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Garrett on the brink? Troy Aikman predicts that Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will be an NFL head coach next season. That's either bad news for Dallas owner Jerry Jones or for current head coach Wade Phillips.
Garrett was closer than most realize to succeeding Bill Parcells as the Cowboys' head coach. Jones would have hired him ahead of Norv Turner. But Jones ultimately decided the perfect scenario was to make him the unofficial head-coach-in-waiting, have him call plays for the first time and hire Phillips to make something of the defense.
The first phase of Jones' plan may have worked so well as to threaten the eventual line of succession he intended for Garrett. With the Cowboys a single victory from the first 14-win season in franchise history, Phillips is an NFL Coach of the Year candidate. His influence on the defense has played a role in the Cowboys' return to prominence but is dimmed by what Garrett has achieved. Garrett helped deliver historic offensive production while developing Tony Romo into the best young quarterback in the league.
"We're unique because we're so efficient in throwing it everywhere on the field,'' Romo said. "Most teams have a couple of things they really like to do and defenses try and take that away. We're one of the few offenses that throw everywhere. We put it down the field -- to the left corner, right corner, left hash, right hash. We don't work any specific spot, and we've been pretty successful doing that."
Jones surely will do everything possible to retain Garrett. But if Garrett decides he wants to be a head coach next season there is little Jones can do to prevent it -- except convince Phillips to step aside. Unless the Cowboys flop in the playoffs like the 2006 San Diego Chargers, that won't be popular or easy since Phillips has coached 30 years trying to find a team as talented as the Cowboys.
-- Ed Werder
Garrett was closer than most realize to succeeding Bill Parcells as the Cowboys' head coach. Jones would have hired him ahead of Norv Turner. But Jones ultimately decided the perfect scenario was to make him the unofficial head-coach-in-waiting, have him call plays for the first time and hire Phillips to make something of the defense.
The first phase of Jones' plan may have worked so well as to threaten the eventual line of succession he intended for Garrett. With the Cowboys a single victory from the first 14-win season in franchise history, Phillips is an NFL Coach of the Year candidate. His influence on the defense has played a role in the Cowboys' return to prominence but is dimmed by what Garrett has achieved. Garrett helped deliver historic offensive production while developing Tony Romo into the best young quarterback in the league.
"We're unique because we're so efficient in throwing it everywhere on the field,'' Romo said. "Most teams have a couple of things they really like to do and defenses try and take that away. We're one of the few offenses that throw everywhere. We put it down the field -- to the left corner, right corner, left hash, right hash. We don't work any specific spot, and we've been pretty successful doing that."
Jones surely will do everything possible to retain Garrett. But if Garrett decides he wants to be a head coach next season there is little Jones can do to prevent it -- except convince Phillips to step aside. Unless the Cowboys flop in the playoffs like the 2006 San Diego Chargers, that won't be popular or easy since Phillips has coached 30 years trying to find a team as talented as the Cowboys.
-- Ed Werder
