.

 

[KJJ]

IF Jerry makes him head coach, which I expect, then he must be able to spot talent if not Dallas will be in big trouble IMO...

Garrett isn't going to have much say on who the Cowboys draft. He'll give his opinion as will the scouts and Jerry will make the call.

 

[KJJ]

Johnson missed on 11 in 1992, with the only successful picks coming in the first three rounds. (I count Jimmy Smith as a miss because he didn't succeed here.)

He also missed on 11 his first year (1989). The only good picks were the early ones, and Tony Tolbert in the fourth round.

When Jimmy hit on a pick he hit BIG which made up for the misses. Several of the picks he hit on ended up being cornerstones of the franchise that were big contributors to our 3 SB wins. He drafted 2 Hall Of Famers with two of his first three #1's from 89 to 90.