Jason Garrett - Coach of the Year?

[DOUBLE WING]

How anyone could say that Garrett is not in the mix for COTY is astounding. How anyone could just throw Chip Kelly in there and completely dismiss Garrett is equally astounding. IF Chip beats Dallas next week and goes on to win the Division...he is in the discussion but he won the division last year...so why is it so great this year? Also, IF Garrett beat Kelly next week and goes on the win the division, how could you say that Chip is a contender and Garrett is not?

Garrett is definitely in the mix IMO, but my argument for Kelly is improving the team (assuming they win the division) while losing DeSean Jackson and playing half the season with your backup QB. That's a pretty good coaching job.

 

[Idgit]

Garrett is definitely in the mix IMO, but my argument for Kelly is improving the team (assuming they win the division) while losing DeSean Jackson and playing half the season with your backup QB. That's a pretty good coaching job.

I agree. And doing it without any quality QB is impressive.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Finally beating 8-8 should get coach of the year?

 

[Ken]

Garrett is definitely in the mix IMO, but my argument for Kelly is improving the team (assuming they win the division) while losing DeSean Jackson and playing half the season with your backup QB. That's a pretty good coaching job.

I get it...just didnt understand the surprise some had at the suggestion that garrett could be considered.

They also didnt lose Jackson..they traded him. The Cowboys lost Ware and Hatcher to FA and Sean Lee and Durant to injury.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Gotta love how 3 consecutive non-winning seasons is blamed on injuries and lack of talent, however the first winning season is now all due to coaching.

It is what it is.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Finally beating 8-8 should get coach of the year?

No. Preseason expectations were that we had the worse defense in the league and would finish at 5-11. Look at us now.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

He is certainly in the discussion.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Finally beating 8-8 should get coach of the year?

Did you even think 8-8 was a possibility for this team coming in?

Most did not.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Did you even think 8-8 was a possibility for this team coming in?

Most did not.

Offensively yes. defensively no. If any thing the talk should be about Marinelli for D coach of the year.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

No. Preseason expectations were that we had the worse defense in the league and would finish at 5-11. Look at us now.

I never understood those predictions. Even with the worse defense last year, this team was still 8-8. In fact that's pretty much what this team has been for years. Maybe if Romo was out.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

I never understood those predictions. Even with the worse defense last year, this team was still 8-8. In fact that's pretty much what this team has been for years. Maybe if Romo was out.

Looking at the schedule and the fact that our best pick up on D might retire at the drop of a hat (glad he's working out)
I figured 9-7. So I'm very happy we are past 8-8. But I still don't see it as some magnificent HC job.
We were just a few points away from being better last year to. Now make some noise in the playoffs we might have some thing worth talking about.

 

[kevm3]

If we finish out strong and beat out our division rivals, the Eagles and the Commanders and cruise on into the play-offs, I can put Jason in the running for it. If we end up losing to philly or washington and missing the play-offs again, then nah. It's time to show up when it matters.

 

[Idgit]

Honestly, I don't really care if he's in the discussion or not. I think JG takes a lot of his coaching philosophy from John Wooden, and I've mentioned several times that John Wooden has said his best job coaching wasn't on his winningest teams. It's always a function of the talent you have available.

Take this Wooden quote:

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

I think that's pretty important in evaluating an 8-8 season. We've had a team with limited ability on one side of the ball for some time, now, and it's shown up in the record. We're better there and more stable now, but we're still not very good defensively. That matters a lot more than play calling or game planning is going to.

All of which is just to say that the best job coaching might not be the guy whose team over delivers on expectations, necessarily. Sometimes you can do a great job with a talent-poor team, and it's just not going to show up because its human nature to measure the job a coach does relative to the number of games he wins rather than measuring it relative to his circumstances.