-
-
-
2019-2020 Offseason:
Who Might The Cowboys Aspire To Hire? Part I: Improvement
By Youth Movement
-
-
 -
-
-
This edition of "The Tortured
Cowboys Fan" has also been published by the fine folks at
Sports TalkLine.
-
-
-
-
-
January 4, 2020 At 9:00 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- “It would be embarrassing. It
would be shocking if you knew the size of the check I would write if
it guaranteed me a Super Bowl. It would be obscene. There is nothing
I would do financially (as opposed to managerially) not to get a
Super Bowl.” – GM Jerry on August 28, 2018 to Shan Shariff and R.J.
Ochoa on 105.3 The Fan.
The North American sports world is stumbling all over itself with
the thirst to be the bleeding-edge FIRST to discover the official fate of one
Jason Calvin Garrett. Others – like “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” –
will calmly ponder a short list of potential head coaching
candidates most willing to dare it (or most capable of subservience,
err, compliance) towards GM Jerry’s highest-profile NFL carrot.
“Wait a minute. Wait. One. MINUTE! Back in October,
you
more-than-mentioned Lincoln Riley of which you spoke so highly!” –
you exasperatedly recall (forgetting – or ignoring – the Oklahoma
Sooners’ still-fresh BCS 63-28 loss to LSU, where Riley’s offense
AND defense came up competitively small). Any remark on (former?)
entraîneur du jour Riley was far less a judgement of his (suddenly
suspect?) QB-whispering skill. It was (and remains) far more an
observation that any Garrett successor (who dares to form another
imperfect union with a certain Cowboys’ oppressor) must also have
the savvy and (superhuman) will to deliver (for the fans) while
still allowing GM Jerry his ego-stroking fill.
Yes, “allowing” rather than giving so that – as long as the source
of that ego-inducing comes from an otherwise spineless lemming – the
right (and bright) candidate can feel like he remains among the
living. The next head coach of “America’s Team” must be able to DAD
– Deliver And Dismiss (any public irritation towards “invasion” of
his station) so that “GRAND DAD” can continue to (attempt to) bask
in the glow of the credit he doth still await from that sixth Super
Bowl ring which his hiring decisions have continued to abate.
“I get it. I see your meaning. So, who do you believe can succeed
while enduring Jerry’s preening?” – you eagerly inquire (about which
brave, overly-curious, or blatantly cocky soul might help GM Jerry
put out his on-field leadership fire). While The Tortured Cowboys
Fan always, ALWAYS prefers a well-rounded walk around coach (who
embraced or had been forced through the
position-to-coordinator-to-head-coaching trial), there should be
“reasonable” acquiescence towards GM Jerry’s potential level of 77-year-old
denial.
And THAT could, should, would be the key. “Father time never
loses.” GM Jerry – again and again and again – wants so desperately
to win ONE MORE Super Bowl while being revered like Al Davis “The
Godfather” that he could or would (but never should) allow a win-now
candidate to hang up the phone and say “Why bother?”-
-
 -
-
Though there are some exciting, young possibilities – who could
allow a team to bypass some of the usual retread antiquities – each
comes with some walk around inequities. GM Jerry may be (GASP) crazy
enough to think “Well, Al did it his way until he was 82. What’s
it to YOU?” If that really, truly is the case, then,
Dallas – for at least the next five years – may, indeed, be through.
What to do? What to do? The Tortured Cowboys Fan will share his
view.
Lincoln Riley-
-
 -
- This is – again – a repeated courtesy mention, as
more than consistent, year-over-year, QB whispering could and should
(but may not) be necessary to command GM Jerry’s contract-offering
attention. While his record at Oklahoma is 36-6 with
three-consecutive Big 12 championships (as well as three-consecutive
12-2 finishes), his BCS record is 0-3. Though the 36-year-old Bob
Stoops protégé has earned his way (receiving the 2015 Broyles Award
and was the 2018 Big 12 Coach of the Year), his one-dimensional
focus (once on the NFL circuit) could equal a Lane Kiffin-esque
fear.
Robert Saleh-
-
 -
- The current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator
should outwardly remind Cowboys Nation of Kris Richard (with the
same potent energy but, BUT the comparative results of a MUCH LARGER
petard). He brought with him (from Pete Carroll in Seattle) a better
way for San Francisco defenders to battle.
“I visualize the entire game. I visualize every call I’m going to
make. I visualize the calls the other team will make. I try to
visualize MY ADJUSTMENTS and their adjustments. This calms me and
keeps me sane.” – says Saleh (with 49ers defenders often displaying
precognitive proof of their leader's cover-all-the-bases way). This
is music to the ears of adjustment-starved Dallas fans who (in the
past near-10 years) can only dream of such forward-thinking plans.
And Saleh (unlike Richard or Marinelli with a defensive unit that
too often resembled jelly) has been able to successfully do just
that this season for many a typical injury reason.
While the 40-year-old has done his time (from college coach to
coordinator with a pre-visualized approach), The Tortured Cowboys
Fan innocently wonders (without the overlap of assistant
head-coaching experience to fill in the multi-phase gap) if teams
see his one-dimensional frame as overpowering his unproven ability
to oversee all areas of the game. A more-experienced walk around
coach can, but Saleh's success has been built on a purposely-narrow
span. Some will overlook the presence of mighty micromanager Kyle
Shanahan who (just like his Super Bowl-winning father) can – for
better or worse – make it easier for a coordinator to stay in his
lane. Though it is far from big news that Saleh WILL receive
multiple interviews, this wider-experience issue could become an
inescapable pain.
Josh McDaniels-
-
 -
- The current offensive coordinator of the six-time
Super Bowl champion New England Patriots – as one of the very best
play-designers AND callers in all of today’s NFL (separate
altogether from his players’ 2019 regular season performance hell) –
may not be willing to answer another team’s head-coaching bell.
Sure, he may entertainment many an interview but – as with his near
Indianapolis Colts hire – he may not follow through. His 2009-2010
Denver Broncos head-coaching opportunity began with a shocking
preseason trade of Jay Cutler (so betrayed) to Chicago and concluded
with a Brandon Marshall mutiny (and his own trade to Miami). McDaniels’ first season began so 6-0 celebrated prior to finishing
so 8-8 annihilated. His second season began 3-9 before he was
officially ventilated. McDaniels would make one more (largely
forgettable) stop – as the St. Louis Rams’ OC with the likes of Sam
Bad, err, Bradford – before returning to the only organization with
which the 43-year-old has ever regularly demonstrated consistent
coaching pop. There may never be a better time (with Tom Brady
rumors developing like tumors) to see if McDaniels and his version
of the “Patriot Way” are refined enough to get another team to
successfully play.
Dan Campbell-
-
 -
- The current assistant head coach and tight ends boss
for the New Orleans Saints is the only true dark horse on The
Tortured Cowboys Fan's list. While he has the "second-most" NFL
head-coaching experience of anyone here (going an interim 5-7 for the
Miami Dolphins in 2015), he also offers the least overall coaching
experience – from college to the pros or otherwise – of any of these
guys. And yet – within NFL circles – he is a well-respected
"Parcells Guy" (originally as an injury-plagued player for the
Cowboys from 2003-2005) who has continued to transition just fine on
the Saints' sideline. He has also taken to the terrific tutelage of
one Sean Payton (another well-worshipped winner for which Big Bill also
receives some credit for creatin'). The 43-year-old Campbell just
gets the gist, but time will quickly tell if – for the Cowboys –
concern about his limited resume proves to be an opportunity missed.
Matt Rhule-
-
 -
- He has the complete background that almost any (college
or pro) team might consider indispensably cool. As a position coach
for multiple well-known schools, he has practically done it all
(linebacker, defensive line, offensive line, running back,
quarterback, as well as tight end), with experience that comes
together as a near-perfect blend. Rhule also assisted the New York
Giants' offensive line with their 2012 Super Bowl haul. While the
44-year-old Rhule has a 47-43 head coaching record (with a current
1-2 bowl game mark), there simply MUST be a non-fad reason why so
many (NCAA and NFL) teams have made multiple attempts to strike with
him an accord. Though no team pursuing the "2019 Big 12 Coach of the
Year” is shooting in the dark, in order to pry Rhule away from his
role as head coach of Baylor University, his “aggressive buyout”
(according to athletic director Mack Rhoades) would cost even
champion check-writer GM Jerry a pretty penny. Still, Matt – who
once said "(I like our recruiting base), I like living in Texas, I
like coaching in Texas" – did not distinctly Rhule out North Dallas
(or the high-priced opportunity to help the Jones family defeat
their head-coaching hexes).
Dan Mullen-
-
 -
- According to a certain Cowboys’ QB, the Redskins’ Alex
Smith, and one Timothy Tebow, the former top dog at Mississippi
State and current University of Florida head coach is in the passing
game know with an offensive bent beyond reproach. Clearly (going 90-51
with an 8-2 bowl / playoff record and only two losing seasons out of
10 so far) the 47-year-old Mullen is another accomplished NCAA’er
and potential NFL rising star. Perhaps Mullen is Lincoln Riley with
a more significant resume (with which interested teams he can better
sway). On the other hand, maybe he, too, is not
multifaceted enough to help the Cowboys get over ALL their “stuff.”
Greg Roman-
-
 -
- The current Baltimore Ravens
offensive coordinator has had the highly-successful pleasure of
working with NFL MVP candidate and star quarterback Lamar Jackson
(viewed around "Charm City" as a national treasure). While
the 47-year-old has a nice, position-coach mix of college and NFL
coaching experience (as well as being the assistant head coach to
John Harbaugh in 2018), one or more teams may want to see how he can
keep their existing offensive units (better than) on track in the
key absence of a purposely-mobile quarterback. Lost on many
(understandably impatient) fans throughout the NFL may be the fact
that teams want a new head coach to improve the production of their
current roster and not wait (too far beyond free agency and the
draft) for their own Lamar-like (or to a lesser degree Kaepernick-like)
players to foster. Dallas – among those organizations – would need
Roman to help them envision how he could achieve outcomes just the
same with their current QB (who has stubbornly, even uncomfortably
dodged such a mobile-minded frame). A Cowboys team that increasingly
sustained a morbid mix of inaccurate passes, dismal drops, and a
former rushing king suffering too many stops – could, of course,
have used a consistently-threatening mobile QB to escape what
became too many, avoidable series-ending aggravations.
Matt Eberfluse-
-
 -
- The current Indianapolis
Colts defensive coordinator is a familiar face for the Cowboys brain
trust (and a coach whose methods might have prevented this year’s
version of “Marinelli’s Men” from going bust). Rob Ryan (son of
Buddy, brother of Rex, and former Cowboys defensive coordinator in
2011) brought Eberfluse with him from the Cleveland Browns to become
their linebackers’ coach and a key part of his “experimental”
scheme approach. Through Ryan's (inevitable?) firing
and eventual hiring (of cover 2 creatures-of-habit Monte Kiffin and
Rod Marinelli), Eberfluse ended up surviving. He was key to helping
both Kiffin and Marinelli transition from Ryan’s 3-4 to their
preferred 4-3. He was easily elevated to the additional task of
passing game coordinator in 2016. Just when it seemed he might
assume Marinelli's role following a miserable defensive showing in
2017, Dallas AND Eberfluse (respectfully) waited and waited on
Marinelli's (rumored) retirement decision, but Rod was too slow in
coming clean. Eberfluse flew the coop to a Colts franchise on the
verge of a severe emotional droop (having been dumped at the alter
by a certain Patriots coordinator). With his own talented defense on
tap (that made the 2018 Cowboys look like 20-0 crap), he has not
looked back since. The flexible, adjustment-minded Eberfluse was
thought of so highly during his time in Dallas that – perhaps – GM
Jerry would like to give the Cowboys' failed effort to retain the
49-year-old a sincere head-coaching rinse.
Eric Bieniemy-
-
 -
- While the current Kansas City Chiefs offensive
coordinator has spent seven years within and helping coach Andy
Reid's long-standing, well-refined scheme, it conceptually remains a
mystery if the 50-year-old Bieniemy is ready to run his own team.
Having primarily been a running backs coach before twice performing
as an OC (with KC and years ago for the University of Colorado), yet
with no assistant head-coaching experience, it is hard to know. And
unfair as it may seem, a player like Patrick Mahomes (among several
critical KC talents) has the natural skill to make most systems
perform like a dream. Bieniemy undoubtedly deserves an interview for
a head-coaching spot, but will the Cowboys be among multiple teams
expected to give him a “convince us” shot?
Will They Or Won’t They?
While it is a foregone conclusion that Dallas can no longer bear it
with genuine Jason Garrett, have GM Jerry and VP Stephen learned a
lesson on the personal energy, monetary investment, and tutoring
time it takes for an NFL village to raise (or significantly improve)
a head-coaching child? If you do the math, some of the above
possibilities might steer Jerry and Stephen down another
Garrett-like path, and that is pretty wild.
 -
- Will America’s Team go
youthfully bold or go more
establishment old?
Will the Dallas Cowboys’ next head coach be Super successful before
a certain someone grows cold?
We shall see. We always do.
|
