Remember this about Jason Garrett

[HornIt]

I've been seeing a lot of people dismiss Jason Garrett. They say he's the worst candidate on their list. Bryan Burwell said he doesn't belong there and goes on to justify it by criticizing the job he did as a coordinator with the Cowboys last season, which is hilarious when you consider he's been Haslett's biggest advocate despite the job he's done as a coordinator for the Rams for 3 seasons.

And I've seen people afraid that he lacks the powerful personality needed to hold the respect of players like T.O.

Well, Garrett is not my first choice, but I think he's a good choice. And if you don't trust me, then will you trust the Ravens and Falcons on that?

Last season both the Ravens and the Falcons thought enough of Garrett to offer him the job. That's right, both John Harbaugh and Mike Smith were their second choices. So judging by how well they did with their second choices, how good might their first choice have actually been? And in the case of Baltimore, few are more respected in making these decisions than Ozzie Newsome is. And Dimitroff in Atlanta is a very highly regarded guy as well coming from the Patriots organization and getting quick results with the Falcons team.

As for T.O., why would it be an indictment against Garrett that he can't maintain the respect of T.O. when Bill Parcells and Andy Reid and Mooch couldn't either? Can anybody that expects him to be a team player really accomplish that?

Garrett is being underestimated by Rams fans in my opinion. I'd be happy with the choice just like Newsome and Dimitroff would have been.

[laram0]

The question in my mind is why did the Cowboys all of sudden decide Garrett wasn't who they thought he was?

[AvengerRam]

I think a lot of the anti-Garrett sentiment is based upon the fan bases' desire to see a defensive minded HC hired.

[Goldenfleece]

Newsome is respected for finding defensive talent in the draft, not so much for picking successful offensive coaches. Besides, both teams had suffered from years of inconsistent quarterback play and were planning on using early round draft picks on what they hoped to be franchise quarterbacks. Garrett's main claim to fame was Romo's breakout year. I think it's pretty clear what the attraction was there. All the same, Garrett has 4 years of coaching experience. That's not just in the NFL; that's at any level.

[HornIt]

The question in my mind is why did the Cowboys all of sudden decide Garrett wasn't who they thought he was?

They apparently decided Sparano and Bowles weren't who they thought they were either, and let them go to Miami. And at one point Jerry Jones thought Jimmy Johnson all the sudden wasn't good enough either and let him do the same.

How good of a job has Jerry Jones done in his coaching decisions since he hired Jimmy Johnson? I wouldn't base any negative opinion on that. The two best HC's he's had, he's gotten rid of.

As for how well Ozzie Newsome has done, well his first HC hire took them to a Super Bowl championship. His second has them in the AFC Championship in his first season with a rookie QB. It's hard to argue with the results.

I understand that some prefer a defensive minded HC, and my favorites of the final 5 are both from the defensive side of the ball, but I'm of the opinion that I just want a good HC. A good HC will find a way to win and I personally don't care if that's with offense or defense, though both is the way you typically win consistently and a good HC will get enough of both to do that. He will surround himself with the right people to get it done. If he comes from the offensive or defensive side of the ball originally, who cares? As long as he finds the combination to winning.

[Falconator]

Yeah, the "bloom is off the rose" for sure with Jason Garrett right now because of what went on with Dallas this year. Definitely too many egos in the Big D. I don't know how much is Garrett's fault but I'm sure he deserves some portion of the blame.

Jason Garrett is a smart guy though and I think he could be a good head coach.

[HornIt]

Even with the troubles they had, they still finished 13th in offense though. Not like it was horrible.

I think their defensive problems were worse actually, though they got better when Wade Phillips took back over the defensive signal calling duties, until the last couple games that is when both the Ravens and Eagles scored at will on them.

[eldfan]

It is funny how you are hot everyone wants you as the next head coach then one bad year and now he is not what people thought he was. I don't believe the guy forgot how to coach I wonder if he commands the leadership skill to be the coach.

[HornIt]

It is funny how you are hot everyone wants you as the next head coach then one bad year and now he is not what people thought he was. I don't believe the guy forgot how to coach I wonder if he commands the leadership skill to be the coach.

That's the $64 million question. Does he have the leadership skills?

The fact that three teams last year believed strong enough that he did, all wanting to make him their HC at some point, makes me think he probably does. You wouldn't think those would have suddenly evaporated either. But his lack of experience is definitely a concern.

[unorthodox1999]

The question in my mind is why did the Cowboys all of sudden decide Garrett wasn't who they thought he was?

Thats exactly what I was thinking, I thought he'd be the HC without question in Dallas by the next 2 yrs.

[Goldenfleece]

It is funny how you are hot everyone wants you as the next head coach then one bad year and now he is not what people thought he was. I don't believe the guy forgot how to coach I wonder if he commands the leadership skill to be the coach.

In my opinion, that's why you don't go for one hit wonders. I would have seen McDaniels in much the same light if we hired him. Neither has a real long coaching resume, and each had just one big year as an offensive coordinator under a high profile Head Coach.

Garrett's resume would look something like this:

1993-1999: Held clipboard for Troy Aikman

2000-2003: Held clipboard for Kerry Collins

2004: Held clipboard for multiple incompetent quarterbacks in both Tampa Bay and Miami.

2005-2006: Coached previously mentioned incompetent quarterbacks in Miami.

2007: Offensive coordinator for 3rd ranked offense in the NFL (up from 5th the previous year). The offense averaged 5 yards and approximately 1.8 points per game more than they did the year before without him.

2008: Offense fell back to Earth amidst drama over quarterback's softness, allegations by star receiver that quarterback and tight end were too close, inability to incorporate stud free agent Roy Williams into the offense, etc., etc.

[unorthodox1999]

Garrett is the OC of the "soap opera" of the NFL, where the spotlight and pressure is always on and the drama never stops...I think it'd be great for this guy to be the HC of the Rams with a well balanced offense full of ways to attack the defense, 'cause we have the weapons, I guess the question would be how would he do with running the team as a whole?..he's still young, does he have enough experience??..will he relate to the players??..I think so. He's been running one of the most potent offenses while having to deal with the extras(egos, attitudes etc.,)

My opinion is he'd do good as far as schemes and finding a way to use everybody on the team on both sides of the ball, once again I would like to see him get a chance on the team.
man i wonder what the hell happened in Dallas with this guy, and wouldnt it be great if we could put chips words back in his mouth by instead of HC hiring him as OUR OC stealing him from Dallas by matching their salary?
Boy this HC hunt sure is getting exciting isnt it??..

[HornIt]

In my opinion, that's why you don't go for one hit wonders. I would have seen McDaniels in much the same light if we hired him. Neither has a real long coaching resume, and each had just one big year as an offensive coordinator under a high profile Head Coach.

Garrett's resume would look something like this:

1993-1999: Held clipboard for Troy Aikman

2000-2003: Held clipboard for Kerry Collins

2004: Held clipboard for multiple incompetent quarterbacks in both Tampa Bay and Miami.

2005-2006: Coached previously mentioned incompetent quarterbacks in Miami.

2007: Offensive coordinator for 3rd ranked offense in the NFL (up from 5th the previous year). The offense averaged 5 yards and approximately 1.8 points per game more than they did the year before without him.

2008: Offense fell back to Earth amidst drama over quarterback's softness, allegations by star receiver that quarterback and tight end were too close, inability to incorporate stud free agent Roy Williams into the offense, etc., etc.

I think that is a significant underestimation of his background. How is it that much different from Mike Singletary's, except that Singletary hadn't even been a coordinator yet.

I think the playing experience as a QB is significant. Many years of both leadership and x's and o's experience come with that gig.

And what are more difficult to squeeze good performances out of, great players or mediocre ones? He did not choose the personnel he coached as QB coach, but his QB's did play well for him. Griese actually played well for him in 04' completing almost 70% of his passes. He also squeezed a pretty good year out of Gus Frerotte in 05.

This is a guy who grew up in a football family. His father was an NFL coach. All his brothers played and coach football. The guy has pretty much eaten, slept and breathed football since he was in the womb.

I'd say he's far from some fly by night, flash in the pan kind of candidate.

[Goldenfleece]

Well, the big difference between "Samurai Mike" and Jason Garrett is that the leadership role Mike played on one of the best defenses of all time is well-documented. I think it would be significantly more difficult to prove that Garrett had a similar role as a third string quarterback on his teams. Also, Mike has been coaching for two years more than Garrett. Two years ago, Singletary was being passed over for jobs, too. When he did get his chance this year, it was an internal promotion based in part on his performance as an interim coach.

Besides, Frazier and Haslett played, too. Obviously, Rex Ryan comes from a coaching family and grew up around the game. And every one of them has been coaching in the NFL for at least the last 9 years. I'm not saying Garrett is an ineffective coach; I'm just saying he doesn't have the coaching experience to take over the head job.

[txramsfan]

Technically, holding the clipboard isn't a bad thing when it comes to coaching a.k.a. Kubiak comes to mind. I don't think Garrett would be a bad choice for a team like....the Jets but for a team that is as terrible as this Ram team is....he isn't the fit the Rams need.