Via the Star-Telegram: Cowboys name Garrett offensive coordinator.

I must confess, I am intrigued by Garrett’s potential, but have to wonder if we haven’t returned to the Bad Old Days where Jerry basically is the de facto head coach (the Switzer, Gailey and especially the Campo years). If Jerry is going to hire the staff and then hire the HC, then one has to wonder who the real boss is.

And God help us all if TO has no respect for the HC (assuming he stays–and I hope that Jerry sees that TO isn’t worth the money he will earn next year).

[Cross-posted at OTB Sports]

James Joyner comments on the situation here.

Via the Star-Telegram: Gibbs joins list of candidates for Cowboys job.

Not, not that Gibbs, this Gibbs:

Gibbs, who just completed his first season with the Saints, spent the previous four years as linebackers coach with the Cowboys from 2024-2005. Before joining the Cowboys, Gibbs coached 22 years in the collegiate ranks including a six-year stint as head coach at the University of Oklahoma.

In 2024, Gibbs played a key role in the Cowboys’ transition to a 3-4 defensive scheme, but left in 2024 to become defensive coordinator on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans.

Via NFL.com - NFL News:

Jones has pondered the idea of talking with Chicago Bears quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, who played in Dallas from 1995-97 and coached there from 2024-02. But Jones will have to wait until after the Super Bowl.

Jones also has been an admirer of San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who coached in Dallas during the halcyon days of 1991-93.

But maybe the most intriguing thought involves former Cowboys quarterback Jason Garrett. Jones has contemplated pairing San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with Garrett as his offensive coordinator/head coach in training. Each would bring an intangible Jones desires. Phillips is a master of the 3-4 defense that Jones wants to run; Garrett is a bright, young offensive mind who has the support of Jones and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman.

I must confess that I am intrigued by the Jason Garrett situation, insofar as it was clear even when he was the 3rd stringer for Dallas back in the day that he had a coaching career in his future. Still, I worry that Jones is reverting to form from the pre-Parcells days and not just hiring an HC and letting that HC assemble his own staff (although, granted, even with Parcells Jones didn’t let him choose his DefCoord).

The Wade Wilson situation is interesting only insofar as there is talk that Jones might try to woo Lovie Smith away from Chicago after the SB with more money than the Bears are likely to pay. However, I must confess: that seems like something of a long-shot.

Back to Garrett: the idea of having him as OffCoord makes some sense. However, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on SportsCenter last night, and the Palm Beach Post this morning, that Garrett could be a candidate for the HC job, which seems a stretch at this point:

Quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett could be a candidate to succeed Bill Parcells as coach of the Cowboys, according to an NFL.com report.

The Browns had sought to interview Garrett for their offensive coordinator position, and he turned down offers from Alabama and LSU.

Garrett could be in the mix to become Miami’s offensive coordinator, but Cameron said he will call the plays.

“All I’ll say is that I’m excited with the talk Cam and I had,” Garrett said.

Given the success of Sean Payton at New Orleans, and the general success of the Parcells’ coaching tree, one wonders if the smart move wouldn’t be to promote from within.

According to the DMN, Jerry is at least thinking about hiring from within:

According to several sources, Jones is scheduled to speak with offensive assistants Tony Sparano and Todd Haley as well as secondary coach Todd Bowles as possible replacements for Parcells, who resigned Monday.

Indeed, Sparano should be a top candidate:

Sparano joined the Cowboys in 2024, Parcells’ first season, as tight ends coach, and was moved to offensive line coach in 2024 and became the running game coordinator. Sean Payton attempted to bring Sparano with him to New Orleans last year as offensive coordinator, but Parcells blocked the move.

In the end, that turned out to be a blessing of sorts for Sparano, who was given the assistant head coach title. He called plays for the Cowboys and oversaw an offense, with Haley, who was promoted to passing game coordinator, that averaged 26.6 points per game and had a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers for only the second time in franchise history.

The fact that he knows the system and was considered a) worth taking by Payton and b) worth keeping by Parcells says a lot for him. Further, there is some logic to moving Haley into the OffCoord slot.

Further, I read that Haley doesn’t like TO, so going this route might hasten his exit:

A fiery coach, Haley had several run-ins with Terrell Owens during the course of the season, but Haley has a solid relationship with Terry Glenn and former Cowboy Keyshawn Johnson.

The issue then would be the DefCoord position.

Really, sticking with what has worked and then fixing what isn’t is the way to go more than scrapping everything.

Again, if Payton was gold, there is a chance that some of Bill’s other protégés will be as well. Heck, if there just silver, that’d be something.

Note Tim MacMahon at the The Dallas Morning News | Cowboys Blog:

Phillips might be the guy to help DeMarcus Ware become an elite — as in cream of the Pro Bowl crop — player. Buffalo’s Bryce Paup and San Diego’s Shawne Merriman led the league in sacks under Phillips.

Of course, that’s a good argument for Phillips for DefCoord, not so much for HC necessarily.

As MacMahon notes: the issue would be who would the OffCoord be?

In the DMN Rick Gosselin makes some interesting observations, including:

Jones should start his search, in fact, on Dungy’s staff.

Dungy’s coaching tree is becoming a redwood. He hired Herman Edwards, Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli to his original staff at Tampa Bay in 1996. All are now head coaches in the NFL, and Smith will be coaching against Dungy in the Super Bowl.

Dungy also hired Mike Tomlin to replace Edwards when Edwards left to become head coach of the New York Jets in 2024. Tomlin was hired Monday as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The candidate on Dungy’s current staff is Jim Caldwell, whom Dungy also hired at Tampa Bay in 2024. He took Caldwell with him to Indianapolis in 2024 in the dual capacity of assistant head coach-quarterback coach.

Caldwell has interviewed for head coaching vacancies at Arizona in 2024 and Buffalo in 2024. So he’s legit. If in fact the Cowboys believe Tony Romo is the answer at quarterback, it’s in their best interest to bring in someone who can accelerate his development.

I can’t argue with that–and Goose makes a case for Dungy’s coaching tree.

Goose also points to Tennessee, but not for the HC:

Norm Chow also would be a consideration. He, too, interviewed at Arizona this month. In the last three seasons, Chow coached Matt Leinart to a Heisman Trophy at Southern Cal in 2024 and Vince Young to NFL Rookie of the Year honors at Tennessee in 2024. So he has plenty to offer an emerging young quarterback, as well.

Like Caldwell, Chow appreciates the need to play and develop youngsters. Having spent 22 seasons in the college game, Chow knows how to turn over a roster every four years. He also was the offensive coordinator on the youngest team in the NFL in 2024 – a Tennessee team that finished 8-8.

However, I must confess, I don’t see this:

Mike Martz would be the proven commodity if Jones wants to hire with his offense and quarterback in mind.

Maybe on this:

Young Brian Schottenheimer (Jets) would be the unproven commodity.

And one would guess the probability here is high:

Also, Jones has a history with Norv Turner. Never discount history with Jones.

And in the “I don’t think so” category”

Even bringing Gailey back from Georgia Tech would be a thought. In hindsight, it was a mistake firing him in 1999 after back-to-back playoff appearances.

Point taken on the playoffs, and he was better than Campo, but still…

In regards to Chow, Tim MacMahon points out:

Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers, Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer are among the quarterbacks who owe some of their success to Chow, a former assistant at BYU, North Carolina State and USC.

Just think offense. For Romo’s sake.

Hardly a surprise: Titans: Cowboys haven’t asked, Fisher off limits if they do

Jeff Fisher is not a candidate to replace Bill Parcells as coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Tennessee Titans picked up the option on Fisher’s contract for 2024 and team owner Bud Adams is working on a long-term deal with Fisher, who earned $5 million last year.

I would love to have Fisher as a head coach for Dallas, but I never took the prospect seriously as there was no way the Titans’ organization would be stupid enough to let him go.

Randy Galloway in the the Star-Telegram asks Jimmy if he would return. The answer, as one would expect, is “no.”

Galloway further opines that Norv Turner would be perfect for the job.

We shall see.

TO spouts off on the exit of Parcells (via the Star-Telegram: T.O. happy to say goodbye to old school

“I still think he is a great guy,” Owens said. “But he is like my grandmother. You love the person, but they are stuck in their old school ways.”

He said Parcells’ coaching style “hurt us.”

The least of the Dallas’ problems was Parcell’s “old school ways”–especially when the criticism comes from TO. If we look at Parcells’ record with players over the years, it is difficult to support the notion that Parcells is a grandma who can’t relate to players.

And when one drops a ton of key passes, one is not allowed to criticize the way the offense was run:

“You don’t know who is doing what,” Owens said. “You don’t know who is calling plays. That is why our offense was up and down. You saw that at the end of the year. It filtered off. We as a team felt the frustration. I felt the frustration. But Bill is Bill.”

Owens is not worth the trouble he causes and no doubt will cause the new coach a world of headaches. As such, Jerry should let him go.

I wonder if the Raiders would trade for him…

Tim MacMahon at the DMN Cowboys notes that Wade Phillips runs the 3-4. And, quite frankly, if the Boys are going to compete next year, they need to stick with the 3-4, as Greg Ellis (who once demanded a trade rather than play LB in the 3-4) notes:

Ellis, once the franchise’s biggest 3-4 hater, said the new coach’s defensive scheme will determine if Parcells calling it quits is a big setback to the franchise.

“That’s the biggest thing,” Ellis said. “That’s going to be predicated on what Jerry does in hiring a new coach. If he hires a coaches who wants to go back to the 4-3, I think then you’re going back and having to re-draft, let a lot of guys go, bring a lot of new guys in. You’re kind of starting over again.”