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There may be more than 11 games remaining in the Jason Garrett era, presupposing a playoff run. But there will not be less than 11 games with Garrett as the Dallas Cowboys‘ head coach.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphatically shot down speculation that Garrett’s hot seat could consume the 53-year-old at some point during the regular season.
“Well, yes. Dispel it, yes,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan when asked about a potential Garrett firing. “Don’t bet any money against that happening. You’ll lose it.”
Garrett’s job security, tenuous entering the season, has been called into question following the Cowboys’ back-to-back losses in which the team appeared ill-prepared to face an elite opponent. In Week 5, Dallas was outmuscled and outclassed by a hungrier foe with better coaching. The final score (34-24) wasn’t as close as it seemed; Green Bay amassed a massive 31-3 advantage before the Cowboys added garbage-time scores, smearing lipstick on a pig.
The club is quickly honing the deserved and unflattering rep of a schoolyard bully. They stuff themselves on subpar competition (Giants, Redskins, Dolphins) but wither when picking on someone their own size (Saints, Packers).
Jones himself intimated this — in detail — after the game on Sunday.
“I think it tells you right where you are,” he said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You do well against teams that are getting it together. We played two that have it together better. They are 4-1 teams. I think what you see is what you get here. We got some work to do to be where we want to go this year. We can get it together and get better. We are going to have to get better to get a chance to be where we dream to be an expect to be. I think got a team that can get better and that is the key. But this is not good enough against a bunch like this, last weekend or this weekend. I accept that. We got to get better.”
His current deal expiring at year’s end, Garrett has recorded an 80-61 record in ten seasons at the helm. The Cowboys started 3-0 for the first time in his tenure before suffering consecutive defeats, dropping the club into a tie with the Eagles atop the NFC East.
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Stephen Jones Lobs Vote of Confidence to Garrett
Recent results suggest otherwise, and the fan base certainly hopes otherwise, but “The Clapper” isn’t in imminent danger of losing his job. Appearing Monday on 105.3 The Fan, before his father echoed similar, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones divulged that Garrett is “absolutely not” on the hot seat despite the clock running out on his lame-duck contract.
“He’s done a great job with this team,” Jones added, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “As you saw yesterday, he had this team playing hard when on a lot of teams that game could’ve gotten real ugly when it was (31-3).”
Petition Started to Expedite Garrett’s Departure
Cowboys fans are breaking out the big guns in an effort to terminate Jason Garrett. One diehard — he goes by “Charles” — created a public petition Monday urging Jerry Jones to fire Garrett and replace him with a “real head coach.”
“Jason Garrett is holding the Dallas Cowboys back,” it reads. “All he does is chew gum and clap. Dallas doesn’t need a Trident model on the sidelines! It’s time for a real head coach.”
The petition had five of a possible 100 signatures prior to publication. As of this writing, 135 people (of a now-possible 200) have lent their John Hancock to a cause they can get behind: Garrett’s walking papers.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL