Thanksgiving Wish: Should Cowboys Nation (And Jerry) Get Behind Jason Garrett?
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spent this post-New England week putting head coach Jason Garrett and his staff on blast. On the eve of the Thanksgiving Day game against visiting Buffalo, he did it again, this time on national TV, asserting that "in this business, you’ve got to come in first."
Appearing on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" show, Jones once again offered a calm demeanor paired with some pointed wording regarding his coach's responsibilities for Dallas' struggles on the way to its disappointing (albeit first-place) 6-5 record.
"No one in this country has earned the right to say I'm a Jason Garrett man more than me," said Jones. "I am his man, and we want the very same thing - and that's for our players to play at their very best, and we want his staff to coach at their very best."
But ... then came the "but'' that has been the theme of the week.
"The bottom line,'' Jerry said, "is I don’t have to win the Super Bowl in (the) business (world) every year. I can come in sixth and have a hell of a year. But in this (football) business, you’ve got to come in first.''
Jones added, "I want Jason to get it done." That's a vote of confidence of sorts. But along with that now comes what is almost a "Super Bowl-or-else'' mandate.
As you can hear above, Jerry putting the coach "on notice" is a "thing." (You can read more about that here and here.) Meanwhile, Jerry has often talked about "Super Bowls." But the "or-else?" That's a new one. So here is gentle suggestion: If that's what the Jones family wants ... if that's something the coaching staff (which has experienced some behind-the-scenes conflict) wants ... if that's something the players want ... if that's something the Cowboys fan base wants ... then everyone might want to pull together.
That is, pull together, for one last run, in support of Jason Garrett. It might be painful for his detractors and especially for those who wish to see his redhead on a platter. But assuming Dallas falls short of Jerry's Super Bowl, the Garrett-related pain isn't scheduled to last much longer.
Happy Thanksgiving.
