'Stuck' or 'Stubborn'? Cowboys Planning No Changes On Staff - Or Even With Kicker Maher
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys' position on head coach Jason Garrett is firmly planted in cement (maybe with the Jones family's heads also firmly planted in the sand). On Friday, COO Stephen Jones issued the same level of "satisfaction'' (for lack of a better word) through the entirety of The Star, all the way down to an endorsement for erratic kicker Brett Maher.
“We have confidence in Maher,'' Stephen told 105.3 The Fan in the wake of an embarrassing 26-15 Thanksgiving loss to Buffalo in which Maher missed two more field goals. "We are going to stick with him.”
Some of the logic behind sticking with Garrett may also apply here. Owner Jerry Jones told me he believes his dream of this 6-6 bunch winning enough regular-season games to get to the NFL Playoffs, and then to win there, is less likely to be realized without Garrett in charge.
We'd have a zero chance,'' Jerry told me, "if we didn't have him.'
So a switch to, say, Rod Marinelli or Kris Richard as the top guy would not, in the Jones' estimation, be an improvement. (There are probably some in-house politics to be addressed regarding this ideas. Stay tuned.) In other words, Garrett remains this team's best candidate as a head coach.
Similarly, I'm betting Will McClay and the personnel department think the same thing at the kicker position; Maher is mediocre at best.
But the Joe Kicker on the street isn't any better.
So the Cowboys are being a little "stubborn'' here. But they're also a little "stuck.''
Stephen indicated that Dallas wouldn't be making any changes elsewhere, either, meaning, for instance, that under-fire special-teams coach Keith O'Quinn is even safe.
“We've got a lot of belief in this football team and a lot of belief in our staff, between Jason and Kellen Moore and Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard, these are all pros,'' Stephen said. "We’re convicted that we can turn this thing around, get the job done and win the East.”
