Welcome esteemed colleagues, let me get the first meeting of the BTB department at Head Coach University rolling.
Today we assess Jason Garrett, who's got his degree and is now entering his residency. These are just a few of the subjects that I've personally seen, but if any other professors have anything of note feel free to chime in.
Insubordination
The first and most pressing subject to discuss is the topic of insubordination. We all know that Marion Barber III didn't suit up before the game, that is to say didn't wear a suit on the charter flight. Obviously there was a lot of hullabaloo about the requirement to wear a suit and tie before and after the game. This seemed to be a slap in the face of the new H.C. What was Jason Garrett's response? Well, we don't know do we. I know we saw Felix Jones take the first snap of the game, and when pressed about it RHJ replied simply that he liked Felix running from that play. When pressed further he replied that they liked Marion in the second play more, and that he got the proceeding three snaps.
What's funny is that, he didn't get any more snaps until garbage time at the end of the game. He got 5 straight snaps at the end of the game and 8 plays total.
When asked if he sat down and discussed the situation with Barber Jason replied concisely - "No."
Grade : B. There's a lot to be said for keeping it in house. He got his message across to Marion subtly, he didn't start and he didn't play throughout the middle of the game. In fact, he used him as a battering ram to soften up the middle in the first three plays, a perfect capacity for that thick skull of his. He then let him run out the clock in garbage time, but Marion knows the deal. Felix Jones was the man. A bigger statement would have been if Marion didn't play period, but I may be grading him harshly. Maybe he's going to take the high road, and instead of yelling from the mountain tops that Marion Barber is going to pay he just calls him into his office tomorrow morning, and the rest of the locker room sees that it'll be just as effective.
Extra Credit : Maybe RHJ was too busy trying to prepare for the game to deal with one player dissenting and that's fine. If he talks to Barber during the week or anything of that ilk, and this weekend he dresses out this grade can slip into the B+ range. It'll show the other players that he's in charge, and you can either fall in line or watch from the sidelines. A- if it comes to light that Marion ran a few hard yards after practice (which may or may not happen even if it doesn't come to light). A+ if Marion is on the streets if he even dreams of pulling another stunt like this.
The Press
I love it. This is easily the greatest improvement over his predecessor. RHJ can't be fooled by the media because he's wittier than comedy.
It's not just his words though, but his body language. He stands tall, makes eye contact. Never seems taken aback; just calm, cool and collected.
The first thing he told the press after the game was that he was going to keep it brief.
They asked him about Barber, again implying that he was making a stand against the system. He shot it down quickly, briefly. No. Next Question. Nice.
Wade Phillips probably would have mentioned how Marion was wearing a really nice t-shirt and expensive jeans so it was excusable but ultimately it was his fault for not buying each player suits, dry cleaning them, and then driving over to their houses so he could help them put it on.
They asked him about the scuffle on the field between Newman and Sensabaugh implying it could be tension among the players. He replied with chagrin, that it's just two fierce competitors trying to make sure that they were on the same page. From two players at each others' necks to two fierce competitors with fire in their bellies and their hearts on their sleeves. Beautiful. I feel a lump in my throat.
They set their traps, trying to get him to make predictions about the future. He just stuck to the company line, saying that they've had a few great days in a row. One great Sunday. Just keep stacking them and moving forward. No need to pat yourself on the back.
They asked if this was a special moment to him, he replied he's too busy to really reflect about it but it was a good day. Are they going to replace the kicker? They're just going to evaluate the players and move from there.
Then he walked off the podium, the media eating out the palm of his freckled hand.
On the sidelines during halftime Pam Oliver rushed over to Jason and tried to get a statement about his predecessor. He reflected that Wade has been very successful, that he's a special guy, that he's a great coach, and that he's learned a lot from the man but the players needed a transition. Transition, now that's a ten dollar word. Did the players need a change? No, change has such a negative connotation. It was just a transition. A transition from losing to winning.
Grade: A.
Extra Credit: I just want to see how he handles the media after a loss, then this will bump up to an A+. It's easy to be concise when you win, but when we lose I want real answers RHJ. Accountability should reach even your lofty position sir.
Presence on the Sideline
I was watching the game with my little brother, 18 years of age.
He noted that Wade Phillips had five distinct moves on the sidelines he always went to, somewhat like sex when you first discover it. Gotta stick to what you know if you don't have confidence.
The Alzheimer. The Sour Patch. The What the Hell? The Wave. And finally, The Pop 'n Fresh.
Garrett was stoic when he had to be. He was confident when he had to be. He ran down the sidelines on McCann's return like he was having the time of his life. I'm serious, after the lights went off and came back to the Giants scoring a touchdown my spirit fell. I thought, "here we go again". And yet, I saw that Jason wasn't panicking. His looked like he was just taking it all in. I said to myself, you know we've got this. And we did.
Score : B+. I loved what he was doing when the game momentum looked like it was getting away from us. Now let's see what he does when the momentum actually does slip away and we find ourselves down by a few scores.
Extra Credit : Did anybody else notice that spiral when he threw the challenge flag? Let's go ahead and change this to an A-.
The Depth Chart
Roy Williams? Yeah he had that really clutch grab on 3rd and 22. Kitna talked about how Martz drilled into them the inside release on that route and when he saw it he hit him with it. What's funny about this play? Austin had an outside release from the slot and the seam up the sidelines on the other side. That pass could have gone for a TD, instead Roy gets the ball and runs out of bounds. Why do I mention this?
Dez Bryant has taken Roy's spot on the depth chart. He's coming in as the third wide receiver. And it's paying off.
We'll probably see something like this similar to the defense, which will be sorely needed.We need to get Barry Church and Sean Lee repetitions in game, and going full speed in practice will probably facilitate the differences they'll exhibit. Alan Ball got the game sealing pick, which I loved; but other than that he was still fairly flat footed and slow to come in over the top on a lot of plays. But he played with passion! I just want to have him looking behind his shoulder and know there's two rookies looking to drink your milkshake.
Grade : B. With all the stress on accountability and playing the guys who earn their time why just a B? A B's not bad, hell C's get degrees, but I think we're all ready to see more Tashard Choice over Marion Barber. Come on RHJ, you know Roy and Marion are as good as gone. Time to start turning an eye towards the future.
Extra Credit : I'll move this up to a B+ if I see the occasional shake up on the defense. A solid A if he plays Choice more. A+ if we see all of the above along with any underachiever on the offensive line on the pine.
Locker Room Support
Everyone bought into the program save for Barber. Brady James actually said we need to just keep putting good games together with a smile. If there was one thing I was afraid that he'd have to overcome is the fact that the defensive players weren't familiar with him. They're mainly Wade's guys. I don't foresee Olchansky on the radio questioning Jason Garrett anybody soon.
Grade : A+. No extra credit, for his undefeated tenure as the Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has killed it. You're telling me promoting the offensive coordinator has the defense fired up? Huh? He may be leaning on P.P. the new D.C. a tad bit as far as that goes, but he's top dog and he would have gotten the criticism if they played flat, so he gets all the credit for them playing well.
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Just for fun!
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Style
We looked darn good before and after the game. I personally loved having our players wearing nice suits and looking like true professionals out there. It made the post game interviews shine boy!
Grade : A+ for the players, C- for the coach. Seriously? You wearing a Cowboys turtle neck and some high and tight pants RHJ? And the players got their swag on lookin' fly? Come on dude, you should wear a nice lime green suit to bring out the ginger on your skin.
Sabotage
The NFL is cut throat.
Grade : A-. His scheme to have Wade Phillips overthrown by stunting his own game plan was spectacular! He knew the defense would quit, he would get complete control of the Cowboys, and then he would look like a freaking genius when the team got a victory. You can see it in his ginger eyes, he's ruthless. It's almost as ruthless as Wade Phillips hitting the power switch in the new stadium in an effort to sabotage RHJ's first game as the Cowboys' head coach! He almost killed our momentum. Good thing Jason brought a back up generator.
Extra Credit : Let's just say Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher, and Brian Billick all wake up with a cow's head in their bed, then maybe we could muster up an A ++.
There's a lot more, I can't have all the fun :)
Come on professors, pick a subject for our *ahem* "interim" head coach and grade him out.
