Barring a miracle, the Jason Garrett Era ends with a thud

That should just about do it. The Cowboys came out as flat as two-week old soda against the Eagles in the most important game of the 2019 season. The abysmal performance by the Cowboys should be the deed that finally does in Jason Garrett. Sure, there is always the possibility that the Eagles somehow dump a game next week against the New York Giants, and simultaneously the Cowboys beat Washington, but how likely is that? Back in reality, the Cowboys just busted their 2019 season and likely did in head coach Jason Garrett.

Frankly, it’s time.

Jason Garrett was the right guy for a while. The Cowboys needed a stabilizing force after the Wade Phillips era imploded. Garrett brought a competent voice that got the Cowboys turned around and trending upward. He brought a culture that seemed to somehow settle down the worst impulses of owner Jerry Jones. During his time, the Cowboys were never great, but they were also never really bad except for a season when injury took out their quarterback.

The problem with Garrett is that even when his team looked like they were one of the top teams in the league, they never showed it in the playoffs. The Cowboys had double-digit wins in three season under Garrett. They couldn’t make any of those seasons pay off.

That’s the problem with Garrett. He always seems to be able to produce a quality product, but he could never elevate those teams to a superior product. When the playoffs came, even his best teams folded. Producing in the clutch just wasn’t his best quality, and that will be what does him in.

Maybe it was his cerebral nature. Maybe it was his conservative nature. Maybe it was his inability to adjust on game day, Maybe it was his inability to adjust at all. For all his good qualities, Garrett’s rigid nature and belief in his system, in his scheme, is probably his fundamental flaw. Garrett came of age in the 90s, the game is now played in 2019. That gap was too much too overcome.

Time for the Cowboys to look forward and begin a new era. Peace out, Jason Garrett. It wasn’t the worst of times, but it certainly wasn’t the best of times.