FanPost

The Monte Kiffin Decision

Monte Kiffin may turn out to be a fine addition to the Dallas Cowboys. Certainly, he has the track record to command respect.

What bothers me is the lack of direction by this franchise. Jerry hires Bill Parcels who retools the defense around the 3-4. Fair enough. The team was floundering. Then, Parcel leaves and Jones hires Wade Phillips who certainly had a quality reputation as a DC, and Wade continued the 3-4. Then, two years ago, he hired a DC with an attacking philosophy who rarely had the man-power to attack. Now, the 3-4 is out the window and we're going to try the 4-3. This a year after loading up on the defensive side of the ball, with Carr, Moris, and several other draft picks.


Jason Garrett likes to talk about "the process." But what was the process here? Random sampling?

If this was such a good move, why not make it in 2011 and bring in someone who understood that scheme. Certainly, Kiffin could have been approached.

And what about creating a scheme to suite the players?

The only way this is remotely positive is if Garrett never wanted Ryan but couldn't or wouldn't talk Jone out of that decision. And now, after two years, Garrett finally gets to bring in his guy. Ideally, there wouldn't be a coach on the staff who wasn't one of Garrett's guys. That's the way the best franchises are run. The head coach decides which plays start, what plays are run, and his coaching staff will be.

Of course, Wade Phillips never got that accommodation.

Wade Phillips had Garrett handed to him, hired just weeks before Wade was. Everyone knew at that point that Wade was a puppet, before he coached a game. And was TO Parcel's guy? I don't it.

And now you wonder if Ryan was Garrett's guy or someone Jerry Jones stuffed down his throat. If Ryan really was Garrett's guy, then it is a strange choice to go in such a different direction in such a short period of time, especially given the a) lack of talent in 2011 on defense and b) the number of injuries to key players in 2012.

I certainly don't think we ever got to see the aggressive use of schemes that Ryan advocated. He didn't have the secondary in 2011 and didn't have healthy starters in 2012. Don't get me wrong. I'm not in love with Ryan. I'm just concerned about the apparent lack of a long term plan by this organization. How do you draft intelligently without a long-term vision of how to put a Super Bowl worthy defense on the field?

Two things have really hurt the Dallas Cowboys in 2012. The injuries on the defense, which Rob Ryan couldn't control, and the horrible play of the offensive line. Everyone one else in the world seemed to think the offensive line was a problem. But there are no consequences to Garrett. You also have to wonder about counting on a declining Felix Jones to back up DeMarco Murray. And is that really the fault of the running back coach?

And where was the commitment to the run? And why so many games with Romo throwing the ball 40 times? Is that part of the process?

Those decisions fall squarely on Garrett, unless he doesn't get to prioritize the build-out of the roster, even on the offensive side of the ball. And it is on Garrett that the offense, despite a veteran QB, so often had to scramble just to get a play off, allowing the opposing offense to tee off on Romo without worrying about the snap count.

And what about the false starts, the delay of games, the motion penalties, and the receivers running the wrong routes? Was that Rob Ryan's fault?

Maybe "the process" is to throw someone under the bus, rather than to man up.

Surely, that's the Jerry Jones process.

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