Garrett, The Sun, Interesting Coaching Comparison/Thinking

[TwoDeep3]

I heard a discussion on the ESPN affiliate in Dallas with Tim Cowlishaw and Matt Mosley a few days ago. Now if you are not fans of these two, this doesn't matter, because they merely illustrated the different thinking in regard to Garrett and a couple of other coaches.

First, they stated this is the only stadium in the NFL which is situated facing east and west. Which makes the windows at the ends of the stadium come into play in regard to the sun.

Now I have no clue if they are correct, but did see an article wherein the architects suggested this was done on purpose.

Garrett - In the post game press conference Garrett was asked about the sun being a factor. He responded by saying the sun has been in the sky for five billion years, and will be there another five billion years. The team will just need to deal with this. It is not a factor.

All during this questioning, Garrett's demeanor was one of irritation, even though the press was not making light of this. Until one of the press suggested the stadium needed curtains.

Ben McAdoo - the New York Giants head coach stated they knew about the sun being a factor during the late games in September in this particular stadium and the coaching staff had a plan in regard to the coin flip on which end they would protect and how that took into consideration the sun being a factor late in the latter part of the game.

Now this may not be worthy of discussion. But a point was made that I find interesting here.

Jimmy Johnson - the day before the 1992 NFC Championship game in Candlestick Park, in San Francisco, Johnson walked the field and tested the footing of every spot to get an idea of where the problem areas were and planned accordingly.

That field was known to be a quagmire during the wet season since it was technically below sea level - this is a misconception since it was 14 feet above sea level - but was a very damp field and the sod had terrible footing because of the dampness of the season and constant moisture.

I have had my doubts about Garrett and his skill set as a head coach. Frankly I had my doubts about Garrett and his skill set as an offensive coordinator.

One of my pet peeves about Garrett is the way he manages a game. Sometimes he has no clue when it comes to the clock, or getting plays in that will highlight his most explosive pass receiving weapon.

And while this may be no big deal, one would think after playing in this stadium for more than a game or two, the team, and especially the coaching staff would be acutely aware of this bizarre feature of the stadium and perhaps have something more than a flippant comment about the age of the sun.

Again, this may be a non-issue. But I found it to be an interesting take because of the relative newness of Ben McAdoo's tenure as head coach versus the Princeton graduate Garrett who has led this team for four and a half years as the head coach.

Is this a little thing, or it is a symptom of the little things Garrett doesn't see?

 

[Aven8]

He's notorious for all the small things. The sun, having a guy go out of bounds, untimely time outs, slow starting team, on, and on.

Great coaches leave know stone unturned. Every aspect of the game is thought through.

As I've stated numerous times, he looks the part, he talks the part, and says all the right things. But when it comes to actual coaching it's all a hoax. I've wanted him gone since he was the OC.

 

[LocimusPrime]

He needs to hire a zoner as an assistant coach cause we are all good at the little things. Doesnt matter what it is, nothing goes unnoticed by us.

Garrett appears to be an OCD type coach, but im starting to believe thats just an act.

 

[Dodger12]

It's always something with Garrett. I've said it one hundred times and I firmly believe this guy gives us no advantage on gameday. Absolutely none.....

I also have no doubt, simply because he's the ultimate yes man, that we'll see a more open offense, Dez in motion and Morris getting a fair share of the carries. Even Jerry sees what a gameday liability his coach is and has to basically tell him what needs to be done and like a good lap dog, Garrett will do it. Mark it down.

 

[Zordon]

Yes, my frustration level went up when I read that article about Giants coaches prepping for the sun and we didn't.

 

[Hoofbite]

The stadium has curtains that can make the lighting issue a complete non-factor. Garrett has to deal with it because the person who decides whether or not to close the curtains is more concerned with what's happening around the field than he is with what's happening on it.

 

[DOUBLE WING]

I can't blame Jason Garrett for not being prepared for the sun, I mean look at the guy, he's as pale as a porcelain doll. I don't think he's ever been outside in the sun a day in his life.

 

[Idgit]

It's not only a little thing, it's a non-issue.

I listened to Garrett's handling of the sun question and didn't think his tone was irritated. He simply made the point that it's their job to execute regardless of the conditions and that the conditions always affect both teams. Pretty simple, and pretty hard to argue with. Though, of course, some of our fans will try.

Of course our coaches monitor for field conditions prior to the game. I can't believe it's really a question.

 

[theebs]

I dont understand why we keep taking the ball first.

There is a ton of crowd noise at kickoff and zero to start the third quarter. it seems you would want to take advantage of that.

The sun issue is just crazy. Jerry goes on the radio and says he wants teams to play in the elements here and make it hard for them. I get so angry hearing this nonsense from this guy.

if they want teams to play in the elements or if they want to use the weather to their advantage, they should have opened the doors and roof sunday. It was a great day, low 90s. Probably would have worn the giants defensive line down a little if they had opened it up.

the building is always completely closed. 80 degrees, nope. 60 degrees nope. 70 degrees, maybe depending on the time of the game. Its nuts. Open the dumb roof and doors and play in the heat. Otherwise stop talking about taking advantage of the elements.

I don't know how coaches get a word in with the players in this organization. Jerry and stephen have 3 radio shows during the week plus the constant tv appearances during which they give out injury reports, scouting reports and how they think the team will approach the next game. Its nuts.

Needing attention like these two do has to be a disease. there are literally no fans left that are wondering what jerry or stephen are thinking anymore. Nobody.

we played the giants in 14 at 3:15 and both teams fought through the sun that day. Its a pretty foolish thing to put your team through.

 

[DogFace]

Garett deserves credit for being a factor rebuilding the Cowboys into a young team. As for us not being terrible during that stretch I think it's mostly on Romo.

He's a below average coach and I doubt any of the small factors that a great coach likes to take advantage of is of any interest to him.

He seems to be even above common adjustments and playing to his team's advantage. Rather, he'd like to "impose his team's will". Even when it isn't working. Like continual runs up the middle against the Giants.

 

[TheHerd]

Garrett may very be the worst in game coach in the league. For all the talk of his attention to detail, he does everything wrong on game day. From taking to ball, to timeout management, to challenge plays, to personnel on the field, etc. He is simply an awful in game coach.

 

[MileyDancer]

The sun literally will not be a factor again this season. I can see why Garrett didn't think of that. I've been to like 25 games, and I can think of 2 times the sun was an actual factor. With that said, props to McAdoodle Doo for being meticulous enough to factor that in. I don't think Garrett's brain works like that.

 

[Hoofbite]

Garett deserves credit for being a factor rebuilding the Cowboys into a young team. As for us not being terrible during that stretch I think it's mostly on Romo.

He's a below average coach and I doubt any of the small factors that a great coach likes to take advantage of is of any interest to him.

He seems to be even above common adjustments and playing to his team's advantage. Rather, he'd like to "impose his team's will". Even when it isn't working. Like continual runs up the middle against the Giants.

I'm really not sure what credit there is to be had in producing a young roster. The tricky part is having a young roster that is also talented. Dallas may be young but they damn sure aren't loaded in terms of talent. Average age is only relevant if you are a competitive team, or at bare minimum a team that is improving and positioned to be competitive in a year or two. The Rams have been the youngest team in the NFL for 5 years running. Doesn't matter because they win 7 games a year. If they finally get a competent QB that might change.

State of the team makes any comparison of average age meaningless beyond the number. Good team that is young, good team that is old, bad team that is young, or bad team that is old. They're all out there. Every team has a different composition so it's not like we're comparing apples to apples. The difference between the Texas at #19 in terms of average age and the Colts at #29 is the soon-to-be 44-year-old Adam Vinatieri.

Beyond that, even if there was credit to be had for fielding a young team, you can really only give Garrett an amount that is proportional to the amount of say he has in roster decisions in general. He doesn't have absolute control and I'd say the amount of decisive power you could attribute to him is becoming less and less as we move along with him as HC.

 

[Hoofbite]

The sun literally will not be a factor again this season. I can see why Garrett didn't think of that. I've been to like 25 games, and I can think of 2 times the sun was an actual factor. With that said, props to McAdoodle Doo for being meticulous enough to factor that in. I don't think Garrett's brain works like that.

Whether or not the sun is actually a factor is besides the point. The sun is there, it will continue to be there, and the conditions will present themselves for it to be a factor. That's all that necessary. If he hasn't considered the possibility of the sun playing a role in that stadium, it's only for a lack of trying. Watch any broadcast replay where the field is covered in shadows and sunbeams and the announcers will clue everyone in. Multiple times. Nonstop on some occasions.

For a guy who's been to every home game since the stadium opened, if he hasn't considered it then I think it's impressive he's able to get dressed in the morning without assistance. It doesn't have to be a factor but because Jerry makes it a factor, Garrett should probably give it some thought.

 

[Common Sense]

It's not only a little thing, it's a non-issue.

I listened to Garrett's handling of the sun question and didn't think his tone was irritated. He simply made the point that it's their job to execute regardless of the conditions and that the conditions always affect both teams. Pretty simple, and pretty hard to argue with. Though, of course, some of our fans will try.

Of course our coaches monitor for field conditions prior to the game. I can't believe it's really a question.

But that's not true. Only one team was throwing into the sun in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Part of situational football is managing field conditions and it was clear from the game that Dak was not properly coached to avoid leading receivers directly into sunlight. There is literally no argument to be made in favor of that.

 

[haleyrules]

He's notorious for all the small things. The sun, having a guy go out of bounds, untimely time outs, slow starting team, on, and on.

Great coaches leave know stone unturned. Every aspect of the game is thought through.

As I've stated numerous times, he looks the part, he talks the part, and says all the right things. But when it comes to actual coaching it's all a hoax. I've wanted him gone since he was the OC.

Amen.

 

[TheHerd]

But that's not true. Only one team was throwing into the sun in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Part of situational football is managing field conditions and it was clear from the game that Dak was not properly coached to avoid leading receivers directly into sunlight. There is literally no argument to be made in favor of that.

This could be a huge factor if they play in the north in Dec or Jan. I know the saying goes that the conditions are the same for both teams, but the team which is prepared for the weather and uses the weather properly during the game has a huge advantage. Pretending it doesn't matter with clever quotes is just ignoring reality.

 

[Hoofbite]

But that's not true. Only one team was throwing into the sun in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Part of situational football is managing field conditions and it was clear from the game that Dak was not properly coached to avoid leading receivers directly into sunlight. There is literally no argument to be made in favor of that.

Short of telling the QB to avoid all throwing to routes that cross into the sun, how do you coach him to avoid leading receivers into the sun?

Bottom line is he shouldn't have to be coached that. It shouldn't even be a concern during any home game for Dallas. This isn't an issue of Garrett failing to coach his players anything. At worst, you might be able to blame Garrett for not choosing which end to defend at the coin toss, but I think that's a stretch. Coaches shouldn't have to consider playing conditions to this extent when the game is played indoors and any potential conditions that could be a detriment to the game can be entirely avoided. The real problem is that they didn't close the curtains and that is a decision that Jerry makes because the stadium is a tourist attraction first and foremost, and then it's the home field for the team he owns 2nd.

 

[nobody]

I dont understand why we keep taking the ball first.

There is a ton of crowd noise at kickoff and zero to start the third quarter. it seems you would want to take advantage of that.

The sun issue is just crazy. Jerry goes on the radio and says he wants teams to play in the elements here and make it hard for them. I get so angry hearing this nonsense from this guy.

if they want teams to play in the elements or if they want to use the weather to their advantage, they should have opened the doors and roof sunday. It was a great day, low 90s. Probably would have worn the giants defensive line down a little if they had opened it up.

the building is always completely closed. 80 degrees, nope. 60 degrees nope. 70 degrees, maybe depending on the time of the game. Its nuts. Open the dumb roof and doors and play in the heat. Otherwise stop talking about taking advantage of the elements.

I don't know how coaches get a word in with the players in this organization. Jerry and stephen have 3 radio shows during the week plus the constant tv appearances during which they give out injury reports, scouting reports and how they think the team will approach the next game. Its nuts.

Needing attention like these two do has to be a disease. there are literally no fans left that are wondering what jerry or stephen are thinking anymore. Nobody.

we played the giants in 14 at 3:15 and both teams fought through the sun that day. Its a pretty foolish thing to put your team through.

You defer when you know that you can absolutely trust your defense to do well for not only that drive, but for the whole game, because if you know you can't get pressure, the last thing you ever want to do is then play a game of catch up with the scoreboard.

 

[DogFace]

I'm really not sure what credit there is to be had in producing a young roster. The tricky part is having a young roster that is also talented. Dallas may be young but they damn sure aren't loaded in terms of talent. Average age is only relevant if you are a competitive team, or at bare minimum a team that is improving and positioned to be competitive in a year or two. The Rams have been the youngest team in the NFL for 5 years running. Doesn't matter because they win 7 games a year. If they finally get a competent QB that might change.

State of the team makes any comparison of average age meaningless beyond the number. Good team that is young, good team that is old, bad team that is young, or bad team that is old. They're all out there. Every team has a different composition so it's not like we're comparing apples to apples. The difference between the Texas at #19 in terms of average age and the Colts at #29 is the soon-to-be 44-year-old Adam Vinatieri.

Beyond that, even if there was credit to be had for fielding a young team, you can really only give Garrett an amount that is proportional to the amount of say he has in roster decisions in general. He doesn't have absolute control and I'd say the amount of decisive power you could attribute to him is becoming less and less as we move along with him as HC.

Well, I said he deserves credit for being "a factor".

I think we have some talent. I think the three Pro bowlers on the line are very talented. I think Dak and Zeke are talanted. Lawrence and Gregory are talented. Crawford is. Jones is. There are others.

We just disagree on the talent of the team, I guess. It's proven when healthy we are a good team. We've had some bad breaks with Romo being hurt and last year Dez and Scandrick too.

Yes. The averages are close. It is still a good measuring stick when compared to the rest of the league. The team was one of the oldest. Now it's not.