Jason Garrett is responsible for hiring Rob Ryan. He's the head coach and he ultimately had final say in whether a coach is hired or a player is picked. Some of you will cite the common misconception that Jerry Jones micro manages everything in the Cowboys organization, but example after example has been shown that Jerry does not operate in a vacuum. Yes, he is the owner and he gets final approval over everything in the organization, but that is a truth in every NFL franchise. He, however, does not micro manage. In firing Ryan, Jerry cited that he spoke with all the "senior members" of the organization and also consulted with select outside sources. When we traded up to get Claiborne, Jerry had every coach/scout "sign off" on the move before we made the deal. Does this sound like a man that makes all his decisions without building a consensus? No. If Jason Garrett had a problem with it, he could have stood on the table and blocked the move. Garrett's future isn't just tied to the offense anymore, he's responsible for all 3 phases of his team. If he felt Ryan was the solution, he should not jeopardize his future success with firing a valuable coach. Based on how Jerry Jones historically operates, Garrett had to give his "blessing" to this move...perhaps he even initiated it.

Garrett ultimately made a mistake with the hiring of Ryan. Some have written that Ryan should get a mulligan because of the rash of injuries that prevented him from effectively doing his job. But he had his full complement of players for the first part of the season. Does anybody remember the Seattle and Chicago games? Don't those games count too? How many times did we see opposing offenses cut through our defense like a hot knife in butter? How many times did we see rushing 3 down linemen when opposing QB's passed on us with little to no pressure? How many times did we have to call a time out because we didn't have enough defenders on the field? I can still recall Nate Newton ridiculing the defensive play calling during the middle of the season. In the end, Ryan was more bluster than substance. The numbers/stats show this out. Instead of criticizing the firing, perhaps we should look at it as a positive. I'd much prefer people that can own up to a mistake, and correct it over trying to cover it up. It wasn't the best hire, and now we are trying to upgrade. That's forgivable, while doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result, isn't...

I have to admit my faith in Garrett has waned a bit since the beginning of the year. I haven't lost faith, since my original reasonings are still true. I've seen some really good things transpire in the past 2 years. We draft so much better...we have good team camaraderie...and we are still competitive. But my higher expectations has waned my confidence level. Every coach needs to be given a full 5 years to build his team. I believed that before, and I still do now. I still recall people calling for Jimmy Johnson's head after 2 years, I know now that I don't want to be in that group of morons. I aspire to be a top organization again...and you do that by taking a long term approach.