Gosselin: Injuries are no excuse for another mediocre Dallas Cowboys season

[Alexander]

Gosselin: Injuries are no excuse for another mediocre Dallas Cowboys season


RICK GOSSELIN

Columnist

rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***

Published: 07 January 2014 10:50 PM

Updated: 08 January 2014 12:07 AM

Injuries can be an explanation for the mediocrity of the Cowboys in 2013.

But not an excuse.

Injuries are part of football, and the Cowboys certainly suffered their share. Every team did, in fact. The NFL lost a record 1,600 games by starters because of injury this season, including a record 861 on offense.

The Cowboys lost 62 of the games, including the pass rush of Anthony Spencer for 15 of them. But other teams were battered by injuries — even more critical injuries — yet played on into January.

The New Orleans Saints lost 61 games by starters, including a league-high 53 on defense. Two projected starters in new coordinator Rob Ryan’s 3-4 scheme — end Will Smith and inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma — never played a down because of injuries.

Yet the Saints still finished with a top-five defense, posted an 11-5 record and won an opening-round playoff game last weekend.

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[Chappy]

Cannot possibly argue with any of this and all the injuries did for us was provide JJ with a scapegoat and another crap excuse to bring Garrett back next season.

 

[tecolote]

This is why I find the injury excuse for Garrett just that, an excuse for his horrible coaching. There is nothing like facts to destroy an argument.

 

[Alexander]

This is why I find the injury excuse for Garrett just that, an excuse for his horrible coaching. There is nothing like facts to destroy an argument.

Well, you have to be fair. Belichick, McCarthy and Payton are not in training and are all experienced head coaches.

Wait, that does not excuse Pagano making the playoffs the last two seasons.

Well, fiddlesticks.

The injury excuse is a hard one to use and it is shocking that anyone who thinks about things logically would.

In order for you to assume it is not Garrett, you have to then assume it is the horrible GM who did not give him the talent.

You absolutely cannot have a valid argument to support that without pointing to one, the other, or both.

 

[noshame]

For what? 18 years now we have a built in excuse every season, this one is no different.

Jerry won't keep his damn nose out of day to day football operations on and off the field, there is the only real reason you need.

 

[Risen Star]

Well, you have to be fair. Belichick, McCarthy and Payton are not in training and are all experienced head coaches.

Wait, that does not excuse Pagano making the playoffs the last two seasons.

Well, fiddlesticks.

The injury excuse is a hard one to use and it is shocking that anyone who thinks about things logically would.

In order for you to assume it is not Garrett, you have to then assume it is the horrible GM who did not give him the talent.

You absolutely cannot have a valid argument to support that without pointing to one, the other, or both.

I don't agree. It's not just about having the talent, though I do think the Cowboys talent is vastly overrated. If a coach doesn't have the authority to control his own locker room he's pretty much set up to fail. Parcells didn't just talk about finding more talent when he arrived here. He talked about changing the culture. This is exactly what he was referring to.

So I don't really care what Belichick or Payton or McCarthy or Pagano are doing in sane NFL cities. They wouldn't do that here with Jerry so actively hands on. The culture would need to change. The head coach would have to have some authority again.

It's convenient to blame Jason Garrett. It's also lazy and wrong. He may in fact not be a good head coach, but he doesn't even have a chance to be in Dallas.

 

[jobberone]

Well, you have to be fair. Belichick, McCarthy and Payton are not in training and are all experienced head coaches.

Wait, that does not excuse Pagano making the playoffs the last two seasons.

Well, fiddlesticks.

The injury excuse is a hard one to use and it is shocking that anyone who thinks about things logically would.

In order for you to assume it is not Garrett, you have to then assume it is the horrible GM who did not give him the talent.

You absolutely cannot have a valid argument to support that without pointing to one, the other, or both.

The whole injury excuse thing is a deflection or the premise should be rejected. There are no excuses. There is success or failure and what contributes to them. There are valid reasons why a mission cannot be accomplished. There are reasons why it is accomplished and that can also be blind dumb luck.

As a fan you are entitled to be a fan as you wish. If you're going to be an analyst then be a good one.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

I don't agree. It's not just about having the talent, though I do think the Cowboys talent is vastly overrated. If a coach doesn't have the authority to control his own locker room he's pretty much set up to fail. Parcells didn't just talk about finding more talent when he arrived here. He talked about changing the culture. This is exactly what he was referring to.

So I don't really care what Belichick or Payton or McCarthy or Pagano are doing in sane NFL cities. They wouldn't do that here with Jerry so actively hands on. The culture would need to change. The head coach would have to have some authority again.

It's convenient to blame Jason Garrett. It's also lazy and wrong. He may in fact not be a good head coach, but he doesn't even have a chance to be in Dallas.

I don't think he's a good coach but I do agree that he should have an opportunity to succeed or fail on his own.

 

[noshame]

I don't agree. It's not just about having the talent, though I do think the Cowboys talent is vastly overrated. If a coach doesn't have the authority to control his own locker room he's pretty much set up to fail. Parcells didn't just talk about finding more talent when he arrived here. He talked about changing the culture. This is exactly what he was referring to.

So I don't really care what Belichick or Payton or McCarthy or Pagano are doing in sane NFL cities. They wouldn't do that here with Jerry so actively hands on. The culture would need to change. The head coach would have to have some authority again.

It's convenient to blame Jason Garrett. It's also lazy and wrong. He may in fact not be a good head coach, but he doesn't even have a chance to be in Dallas.

Agreed, here we talking about the country club atmosphere at VR once again.

 

[Risen Star]

I don't think he's a good coach but I do agree that he should have an opportunity to succeed or fail on his own.

And I think that's fair.

I am not throwing blind support to Jason Garrett. I'd like to see what he can do with the same shot those other coaches mentioned have had. He doesn't have that here.

Does anybody really believe Chuck Pagano would have this Cowboys team in the playoffs right now? He'd be emasculated just like Garrett.

 

[Alexander]

I don't agree. It's not just about having the talent, though I do think the Cowboys talent is vastly overrated. If a coach doesn't have the authority to control his own locker room he's pretty much set up to fail. Parcells didn't just talk about finding more talent when he arrived here. He talked about changing the culture. This is exactly what he was referring to.

So I don't really care what Belichick or Payton or McCarthy or Pagano are doing in sane NFL cities. They wouldn't do that here with Jerry so actively hands on. The culture would need to change. The head coach would have to have some authority again.

It's convenient to blame Jason Garrett. It's also lazy and wrong. He may in fact not be a good head coach, but he doesn't even have a chance to be in Dallas.

That is exactly why I added the commentary that you cannot have it both ways.

If do not believe it is Garrett, then you have to acknowledge the fact that Jones is a harmful influence. If you think neither is truly responsible, well, then you just believe in bad luck, along with unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster.

I honestly believe it is both. Garrett just is not the individual to coach under Jones. Few, if any, can be successful. It will take someone he respects enough to defer to their opinion. Anyone who sits there and takes him basically calling him a trainee does not have the right mettle to cope with the challenges of having him as their employer.

 

[Alexander]

Does anybody really believe Chuck Pagano would have this Cowboys team in the playoffs right now? He'd be emasculated just like Garrett.

Pagano has the advantage of that silly system where there is a needless middle man who really judges talent like Grigson to go to the owner in Irsay. Lucky him.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

That is exactly why I added the commentary that you cannot have it both ways.

If do not believe it is Garrett, then you have to acknowledge the fact that Jones is a harmful influence. If you think neither is truly responsible, well, then you just believe in bad luck, along with unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster.

I honestly believe it is both. Garrett just is not the individual to coach under Jones. Few, if any, can be successful. It will take someone he respects enough to defer to their opinion. Anyone who sits there and takes him basically calling him a trainee does not have the right mettle to cope with the challenges of having him as their employer.

That's why I always want someone with skins on the wall to come here. I just think an unproven coach will fail here before he even starts. The Cowboys are always at a disadvantage compared to other teams.

 

[jobberone]

If we had had some more injuries on offense and spread them even a little more evenly then perhaps we would have been a bit better; I don't know. Most of the time you see both sides of the ball hit. Most of our injuries were on defense which I've just never seen on a Cowboys' team.

We are still trying to crawl out of a talent deficit hole and we cannot be competitive with that many injuries esp to one side of the ball.

 

[Risen Star]

That is exactly why I added the commentary that you cannot have it both ways.

If do not believe it is Garrett, then you have to acknowledge the fact that Jones is a harmful influence. If you think neither is truly responsible, well, then you just believe in bad luck, along with unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster.

I honestly believe it is both. Garrett just is not the individual to coach under Jones. Few, if any, can be successful. It will take someone he respects enough to defer to their opinion. Anyone who sits there and takes him basically calling him a trainee does not have the right mettle to cope with the challenges of having him as their employer.

A lot of truth there.

I basically worship at the Church of Parcells. I don't think Big Bill would have any chance to have success here with Jerry this way. He knew that coming in and needed those concessions from Jerry before he agreed to take the gig.

Tom Landry didn't win this way. Jimmy Johnson didn't either. They couldn't. Yet Jason Garrett is being judged for it.

People don't want to hear that though. Blame Garrett. We can get rid of him next year and have some more false hope. Of course these were the same people who blamed Sean Payton and Rob Ryan.

 

[Risen Star]

That's why I always want someone with skins on the wall to come here. I just think an unproven coach will fail here before he even starts. The Cowboys are always at a disadvantage compared to other teams.

Yep. The Cowboys have to win despite of the GM and his top assistant.

It's hard enough to win in this league. With that kind of handicap it's nearly impossible.

Ideally, I'd love to have a young coach on the rise but all that would give us in Dallas is an emasculated puppet.

 

[Alexander]

If we had had some more injuries on offense and spread them even a little more evenly then perhaps we would have been a bit better; I don't know. Most of the time you see both sides of the ball hit. Most of our injuries were on defense which I've just never seen on a Cowboys' team.

We are still trying to crawl out of a talent deficit hole and we cannot be competitive with that many injuries esp to one side of the ball.

I understand why people fault Garrett as our offense was very healthy and that is his specialty.

What is becoming evident as we change our defensive coordinators like we change out underwear, that neither he, or especially the GM, value or understand defense. The thing is Jones has tried it all. Hired the skins on the wall coach, hired the defensive guru, hired who he thinks is the next Sean Payton, nothing works. There is a common theme, regardless of how you feel about the coach.

 

[jobberone]

I understand why people fault Garrett as our offense was very healthy and that is his specialty.

What is becoming evident as we change our defensive coordinators like we change out underwear, that neither he, or especially the GM, value or understand defense. The thing is Jones has tried it all. Hired the skins on the wall coach, hired the defensive guru, hired who he thinks is the next Sean Payton, nothing works. There is a common theme, regardless of how you feel about the coach.

Well, I accept that but that is not what happened last year that can be easily seen or proved. We don't really know what the relationships Jerry has inside the organization. We only see a reasonably poor communicator at times who appears occasionally drunk and relate that to the average record of the club over a long haul and equate that to incompetence. That may actually be the case; he's incompetent. He is certainly the leader of the band that has an average record for a decade plus.

However, the failure of the club last year was primarily a defense that had an unrecognizable membership at the end. That does not mean all individual performances are dismissed as 'a chain is only as strong as the weakest link' philosophy.

You cannot judge last year's performance of the defense, the players as a unit or its coaches. You can certainly look with suspicion at areas but you need solid data to make any solid conclusions. All we have now is more questions than answers.

I so hope we have enough to go on to evaluate the entire crowd. If they can be evaluated and are found wanting then Jerry the owner has some tough decisions to make including a self inventory heading the list.

 

[loublue22]

Injuries didn't make us lose two games we easily should have won, Detroit and GB. We do that every year.

 

[visionary]

A lot of truth there.

I basically worship at the Church of Parcells. I don't think Big Bill would have any chance to have success here with Jerry this way. He knew that coming in and needed those concessions from Jerry before he agreed to take the gig.

Tom Landry didn't win this way. Jimmy Johnson didn't either. They couldn't. Yet Jason Garrett is being judged for it.

People don't want to hear that though. Blame Garrett. We can get rid of him next year and have some more false hope. Of course these were the same people who blamed Sean Payton and Rob Ryan.

i dont think we can use this to excuse garrett's performance
even if i subscribe to your premise (which i dont) garrett knew very well what he was getting into and should have had the where with all to ask for more power or should not have taken the job under circumstances he knew were untenable

he either has power to make decisions and is an incompetent HC or he has no power and is just a yes-man, in it just for the paycheck

either case does not paint a rosy picture of who garrett is as a football coach or as a person