Terrell Owens Says Cowboys Should Move on From Jason Garrett: 'Why Wouldn't They?'
Former Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens thinks it's time the franchise move on from coach Jason Garrett.
"Why wouldn't they," Owens said when asked on SI Now whether Dallas should fire Garrett, who led Dallas to a 9-7 record this year but missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. "If a player is not performing up to their specific duties, then what do they do? They make changes. So the head coach shouldn't be exempt from this same assessment."
Garrett is 67-53 in seven and a half seasons in Dallas, but his teams have made the playoffs just twice and he's failed to lead the Cowboys past the Divisional round. After taking over for Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season, Garrett went 8-8 in three straight seasons (2011-13) before going 12-4 in 2014 and notching his only playoff win in that postseason. A 4-12 2015 season brought his job status into question, but a 13-3 campaign in 2016 buoyed by rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott quieted calls for his firing. This season, Dallas lost a must-win contest to the Seahawks in Week 16 and missed the playoffs by a single game.
After that loss, however, team owner Jerry Jones expressed confidence in Garrett going forward.
Owens played three seasons (2005-07) for the Cowboys and posted at least 1,000 yards receiving all three years. His best year in Dallas came in 2006, when he had 81 receptions for 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Owens said he saw similarities between his tenure in Dallas and this year's team, which disappointed after such a promising year in 2016.
"It's the same thing that happened my first year when I played there," Owens said. "We were lighting it up. We went 13-3. Then all the sudden, why weren't we playing so well, so great the next year? Because teams, defensive coordinators, the whole offseason, that's what these defensive coordinators do. That's why they're in the position they're in. They game plan. They watch tendencies."
Despite being second all-time in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns, Owens was not voted into the Hall of Fame the first two years he's been eligible, ostensibly because of his off-field antics. Owens was named one of the 15 Modern-Era finalists for the Hall of Fame this year, five of which will be voted on by the Selection Committee for enshrinement.
