Back when Jason Garrett was announced as the head coach of the Cowboys in January, he electrified Cowboys fans by talking about "The Cowboy Way". Most of us had immediate flashbacks to the Cowboys of the 90s and could hardly contain our excitement at the prospect of seeing a return to the level of confidence and, dare I say it, swagger that characterized the Cowboys of the 90s.
Jason Garrett is good at a lot of things, but one thing he is particularly good at is formulating a organizational mantras that everybody can understand and that everybody can get behind. The Cowboy Way was one, 'stacking on good day on top of the other' was another, the exact time and date of where the next opponent will be waiting yet another and that are many more that we have already begun to internalize.
In the course of the draft, another organizational theme emerged, the "Right Kind Of Guy". Find out what Garrett means with this after the break.
In a segment on ESPN, Trey Wingo asked Jason Garrett what the Cowboys philosophy was in this draft:
Jason Garrett: "The most important thing is we talk about what it means to be a Dallas Cowboy, the kind of guys we want on our football team. If you look at the guys we've selected, each of these six guys represents that. They're good football players. The top three guys are from big schools. They're prominent players at that school, they have production at a high level. And then as we've gotten a little further down in the draft we've been able to take some guys who we think can fit a particular role for us. At least to create some competition on our football team. Again, they have the right measurables, they're the Right Kind Of Guys, we think they're good football players."
In his post-draft press conference yesterday, he described fifth round pick Josh Thomas, CB from Buffalo, as the right kind of guy, which later prompted a couple of follow-up questions that I've transcribed below:
Q: You called J.T. Thomas "the right kind of guy". What is your "Right Kind Of Guy" with you as the head coach?
Jason Garrett: "We have a lot of "The Right Kind Of Guys" on our football team right now. Whenever we acquire a player, through the draft, through free agency, in any way, we want to have "The Right Kind Of Guys". Obviously they have to have the physical requirements to play this game. The measurables, the talent, the aptitude to play. Part of that is being "The Right Kind Of Guy". You want guys who love to play football and show you that they love it each and every day. Passion, enthusiasm, emotion, all of those things come into it."
"It's one thing to talk that, but you need to see that. I think if you look at these eight guys that we chose in this draft over the last three days, each of these guys has those traits."
Q: Some of the guys you drafted were Captains on their teams. How much do you look at that as "The Right Kind Of Guy"?
Jason Garrett: "I think it goes to it. It's certainly not a prerequisite to say you have to be a captain, but I think that has a lot to do with what we're talking about. These are the "Right Kind Of Guys", they love it. At the college level, the guys in their team look to them as leaders, and those are the kind of guys you want on your team."
Q: Is there a "Wrong Kind Of Guy"?
Jason Garrett: "Sure. And you know what those guys are. The guys who don't love to play football. Guys who don't love to work. The guys who don't love to be around their teammates. The guys who aren't trying to be the best they can be. All those things."
"Again, we have a number of "The Right Kind Of Guys" on our football team right now. You can't get better than Jason Witten. This is a rare guy, and there are a number of other guys like him who we love. They'll be great leaders for these new guys who come in to say, "Keep doing it the way you've been doing it. You've been the right kind of guy, we expect the same from you now. We have these guys to show you how to do that."
In describing OT Tyron Smith and seventh round pick Bill Nagy, OG out of Wisconsin, Jason Garrett described them both as linemen who would "finish plays", and that that was something that stood out on tape and made those players attractive to the Cowboys. Garrett was asked about the importance of finishing plays and provided this insight
Jason Garrett: "That's what you want to see throughout your football team. You want a physical team. Guys who play with emotion, passion and enthusiasm. And it shows up in their play. When you have offensive linemen who can set the tone for your football team, that's a good thing."
"And a lot of that is how they come off the ball, how they get into their guy and then how they finish their play. You don't want guys who block their guys initially, and then watch the action. You want those guys to set the tone for the play and for your football team, and finishing has a lot to do with that. That is an emotional thing, but it is also an athletic thing. You need to be athletic enough to finish plays. We feel like these guys are that when you watch them on tape."