Cowboys Ex Garrett Goes 'Full-Robot' In Giants Media Session
FRISCO - Old Dallas Cowboys pal Michael Irvin used to say it to me often: "Your greatest strength is your greatness weakness. Another old Dallas Cowboys pal, Jason Garrett, put the philosophy on display on Tuesday when for the first time he met the New York media as the new offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
"I just want to acknowledge my time in Dallas and how grateful I am for that whole experience and everyone in the Cowboy organization for the opportunity and for the support and the lifelong friendships that I've made," Garrett said, unprompted, to open the presser.
"To the players, the coaches, and the staff members who were with me and made my life way better, I am eternally grateful to them and really appreciative of having them in my life and for that experience. Awfully proud of the program that we built and the teams we had. We had a lot of great days there. So again, I'm very grateful for that experience and for the people who made that experience what it was."
And then ... Garrett finished his opening statement by asking the media to respect his wishes to not bother asking him anything else about his departure from the Cowboys.
I've known, and liked, Garrett for 25 years. I admire his steady approach to life, characterized by his own long-time motto, "I only concern myself with things within my control.'' (I taught both Michael and Jason's personal philosophies to my own sons.) I think his almost-robotic steadiness is one of the reasons he had relative success as the head coach here, as he left the Cowboys after 2019 as the second-winningest coach in franchise history with a 77-59 record in 136 regular-season games, three division titles and a 2016 Coach of the Year Award.
But I still wonder - and I've said as much to "Redball's'' face - if that steadiness isn't also one of the reasons he failed to win more.
Is there ever a time when even the most stoic leader might benefit from letting his hair down? Beyond just buying him favor with the audience, could seeming more "human'' also buy him favor with his team ... maybe to the point where it won more than two playoff games in a decade?
The Jones family replaces a personal favorite in Garrett after yet another 8-8 campaign, replacing him with Mike McCarthy. Meanwhile, Garrett - who hung around The Star in Frisco after the season despite his obvious fate - is now working under new Giants head coach, Joe Judge.
There are stories to be told. (I promise you that privately, Jason Garrett can tell a story, and indeed, the public has seen glimpses of his personality.) But I believe some of those stories told - "over a coupla lemonades,'' Jason would say, and then the lemonades would never get served - would not only help Giants Nation understand the new assistant, but would also help his players understand him, empathize with him, humanize him, pull for him.
But they won't get that. Not really. As Jason Garrett proved in his first New York press conference, he is even-keeled and placid, indefatigable but also also impenetrable, solid and stolid.
