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For Jason Garrett, 2015 challenge is greatest he's had with Cowboys
IRVING, Texas -- On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett will sit on a stage wearing sunglasses to avoid the glare of the California sun, projecting an air of confidence in what he says and what he doesn’t, just as he has always done whether the on-field success has matched his outward confidence.
For the first time since Garrett took over as coach full time in 2011, the Cowboys can point to tangible success from the program he started. Their 12-4 record, NFC East title and playoff win in 2014 surprised many, even some inside the organization.
As training camp begins this week, what’s next for Garrett and the Cowboys?
No longer is the challenge of breaking free from 8-8. Outside expectations in 2014 were as low as they had been since the beginning of the century when the Cowboys had three straight 5-11 finishes under Dave Campo.
Now the Cowboys have outside expectations that may match the inner expectations.
Garrett’s challenge hasn’t decreased.
“I think the biggest challenge is right now, to build on a great season,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “It was a really solid season and to take that next step is a big challenge but I think he’s up for it.”
When the Cowboys showed up for training camp in 2013, Jerry Jones said it was not an “Armageddon,” season or Garrett but few believed him. When the Cowboy showed up for camp last summer Jones said it was not a “make or break season,” for Garrett, despite not having a contract before 2014. Few believed him.
By the middle of the 2015 season only Tom Landry will have coached more games for the Cowboys than Garrett. With four more victories only Landry will have won as many regular-season games as Garrett.
The Cowboys rewarded Garrett with a five-year, $30 million contract in January.
“A big part of the culture we talk about it controlling what we can control,” Garrett said. “I can honestly say to you I never really thought very much about [his coaching future]. What I do every day is wake up and try to do everything I can to build the kind of football team we all can be proud of. We try to instill that mentality in our coaches and our players. That’s how we think. Try to control what we can control, don’t worry about what people are saying on the outside, just do what we can do to the best of our ability every day. That’s really the way I live.”
With the success, however, came issues the Cowboys did not have to deal with as much in their 8-8 run.
Garrett did not want to lose DeMarco Murray to free agency, especially to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the organization held firm on what it believed was Murray’s worth. Garrett did not publicly or privately fret about losing the NFL’s leading rusher. Dez Bryant sat out of the offseason program awaiting a long-term extension that did not come until two weeks ago. Yet Bryant so respected Garrett he showed up for the final minicamp practice just to hear the coach’s message. Orlando Scandrick missed some of the offseason as he looked for a bigger contract, which eventually came, with Garrett viewing him as the defensive equivalent of Tony Romo or Jason Witten.
The Cowboys took a chance many teams in the NFL wouldn’t have taken in free agency by signing defensive end Greg Hardy, who faces a four-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy in 2014. They took a chance on Randy Gregory, who’s off-field troubles led to teams taking him off their draft board, in the second round.
The risks were calculated financially. Hardy is on a one-year deal and structurally, the Cowboys have a plan in place to help Gregory cope with his issues. They kept Rolando McClain on a one-year deal, despite knowing he would be fined four game checks for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Later in the spring they learned McClain would be suspended the first four games...
...The Joneses believed they could take some risks because of what Garrett has created.
“I think it starts with the head coach and he’s a got to be himself, completely himself, but [he] has to be very genuine in terms of his expectation and communication, which is Jason’s best skill,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said.
The Cowboys lived through Garrett’s growing pains and saw it pay off in 2014. In 2015, the challenge is different – and greater - for Garrett to sustain success.
Stephen Jones said Garrett is “better than he’s ever been. I think he’d be the first to tell you that he’s only gotten better over time.”
“Well, I just think all around, whether it’s natural leadership, management of the team, management of the games, game plans -- the whole, full body of work of being a head coach,” Stephen Jones said. “When you do it for the first time, you don’t realize what goes into being a head coach. Of course, he’s learned to delegate, which is difficult when you’ve been a coordinator for most of your career. It’s hard to start to delegate things, but I think he’s seen where that can be a huge plus for him in terms of moving around the staff and the different meeting rooms and moving around practice, instead of having to be laser-focused on the offensive side of the ball, if you’re the coordinator. I think that really paid off for him. He’s got a great staff – people he can count on, people he’s comfortable with and people he’s confident in.”
- Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett will sit on a stage wearing sunglasses to avoid the glare of the California sun, projecting an air of confidence in what he says and what he doesn’t, just as he has always done whether the on-field success has matched his outward confidence.
For the first time since Garrett took over as coach full time in 2011, the Cowboys can point to tangible success from the program he started. Their 12-4 record, NFC East title and playoff win in 2014 surprised many, even some inside the organization.
As training camp begins this week, what’s next for Garrett and the Cowboys?
No longer is the challenge of breaking free from 8-8. Outside expectations in 2014 were as low as they had been since the beginning of the century when the Cowboys had three straight 5-11 finishes under Dave Campo.
Now the Cowboys have outside expectations that may match the inner expectations.
Garrett’s challenge hasn’t decreased.
“I think the biggest challenge is right now, to build on a great season,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “It was a really solid season and to take that next step is a big challenge but I think he’s up for it.”
When the Cowboys showed up for training camp in 2013, Jerry Jones said it was not an “Armageddon,” season or Garrett but few believed him. When the Cowboy showed up for camp last summer Jones said it was not a “make or break season,” for Garrett, despite not having a contract before 2014. Few believed him.
By the middle of the 2015 season only Tom Landry will have coached more games for the Cowboys than Garrett. With four more victories only Landry will have won as many regular-season games as Garrett.
The Cowboys rewarded Garrett with a five-year, $30 million contract in January.
“A big part of the culture we talk about it controlling what we can control,” Garrett said. “I can honestly say to you I never really thought very much about [his coaching future]. What I do every day is wake up and try to do everything I can to build the kind of football team we all can be proud of. We try to instill that mentality in our coaches and our players. That’s how we think. Try to control what we can control, don’t worry about what people are saying on the outside, just do what we can do to the best of our ability every day. That’s really the way I live.”
With the success, however, came issues the Cowboys did not have to deal with as much in their 8-8 run.
Garrett did not want to lose DeMarco Murray to free agency, especially to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the organization held firm on what it believed was Murray’s worth. Garrett did not publicly or privately fret about losing the NFL’s leading rusher. Dez Bryant sat out of the offseason program awaiting a long-term extension that did not come until two weeks ago. Yet Bryant so respected Garrett he showed up for the final minicamp practice just to hear the coach’s message. Orlando Scandrick missed some of the offseason as he looked for a bigger contract, which eventually came, with Garrett viewing him as the defensive equivalent of Tony Romo or Jason Witten.
The Cowboys took a chance many teams in the NFL wouldn’t have taken in free agency by signing defensive end Greg Hardy, who faces a four-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy in 2014. They took a chance on Randy Gregory, who’s off-field troubles led to teams taking him off their draft board, in the second round.
The risks were calculated financially. Hardy is on a one-year deal and structurally, the Cowboys have a plan in place to help Gregory cope with his issues. They kept Rolando McClain on a one-year deal, despite knowing he would be fined four game checks for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Later in the spring they learned McClain would be suspended the first four games...
...The Joneses believed they could take some risks because of what Garrett has created.
“I think it starts with the head coach and he’s a got to be himself, completely himself, but [he] has to be very genuine in terms of his expectation and communication, which is Jason’s best skill,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said.
The Cowboys lived through Garrett’s growing pains and saw it pay off in 2014. In 2015, the challenge is different – and greater - for Garrett to sustain success.
Stephen Jones said Garrett is “better than he’s ever been. I think he’d be the first to tell you that he’s only gotten better over time.”
“Well, I just think all around, whether it’s natural leadership, management of the team, management of the games, game plans -- the whole, full body of work of being a head coach,” Stephen Jones said. “When you do it for the first time, you don’t realize what goes into being a head coach. Of course, he’s learned to delegate, which is difficult when you’ve been a coordinator for most of your career. It’s hard to start to delegate things, but I think he’s seen where that can be a huge plus for him in terms of moving around the staff and the different meeting rooms and moving around practice, instead of having to be laser-focused on the offensive side of the ball, if you’re the coordinator. I think that really paid off for him. He’s got a great staff – people he can count on, people he’s comfortable with and people he’s confident in.”
