Standing Pat Gives Cowboys Coaches a Chance to Stand Above
by Rafael Vela on Jan 27, 2010 6:00 PM CST
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PrintLast week's extension for Wade Phillips made a gentle ripple among the Cowboys faithful. The supporters were okay with the move. The rippers made some noise but seemed tepid by relation. Equally important, in my opinion, was the rapid closing of other NFL head coaching spots, which means none of the Cowboys assistants were on the market this year.
Let's consider where this puts the Cowboys. Phillips and OC Jason Garrett have just completed their third years running the team's offense and defense. When they took over from Bill Parcells' guys in 2007 they were the newbies of the division. Andy Reid, Marty Morhinweg and Jim Johnson had run their shop in Philly for years. In New York, Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride had been in place for three years. The Giants had shiny new DC Steve Spagnuolo, but he had been an Eagles assistant for years and knew the division well. Joe Gibbs was starting the final year of his four-year Redskins comeback that fall.
The Cowboys lacked the book their opponents had on each other.
This gave Garrett an early edge, as his offense put 45 on New York , 38 on the Eagles and 28 on the Redkins the first time around. Those numbers declined precipitously on Dallas' second tour. The high-score first tour, low-score second tour pattern continued last year as well.
Look at the divisional brain drain the last calendar year. Johnson, sadly, passed away. His replacement, Sean McDermott, could not replicate Johnson's incredible adjustments in his inaugural season. At New York, Bill Sheridan stumbled so badly replacing Spagnuolo that he was dismissed. (An Onion headline dryly wrote, "Tom Coughlin Scores Two Touchdowns in Season-Ending Speech to Giants Defense.")
Washington will have offensive guru Mike Shanahan back in the game, but he's a coach Wade Phillips knows well from his days in San Diego. Garrett is probably breathing easier because Greg Blache, the Redskins DC, has retired. He was the elder statesman of divisional DCs and gave Garrett's offense the most trouble.
With stability comes seniority. Garrett is now an NFC East greybeard, with more on every one of his opposing DCs. Phillips has three years of game plans and is 8-6 against Gilbride and Morhinweg. He split his six Chargers matchups with Shanahan's Redskins, so he should not be caught off-guard by a "new" Washington look.
The East is often won by the smallest of margins and any edge, no matter how small, can make a huge difference. Dallas enters 2010 with an experience advantage.
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another good reason
to let the coaches continue to coach and not throw any monkey wrenches into the equation.
alot of folks credit the colts organization and the maturity of peyton manning … because of a
very solid and maturing coaching staff around him!
could you imagine the cowboys next year …. if tony romo, roy williams, felix jones, mike jenkins, miles austin …. all managed to improve next season?? :)
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This is the other side of the coin that is seldom talked about
A lot of fans want new, new, new. What has that bought Dan Snyder, his franchise and the fans? Continuity matters in coaching staffs, especailly because that is less often the case with the players – keep a consistent system and run players through it instead of changing all of it up every couple of years…
FREE THE OGLETREE!!!
Here here!
A fine example using the Redskins. You would think Snidely would have figured this out. Although football has become more about entertainment than years past, this isn’t a “who has the best late night ratings?..Let’s fire Conan cuz the ratings dipped for 6 months” league. Yet he continues to go through coaches like a woman buying shoes. I actually hope that he never figures out that the continual regime change is one of the major reasons why nothing works up there, regardless of how many overpriced FAs he picks up.
"The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart."
No dunk, we don't all want new, new, new.
Some of us don’t want ummm, ummm, ummm, Dohh.
Texas: Where God goes to relax.
Unless he's watching the Cowboys.
Ah, but I didn't say "all", just "a lot"
and really I wasn’t referring as much to this team as the ones where fans annually call for new coaches.
I’ve been frustrated with Phillips at times as well, mostly because of playing guys who probably should have been benched. But this team IS executing better on both sides of the ball than they have in the past, so I definitely get the point about continuity.
FREE THE OGLETREE!!!
you're absolutely right dunk, continuity is the key
Fans who always want change any time the team plays poorly simply have no clue. Like Raf says, having these coaches in place for a while gives us a definite edge in the East now and how can that not be a good thing.
In Romo we Trust
Very interesting angle and your point is well-taken
Would not, however, the new coaches’ and coordinators’ schemes be different from previous ones? How do we have a bigger book on systems which have not been in place?
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Shanahan isn't an unknown, nor is Jim Haslett
Shanahan has fourteen years of tape from his Denver days. Haslett has been DC at several stops and has been a HC.
These guys are not going to reinvent themselves. They have systems they run. The opponents will know them.
but can't the same be said about our coaches?
There’s years tape of Wade’s teams available, and while Garrett’s certainly still evolving as a coach, he’s got tendencies to exploit, just as any other coach.
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Stop harshing my mellow man!!!
Experience also lets you waste less time communicating changes either in TC or on the fly during a game. Not to mention the level of comfort that allows you to better focus on the details without the self conciousness having un familiar supervisors / peers / subordinates.
heh, not trying to harsh
i enjoy discussion
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
It's not always about outfoxing somebody
it’s about knowing what your opponent does and have that one wrinkle that works, or that one adjustment to stop what they like to do.
When you play each other twice a year every year, you’re not going to completely outfox a guy, but you can adjust. Look at Johnson at Philly. He was almost always better in the rematch, which is a big reason why the Eagles finished fast so many years.
Look at this year when Garrett got the hand of that system. Every time Dallas played the Eagles they scored more.
Also the more you’re here, the more your system becomes second nature to YOUR players. They can therefore do more and play faster.
Yep
That’s what I don’t quite get about this post. We say that Garrett had an advantage starting out and posted high scores in his first tour against division foes. So it’s tough to play against new coaches.
But then we say that we have an advantage because our coaches are the most seasoned?
I like stability, I think it’s a good thing, I think the SB wins of guys like Dungy and Cowher show that (and even guys who inherit otherwise stable organizations like Tomlin and Gruden), but I missed something in the argument here.
Larry Allen benched 700 pounds. That is Leonard Davis times two.
He had a one time advantage because he had never been an OC before
but once people got a second crack at him, they got him
I wouldn’t call that an advantage.
by Rafael Vela on Jan 27, 2010 10:57 PM CST up reply actions
after all, how did '07 end?
Garrett lost his last matchups to each of the divisional foes, and that Giants loss killed the season.
by Rafael Vela on Jan 27, 2010 10:59 PM CST up reply actions
Haslett
I don’t think Dallas has ever beaten a Haslett led team. I know we never beat his Saints and his Rams kicked our ass in 08. However, what’s our record vs. Haslett as a coordinator? Anyone have the stats on Dallas vs. Haslett as a DC?
by VA Dallas Fan on Jan 27, 2010 9:47 PM CST up reply actions
We beat the Rams with Haslett as DC, didn't we?
Emmitt was still on the team, Faulk fumbled. It was in St. Louis. We knocked out both Warner and Jamie Martin and Bulger had to come into the game for the first time ever. Was that a Haslett DCed team?
Larry Allen benched 700 pounds. That is Leonard Davis times two.
Haslett was in New Orleans at that time
I think Lovie Smith was the DC in STL at that time. We did beat the 97 Pittsburgh Steelers when Haslett was their DC and the 07 game vs. the Rams in TX Stadium.
by VA Dallas Fan on Jan 27, 2010 9:56 PM CST up reply actions
Haslett as DC:
New Orleans 1996: 3-13
Pittsburg 1997-99: ’97 is 11-5, ’98 is 7-9, ’99 is 6-10
St Louis 2006-07: ’06 is 8-8, 3-13
Not exactly impressive. I’m going to take a look at his defenses’ stats next
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Again, not overly impressive:
96 New Orleans D: 20th in total defense
97 Steelers: 11th in total defense
98 Steelers: 7th in total defense
99 Steelers: 12th in total defense
06 Rams: 28th in total defense
07 Rams: 31st in total defense
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Did you mean Shanahan's Broncos
at the end?
Pessimists say the cup is half-empty, while optimists say it's half-full. Well, isn't it both? Realist Larry, 2009
by Realist Larry on Jan 27, 2010 11:25 PM CST up reply actions
We are almost healed from the last game.
This is the time for a couple of “all is well” stories, soon it will be time for wild a@@ flurry of trade speculations, then comes the eternal optimism of the draft.
We can start toughening up again over the summer with OTAs and TC bringing us back to cautious optimism and what passes for reality on opening day.
Without an O-line it doesn't mean much if you ask me
This team has to develop a running game up the middle and Romo has to have time to go throw his reads and throw it deep.
Raf, how can the O-line be fixed in a hurry (or can it be fixed in a hurry?) and who would you replace?
Draft OL one-two like the Jets did a few years ago
It’s the most imortant unit on the team-only the QB is more important.
And you can’t keep going back to Free Agency.
Besides, the Boys are getting like a double draft class w/all the guys coming back from last year-
Go for it JJ!
Pessimists say the cup is half-empty, while optimists say it's half-full. Well, isn't it both? Realist Larry, 2009
by Realist Larry on Jan 27, 2010 11:28 PM CST up reply actions
Speaking of O-lines, who wants to put and over under bet on Shanahan rebuilding Washington's line.
He’s got his work cut out for him, the talent there is paper thin, especially if Samuels retires.
3 years to Shanahan standards? Any takers?
Shanahan getting hired sucks for the Cowboys
He will make that team competitive in the next couple of years, he knows what he’s doing.
We’ve benefitted from Snyder’s ridiculous crushes on Spurrier and Gibbs (I couldn’t believe that hire!)
They will be a serious team now, as if the division isn’t hard enough.
Also, if anyone’s going to get something out of Campbell it’d be him.
Pessimists say the cup is half-empty, while optimists say it's half-full. Well, isn't it both? Realist Larry, 2009
by Realist Larry on Jan 27, 2010 11:30 PM CST up reply actions
I disagree
He’s a horrible judge of defensive talent so I see their defense getting worse during his tenure.
In Romo we Trust
I don't think he'll get it turned around that quickly
It sounds like they have a lot of positions that they either need to upgrade or are still uncertain about. QB, RB, OL, 3-4 defense personnel, etc.
Drago says, "We must break you!"
by APerfectStar on Jan 28, 2010 11:57 PM CST up reply actions
Just checked out their stats and they had the 4th worst rush average in the league.
That’s not Shanahan ball.
This is the one aspect of bringing wade back that JJ didnt mention...
He likes what wade can do in teh division.
We’re already talking about homefield next year,
but it starts, first and foremost, with winning your division.
Wade is 5-2 against the iggles now, and he knows what the gints and skins will bring next year (with the skins he likely knows more than anyone else in the NFCE). True the gints swept us, but you cant blame wade for 4 romo TOs. He quickly fixed his defense after that first gints game too.
There is no one in the NFCE who will outcoach him.
In Garrett's first year as OC he had Sparano
In his second year, he was like a 1st year starter at OC. Last season he showed tremendous growth as an OC. Next year could be a break out year for Garrett. I think he’s getting the hang of this running an offense thing.
Meanwhile, Wade will be the second year DC, and showed tremendous defensive coaching ability right off the bat. This defense has a chance to be a championship defense next year. And I’m guessing Wade know’s exactly what to do to take the next step. He’ll probably try to find a player for the D-line, and a player for the D-backfield. The LB core may need a tweak or two. I’m guessing he is looking square at Jason Williams to be that tweak.
But like ManTab pointed out earlier in the thread; without marked improvement in the play of the offensive line, our weakness will still be our weakness. I’m sure the coaching staff will turn every stone to fix the o-line. I’m sure of it.
The tribulations of Winter...
90% of Americans say 'OH SHIT!' before going into the ditch on a slippery road.
The other 10% are from TEXAS and they say, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS!!!'
Continuity for players
Raf’s analysis reminded me of what I heard on some sports talk radio show this morning. They were talking about how Peyton Manning has basically run the same offensive system since he came into the NFL and because of that, he has not had to adjust to a different coaching philosophy. For example: Parcells and Wade both run 3-4s, but I’m pretty certain that Wade’s 3-4 is rather different from Parcells’.
With the continuity, the players won’t be timid in terms of their assignments when the dookie hits the fan in games.
Thanks Raf!
Great Column - First Choice for Playcaller?
Great column as always, Mr. Vela. I really appreciate your work.
If you could pick any offensive coordinator/play caller from the last 30 years, who would it be? Bill Walsh? Norv Turner? Mike Shanahan? Sam Wyche?
Norv Turner
just cause he’s already taken us to the promised land before
New Look
A bad team can gain some token success (even a playoff berth) by bringing in a new HC, OC, DC, QB, etc. This has been done a lot recently and we’ve seen previously bad teams sneak a few surprise wins on people. Last year, we saw the Falcons and Dolphins make the playoffs with this SURPRISE formula.
However, when it comes to meaningful success, you simply have to be better than the other team (coaches and/or players). As nice as it’s been to see the Jets make it to the AFC Championship game, you have to admit that they overachieved and a smart better would not put money on a repeat performance next year (did the Dolphins or Falcons do much this year?). I’m not saying that bringing in a few new faces isn’t good. It can definitely help teams in the NFL basement, but I have to agree with Rafael that continuity will be a good thing for the type of success that this team wants and that we, as Cowboys fans, demand.
By “standing pat”, Brother Jerry (Kappa Sigma fraternity) is helping this team succeed in a more meaningful sense. The team will have more long term success and therefore a greater shot at a Superbowl over the next few years.
Now let’s hope the team brings in a few good O-Lineman and I have to replace my “got five” shirt soon (5 superbowl rings, for those that haven’t seen them…I want a “got six” shirt, damn it)
So pardon my disposition; why should I listen to a system that never listened to me?
I think there's definitely something to be said for continuity,
not only for the players: gaining more experience in the systems that are being used, but also for the coaches themselves. Lets be honest, both Wade and Garrett are still learning on the job. Neither has years and years of experience in their current positions. But both showed improvement this year.
I think keeping them around was absolutely the right thing to do.
"Everybody wants something but nobody wants to pay the price" - Michael Irvin
Wade doesn't have years and years of experience?
20+ seasons as a DC
8 full seasons as a head coach
overall coaching record 82 – 59
Drago says, "We must break you!"
by APerfectStar on Jan 29, 2010 12:08 AM CST up reply actions
Point taken about his 8 yrs as head coach,
and sorry for being unclear, but head coach was the position of Wade’s I was referring to in my post, not his DC role.
But don’t you think he’s still learning to be a head coach? He’s never had a tenure longer than 3yrs at any one stop, until this current opportunity.
"Everybody wants something but nobody wants to pay the price" - Michael Irvin
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