Scary day
by Dave Halprin on Jan 28, 2007 11:10 AM CST
in Dallas Cowboys News
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PrintToday is the day that could alter the Cowboys franchise for years to come, but it won't be remembered as "the" day. Just like July 2nd isn't the day remembered as the birth of America. It was the day that the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, and the day that John Adams proclaimed in his diary as the one that would be remembered down through the ages with picnics, fireworks, parades and all-around good cheer. But the framers of that document had to deal with the procedural - like getting copies made, getting representatives gathered to actually sign the document, and then a public reading. That pushed the actual date of our country's independence back a couple of days to July 4th.
Today is the day Norv Turner visits with Jerry Jones at Valley Ranch. It's also probably the day - if you believe the inside sources - that Turner and Jones will reminisce about the glory days in the 90's, then decide to do it all over again. The decision could be made as early as today, but we probably wouldn't get official confirmation until sometime during the week. The procedural will kick back a few days the date we remember as the defining moment of this franchise for the next 4-5 years.
If Jones hires Turner, it won't be a celebration like the Fourth of July for me, but would probably have more in common with December 7th, a date that will live in infamy.
But I'm getting mixed-feelings about hiring Turner now. I was strictly against it this morning, but after I read Jen Floyd Engel's article, I am not so sure. No, she didn't convince me that my feelings about Turner were in error, she actually agreed with me! And that's the exact moment when I started to question my own reasoning. If Jen Floyd Engel is in agreement with me, then I immediately think that I'm in error!
In the words of one Cowboys insider, "This defense is broken." Not irreparable but definitely broken -- in spirit, in scheme and in talent in a few areas.
That's what I'm talking about. It's the defense that is hurting the Cowboys. Let's get that fixed. While JFE has a fascination with the Bears duo of Lovie Smith and Ron Rivera, she acknowledges that the one candidate who does seem to be in the mix is the right candidate for the job.
Logic says, when your defense is "broken," you bring in the guy who ran your exact scheme, only better and with results, in San Diego. Especially when you realize Romo is the best thing this team has going at the moment.
Maybe it's my simple, Neanderthal mind that's the problem, but Jason Garrett is here to run the offense and tutor Romo. The Cowboys need someone to shake the defense out of its under-achieving ways.
Meanwhile, if you're resolved that Norv Turner will be the next coach, read this article out of a California newspaper. It centers on the quick rehabilitation of a career by Turner. After all, it wasn't long ago that he was just another fired head coach.
Turner did no less than transform quarterback Alex Smith from a bumbling rookie into a guy who mostly looked like he belonged in the NFL. He helped undersized running back Frank Gore set a franchise single-season rushing record.
Under Turner, the 49ers scored 59 more points than they had in 2005. They passed for 700 more yards, and rushed for nearly 500 more yards. They had two offensive players named to the Pro Bowl -- their first Pro Bowl selections in three seasons.
The public images were representative of the bounce-back. In 2005: A man literally wringing his hands while trying to explain yet another Raiders loss. In 2006: A calm, confident-looking guy spotted through the press box window, scanning his play card for another winner.
The rehabilitation has been so complete that today, according to published reports, Turner will interview for the Cowboys head coaching position vacated last week by Bill Parcells. Already there is both media and fan-base support for Turner's triumphant return to Dallas. If team owner Jerry Jones makes an offer, Turner will be gone.
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Chris Palmer lands on his feet,
This staff is nearing half capacity now, right? Hopefully this will be the end of the exodus. I like having guys on staff who worked for Parcells--though the writing was on the wall for Palmer, I think, with Garrett's hiring. Let's hope Palmer is as successful developing Manning3 as he was with David Carr.
by jsdoty on Jan 28, 2007 11:55 AM CST reply actions
the "dynast-ours" are back
Wait for it...Dave Campo!! Yes, kids, Cowboy Nation has turned into Jurassic Park. What will we find behind the next tree? Look, it's a Wannedstadt-osaurus! Reconstituted from the original DNA! All we need after that is Coach Joe and a bottle of hair dye for Jerry and we'll be all set.
Some of the arguments I see for bringing back the czars are astounding. Reeves wrote that one positive about Turner is that the sight of him makes one recall the early 90's. Huh? Listening to Charlie Waters on the radio makes me think of the late 1970's, too, but I'm not ready to install him back in the secondary. (well, maybe...)
This despite Turner's long record of failure as a head coach, Campo's epic failure right here in front of us, and the unfortunate truth that Tony Romo is no Troy Aikman, Julius Jones is no Emmitt Smith, and neither Glenn nor Owens equals Michael Irvin and/or Alvin Harper. With his deterioration as a blocker, I don't even think Witten compares favorably to Novacek. And the offensive line? As they say in the Tuna's neighborhood, "fuggedaboutit."
Yet is an offense that scored 425 points, just not the way they did it in 1992. So why in the hell do we need to resurrect offensive gurus from the last century when our main problems are the lack of an effective pass rush and inability to defend the mid and deep middle of the field? I don't know.
Maybe in some secret underground lab, Jerry has a young Charles Haley, Jim Jeffcoat, or James Washington ready to plug the holes on the side of the ball that collapsed last season. Barring that, a trip down memory lane is a waste of gas and a boring ride for the youngsters wearing the star in 2007.
Rehabilitation...
keep in mind guys
hmm
First, how are we going to retain Garrett if we're successful next season? Lets say we make the NFC championship or even the Super Bowl. It follows that the offense will have performed well under those circumstances and Garrett will be an even hotter commodity than he is today. Do you then fire Norv Turner and promote Garrett simply to keep him around? What if you win the Super Bowl? I think it's unlikely that Jason Garrett would be our head coach under any circumstances but failure in the next two seasons.
In a failure scenario, will we still clamor for Garrett to take the reins?
Next, this team is ready to win now. Why appoint a head coach you consider a lame duck to run a team stockpiled with talent? Is it a selling point for Turner that he wants to quit in two years? How does that fact make him more qualified than other candidates? That's as backwards as the memory-lane motivation. You don't hire somebody to coach your team because he's willing to quit sooner than the other guys.
We don't have time for this nonsense. Remember how quickly these situations change. Since this is 90's week in Dallas, lets revisit the evolution of that club. Won the Super Bowl in 1995. Had won three of the last four Super Bowls. Two years later, in 1997, they sucked. Injuries, age, attrition. And the pace of change is much faster now.
I want the best possible head coach for the Cowboys right now and I want Jerry to believe that Jason Garrett is the best possible offensive coordinator right now (as opposed to some HC-in-waiting, which is what we all thought about Zimmer a short time ago) and let's go forward.
We'll retain Garrett if he knows
The lame duck argument is a better one... will the team perform well for an "interim" coach? Again, if the team knows that Garrett is the man, maybe that's not too much of an issue.
Lastly, do we not have time for this? I actually think we are in a great position to do this. This is a young team and isn't near it's peak yet. By the time Garrett is ready, the team might be too.
I'm rooting for Phillips too, but I don't think this is fall of Western civilization if it turns out to be Norv...
No! They (too) said:
I can live with Norv
Aggressive & Attacking D Coordinator
Personally, I want Wade Phillips as the Head Coach, but if it does end up being Turner, the DC has gotta be a great hire.
Just my two cents here.
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