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ARLINGTON – Jason Garrett was angry last week after watching the Dallas Cowboys commit six turnovers in losing 12-7 to the Arizona Cardinals.
“Inexcusable,” he said of the sloppy performance.
On Saturday night, the coach’s tough talk turned into action.
The Cowboys entered their game with the Cincinnati Bengals determined to give DeMarco Murray his heaviest workload of the preseason. But after the tailback fumbled in the first quarter inside the Dallas 10-yard line on his third carry, Garrett made a gutsy but necessary move.
Right tackle Jermey Parnell recovered for the Cowboys, but that didn’t stop Garrett from sending Phillip Tanner into the game the next time they had possession and keeping Murray on the sideline until after halftime.
Playing with a chip on his shoulder after the embarrassing benching, the former Oklahoma standout rushed for 45 yards on eight carries in the third quarter to finish with 51 yards on 12 attempts. He also scored on a 7-yard pass from Kyle Orton, slipping past four defenders inside the 5-yard line.
“The ball cannot be on the ground,” said Garrett, explaining why he yanked Murray. “He understood why. We talked to him about it, and I thought he responded well to it.”
The benching came with the blessing of Jerry Jones.
“There is no question we had a little in-house resolve about what we would do if we should turn the ball over,” the owner said. “I think (Murray) came back with resolve. I still think he had an attitude after he finished that third quarter. But I think Jason’s making a point.
“The good news is that with Murray, he made it with somebody who can take it, and you saw the reaction of all the team.”
Murray stood on the sideline with his helmet on and his hands on his hips while watching Tanner. After Murray scored, he received a hearty welcome back to the sideline from Garrett and his teammates.
“That’s Murray all day,” Dez Bryant said. “He brings that spark to this offense. You just love him.”
Murray didn’t talk to reporters afterward, but Garrett had plenty to say.
“He’s a pro. He’s a damn good football player,” Garrett said. “He’s not going to put the ball on the ground.”
As Garrett prepares to enter his third full season at the helm for Dallas, questions remain about his game-management skills and whether he can turn the Cowboys into winners after back-to-back 8-8, non-playoff seasons. But one thing is clear about him: He’s not afraid to make tough calls in the pursuit of building a hard-nosed, disciplined, smart team.
We saw it when he took over from the fired Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season and immediately instituted a dress code and other team rules. We saw it over the course of 2011 and 2012 when he cut or chose not to resign eight starters, including former Pro Bowlers Marion Barber, Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode and Terence Newman. And we saw it again Saturday night when he benched Murray.
Garrett often cites Nick Saban’s influence on his coaching style, and it was Saban who once said, “Discipline is a process that teaches. Punishment just makes people suffer.”
On Saturday night, Murray and the Cowboys learned this: Garrett means business when he labels something “inexcusable.”
Continue reading...
“Inexcusable,” he said of the sloppy performance.
On Saturday night, the coach’s tough talk turned into action.
The Cowboys entered their game with the Cincinnati Bengals determined to give DeMarco Murray his heaviest workload of the preseason. But after the tailback fumbled in the first quarter inside the Dallas 10-yard line on his third carry, Garrett made a gutsy but necessary move.
Right tackle Jermey Parnell recovered for the Cowboys, but that didn’t stop Garrett from sending Phillip Tanner into the game the next time they had possession and keeping Murray on the sideline until after halftime.
Playing with a chip on his shoulder after the embarrassing benching, the former Oklahoma standout rushed for 45 yards on eight carries in the third quarter to finish with 51 yards on 12 attempts. He also scored on a 7-yard pass from Kyle Orton, slipping past four defenders inside the 5-yard line.
“The ball cannot be on the ground,” said Garrett, explaining why he yanked Murray. “He understood why. We talked to him about it, and I thought he responded well to it.”
The benching came with the blessing of Jerry Jones.
“There is no question we had a little in-house resolve about what we would do if we should turn the ball over,” the owner said. “I think (Murray) came back with resolve. I still think he had an attitude after he finished that third quarter. But I think Jason’s making a point.
“The good news is that with Murray, he made it with somebody who can take it, and you saw the reaction of all the team.”
Murray stood on the sideline with his helmet on and his hands on his hips while watching Tanner. After Murray scored, he received a hearty welcome back to the sideline from Garrett and his teammates.
“That’s Murray all day,” Dez Bryant said. “He brings that spark to this offense. You just love him.”
Murray didn’t talk to reporters afterward, but Garrett had plenty to say.
“He’s a pro. He’s a damn good football player,” Garrett said. “He’s not going to put the ball on the ground.”
As Garrett prepares to enter his third full season at the helm for Dallas, questions remain about his game-management skills and whether he can turn the Cowboys into winners after back-to-back 8-8, non-playoff seasons. But one thing is clear about him: He’s not afraid to make tough calls in the pursuit of building a hard-nosed, disciplined, smart team.
We saw it when he took over from the fired Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season and immediately instituted a dress code and other team rules. We saw it over the course of 2011 and 2012 when he cut or chose not to resign eight starters, including former Pro Bowlers Marion Barber, Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode and Terence Newman. And we saw it again Saturday night when he benched Murray.
Garrett often cites Nick Saban’s influence on his coaching style, and it was Saban who once said, “Discipline is a process that teaches. Punishment just makes people suffer.”
On Saturday night, Murray and the Cowboys learned this: Garrett means business when he labels something “inexcusable.”
Continue reading...