Jason Garrett, Cowboys Future in Better Hands Because Jerry Jones Has Changed: IRVING, Texas — There was a time when Jerry Jones didn’t respect the position of head coach. It was Jones who ran Jimmy Johnson out the door after two Super Bowl titles with the idea that “500 coaches” could win in Dallas. So he brought in the former Oklahoma buffoon Barry Switzer to prove a point, beginning a revolving door on the Cowboys sideline that has seemingly finally stopped with Jason Garrett. Certainly, the Cowboys 12-4 record in 2014 has a lot to do with Garrett, thanks to last weeks six-year, $30 million contract extension, set to become the team’s second-longest-tenured coach behind Tom Landry. He will surpass Johnson as the longest-tenured coach of the Jones era next season. “It is what it says about Jason,” Jones said. “I think that familiarity brings contempt or it can possibly grow. And there is no question that thats what happened. All of that has grown from where it was when Jason first became the head coach. It will grow for years to come. The bet is on the future. And Jason is a great bet for our organization.” But it’s not just the winning and what he can do in the future that has Garrett in line to do something that Johnson, Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips didn’t get a chance to do. He’s also the benefit of a changed man in Jones, who is admittedly more tolerant and patient than he was in the past in dealing with his former coaches. It’s not that he didn’t like the others—well, maybe he didn’t like Johnson at the end—but was so gung ho about winning and running the franchise a certain way that it permeated into how he dealt with his coaches. “That would be tolerance,” Jones answered when asked how he has changed. “It would be experience. It has certainly given me a chance to evaluate where things could have worked differently and could have been to the advantage of the Cowboys. There is no doubt I would tell you right now Im a totally different qualified and different manager than I was when I initially came to the Cowboys 25 years ago. I know that I am.” Garrett and the Cowboys are beneficiaries of a more patient and tolerant Jones. What’s also seemingly boding well for the future is that the more patient and more tolerant Jones has become less aggressive in giving out big-money contracts, which should also benefit the Cowboys in the long run. The fact that Garrett had to wait until the end of the season to get a contract extension spoke volumes to the Jones finally taking the emotion out of his business decisions. The same is true in how he is handling his free agents. There was a time when big seasons were rewarded with big money in Dallas, even if it was just one with no history of similar production before or the potential of it after. Ken Hamlin, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Terrell Owens and Marion Barber are just a few that come to mind, let lone the legitimate rewarding of stars like DeMarcus Ware. Still, Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant and Pro Bowl running back DeMarco Murray are heading into the offseason without new deals. And in Murray’s case, he may never get one, despite leading the league in rushing with a team-record 1,845 yards. Jones began showing a different side of him last spring when the Cowboys released Ware and let Pro Bowl tackle Jason Hatcher walk in free agency. There is no question the Cowboys want Bryant and Murray back next year, but they will not indiscriminately open up the money chest. Bryant will be back via the franchise tag or a new cap-friendly deal. There are no guarantees with Murray, unless he takes a deal below market value. Jones has been changed by years of being in salary-cap hell. More and more what Ive learned is not to be, maybe, as aggressive as Ive been in the past, Jones said. “You know how you see a lot of people who are successful who were motivated by being poor and being without and so they are not only successful but they are still as tight as they can be. You remember when that cap makes you poor and you wake up and have those days when you don’t have the money and don’t have the flexibility. The point is if you can revisit how you felt when you were poor, that will make you be a little more prudent about this cap when you have had a lot of years when you really paid the piper. And you are paying it at the time for a decision that you thought was helping you win a Super Bowl but then you didnt do it. It was gone. That dream was out the window and there you were paying the bills on it.” These days, Jones and the Cowboys are paying it forward with Garrett and his patience toward free agency. Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFCEast #DallasCowboys
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:27:27 +0000
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