FWST Blog: Dan Reeves Speaks

[Stash]

All coaches struggle and have off years. Every single one of them right up the ladder to Landry and Lombardi. One day fans will realize this. But I won't be holding my breath in the meantime.

And not all coaches are guaranteed to some day 'get it', including our current Golden Boy.

Garrett seems to get this gift of his future stardom being a given since he's an educated, intelligent person and was part of this team's last Golden Age.

That doesn't mean that it's certain he'll be a good offensive coordinator, much less a good head coach.

If you look at what he's actually done compared to what he's supposed to do, the results are vastly different.

 

[rangers71]

All coaches struggle and have off years. Every single one of them right up the ladder to Landry and Lombardi. One day fans will realize this. But I won't be holding my breath in the meantime.

 

[dreghorn2]

The main concern i have with Garrett is that it appears he has lost his players.

Yes, coaches have off years and growing pains etc.. but leaders lead, struggles or not.

Players (your main players) making veiled or in some cases not so veiled criticisms of your competence, greatly concern me.

If he garnered respect this would not be the case, struggles or not.

Personally, as a coordinator i feel he lacks imagination, particularly as a 'young' coach.

His playcalling resembles a 30 year NFL veteran coach set in his ways, not an up and comer with innovation, imagination, and originality.

Just my opinion.

 

[Hostile]

It's unreal to me how grown men can read the remarks of football men universally across the NFL and still think their doubts are more informed. I can't wait for him to have a good season then watch all these gears stripping. Of course then they will say he finally came into his own. Every Coach in their world is an instant success or he is no good. Tom Landry would have been assassinated by the current fan intelligentsia. It is the curse of coaching via a game controller.

 

[Hostile]

He bothered to note he was impressed with him instead of saying "I don't want to get into that" as he did about something else uncomfortable.

Yet for some reason, people are reading into it desperately trying to find some sliver of cynicism from his comments.

So what would motivate him to speak highly of Garrett and the offensive staff? Seriously, I think that question has to be answered.

I would agree with this. What would motivate him? I'll say it is the most obvious thing, the truth.

 

[Beast_from_East]

I still dont understand how both sides "agree in principle" and then at the last moment a stipulation is added to the contract that is a deal-breaker.

What was so important that the two guys could not even compromise or work it out??????



If the problem was not authority or compensation, then what else is so dam important that the two guys "could not live with it"?????

 

[dreghorn2]

I don't know Hostile i have been watching for almost 40 years and i don't see it with Garrett.

Of course i have only been watching, i am not a coach or NFL insider, just a fan.

I generally agree with most of your opinions re: Cowboys, but not this one. I truly hope i am incorrect because i fear he is our next head coach.

By the way, like you, i also liked Henson.. oops.

 

[Stash]

It's unreal to me how grown men can read the remarks of football men universally across the NFL and still think their doubts are more informed. I can't wait for him to have a good season then watch all these gears stripping. Of course then they will say he finally came into his own. Every Coach in their world is an instant success or he is no good. Tom Landry would have been assassinated by the current fan intelligentsia. It is the curse of coaching via a game controller.

Spoken as if it's a guarantee.

What has Garrett accomplished as a coach to get this blind faith?

Coaching Joey Harrington in Miami?

And yet he's somehow annointed as the NFL's next great head coach when the reality is that he grossly underachieved with more talent than any other coach in the league.

 

[dreghorn2]

This Reeves quote struck a chord with me;

I didn't want to have a coaching title and not have authority coaching-wise

then it goes on to mention that the coaching thing was worked out until Jerry changed something again.

Did he want him to have a coaching title Offensive Assistant or something along those lines, but not give him authority on game days? I'm confused with this and think that whatever this concern was, it was the ultimate deal breaker when reintroduced by Jerry.

 

[theogt]

Just to clarify at least my own feelings on Garrett...

It's not that he's absolutely incompetent. Most people acknowledge that he's a smart, polished guy who presents himself well.

It's that he's been so prematurely annointed. He's like the raw college player who has tons of athletic ability and potential through the roof, but isn't a finished product yet. Or the combine workout warrior that isn't a great football player because he doesn't have enough experience and hasn't truly learned his craft yet.

And I for one am afraid that he's so self-assured and so self-confident that he won't realize and won't accept that he needs help. Why? Because he's always been the smartest guy in the room and always been told how brilliant he is. Just like the super-talented young players who think they can get by on athletic ability alone and don't really have to pay attention to the coaches harping on how they can improve.

That's why some of us wanted Reeves here: Because even the most talented young players need coaching, or they'll be just another case of untapped potential.

And sometimes, Combine workout warriors just don't turn out. Maybe Garrett will. But it's infuriating having someone at such an important position having to go through growing pains while our window of opportunity is open only so long.

 

[Stash]

I would agree with this. What would motivate him? I'll say it is the most obvious thing, the truth.

For the same reason why it's terrible for a guy like Owens to say something bad about him.

It's not the way you 'do business' in the NFL.

If Reeves says anything negative about anyone from Dallas and it's a red flag to any future employer.

Heck, he didn't even have anything bad to say about Jerry, despite the fact that he's the Ringleader of this circus!

 

[Hostile]

I don't know Hostile i have been watching for almost 40 years and i don't see it with Garrett.

Of course i have only been watching, i am not a coach or NFL insider, just a fan.

I generally agree with most of your opinions re: Cowboys, but not this one. I truly hope i am incorrect because i fear he is our next head coach.

By the way, like you, i also liked Henson.. oops.

People are wrong all the time. If being wrong is an indictment of knowledge the only way to graduate above idiot in the minds of peers is to have no opinions of your own. Merely parrot the majority after the fact.

I don't know what to tell you about Garrett that is going to allay any fears. He has supporters around the NFL board rooms and yet there are doubts because of one bad year in which we had a slew of injuries. I'm sorry, but I don't get that. I have never seen over reactions of this magnitude form any fan base.

 

[dreghorn2]

I would agree with this. What would motivate him? I'll say it is the most obvious thing, the truth.

I'm posting too much here, but it also could represent that Dan Reeves is a gentleman, and is acting like one.

 

[Hostile]

Spoken as if it's a guarantee.

What has Garrett accomplished as a coach to get this blind faith?

Coaching Joey Harrington in Miami?

And yet he's somehow annointed as the NFL's next great head coach when the reality is that he grossly underachieved with more talent than any other coach in the league.

Why can't I speak like it's a guarantee? You guys guarantee me all the time that we will not win for another 15 years if Jerry is in place as the GM and that Garrett can't get the job done.

That tactic is the private property of the self proclaimed "realists?" I need to keep my grubby mitts off it? Fine, simply tell me the rules we're playing by ahead of time instead of making them up as we go along.

 

[Arch Stanton]

Why can't I speak like it's a guarantee? You guys guarantee me all the time that we will not win for another 15 years if Jerry is in place as the GM and that Garrett can't get the job done.

That tactic is the private property of the self proclaimed "realists?" I need to keep my grubby mitts off it? Fine, simply tell me the rules we're playing by ahead of time instead of making them up as we go along.

BOOK IT!

 

[Hostile]

I'm posting too much here, but it also could represent that Dan Reeves is a gentleman, and is acting like one.

Post all you want. Your opinions are as valid as anyone else's.

 

[Stash]

Why can't I speak like it's a guarantee? You guys guarantee me all the time that we will not win for another 15 years if Jerry is in place as the GM and that Garrett can't get the job done.

That tactic is the private property of the self proclaimed "realists?" I need to keep my grubby mitts off it? Fine, simply tell me the rules we're playing by ahead of time instead of making them up as we go along.

If you're looking for rules, how about we use what a man has done as the barometer rather than what we hope he'll do?

Garrett has done nothing to make his success a foregone conclusion.

 

[dreghorn2]

People are wrong all the time. If being wrong is an indictment or knowledge the only way to graduate above idiot in the minds of peers is to have no opinions of your own. Merely parrot the majority after the fact.

I don't know what to tell you about Garrett that is going to allay any fears. He has supporters around the NFL board rooms and yet there are doubts because of one bad year in which we had a slew of injuries. I'm sorry, but I don't get that. I have never seen over reactions of this magnitude form any fan base.

Well, i don't believe i'm overreacting, i don't base my opinions on anything that may have been written here or any place else.

I simply am concerned that the current OC of my favorite team is not qualified, my opinion only.

I will admit though, that while i read the Zone multiple times per day, i have not been actively involved in as many threads as you have regarding this subject.

So i can easily understand your frustration having to answer multiple critiques about Garrett, many that are downright silly.

 

[Alexander]

Yeah, because he didn't want to go into details about his contract negotiations must mean his comments about Garrett were more than just being nice. LOL, nice logic.

I did not make that link. I stated he did not want to get into those details yet goes out of his way to make some compliments.

He doesn't have to be nice. Those comments are not significantly vague that they can be passed off as merely PC fluff either.

So what was his motivation? Notice your inability to answer that simple question. Thing is, I don't think he was that unimpressed and I doubt he believes Garrett is unsalvageable as you believe he is. I don't believe you go out of your way to complement someone you are about to take a hatchet to.

Notice he said he thought he could turn the offense around. Well, that must mean it's not going in the right direction right now -- and who would we blame for that at the coaching level?

I don't know, but let me guess, you apparently do.

I am far from an ardent supporter of Jason Garrett and it is fairly obvious the profound influence Tony Sparano had. Now since he did not call the plays, we can strike that from the equation. He coached the offensive line. He was also the lone holdover from the Parcells era who would have instilled discipline and hold players accountable. Reeves could have been referring to offensive line problems. He could be referring to the discipline issues with the WRs. He could have been talking about communication concerns. He could have been talking about deemphasizing the pass ratio. Any number of things, none of which paints a bleak picture of Garrett's abilities.

Wouldn't any of these things constitute "turning it around"?

 

[Hostile]

If you're looking for rules, how about we use what a man has done as the barometer rather than what we hope he'll do?

Garrett has done nothing to make his success a foregone conclusion.

Neither had Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi or any other Coach until the actually succeeded. That's the point.

No one knew Tony Dungy would lead a team to a Super Bowl the day he was hired. No one has that kind of foresight.

So, proceed with your rules and lets see how they stack up against the real world and History.