Getty Kellen Moore
NFL Network reporter and Cowboys insider Jane Slater dropped a mini-bomb before the team’s season finale against the Redskins.
Slater, as plugged-in as they come, appeared on 105.3 The Fan and brought to light “friction” and a “disconnect” between undisclosed members of the Dallas coaching staff.
“We all put them up on such a high pedestal, they just couldn’t possibly live up to the expectations,” Slater said Sunday afternoon. “I think it’s a combination of players that got really high on themselves, that got empowered in leadership roles, that shouldn’t have been. And I can confirm this: There’s been some friction among some of the coaches. They still got a game to play today, so I’m not trying to create any drama ahead of it, but I can confirm that there’s been a coaching disconnect among some of the coaches.”
The Cowboys’ setup sure is an interesting one.
You have Jason Garrett as the lame-duck head coach, entrusted with a championship-caliber (or so we thought) roster but unsigned beyond 2019. Then you have a 31-year-old rookie offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, a de facto defensive boss in Rod Marinelli (or is it Kris Richard?), and a special teams coordinator (Keith O’Quinn) facing persistent criticism.
And that’s just the Big Five, failing to include the numerous assistants who could be causing internal strife.
No matter the culprits, they’ve seemed to put aside their differences against the Redskins; Dallas has amassed a 20-10 lead at halftime, as of this writing.
But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it’s obvious something went horribly wrong with Garrett and Co. this season.
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NFL Insider Reveals Unforeseen Development on Cowboys’ Coaching Search
Unless the Cowboys back into the playoffs and outlast superior competition, the team is “expected to move on” from Garrett, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. This, we knew. A while ago.
“Among those who are gonna be considered: [Oklahoma coach] Lincoln Riley, [Baylor coach] Matt Rhule, and potentially [former Panthers coach] Ron Rivera,” Rapoport added.
This, we also knew.
But here’s something we didn’t, courtesy of Rapoport’s coworker, NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is doing market research within The Star regarding the club’s next head man.
“As much as people talk about Jerry Jones being the guy that makes all the decisions in the Cowboys’ building, he has actually sought the advice of some key players this past week and is expected to do so going forward,” Garafolo said. “Jones [is] really taking the feedback on what went wrong because he wants to know what the players think as he goes forward and makes some key decisions for the Cowboys organization.”
Dallas’ coaching search will kick off in earnest if (when?) they’re formally eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, either by a loss to the Washington Redskins or a Philadelphia Eagles victory over the New York Giants.
A win against the Redskins combined with an Eagles loss would award the NFC East title to the Cowboys.
“Make no mistake about it, winning this game is very important to me, very important to the players, very important to this team,” Jones said Sunday on 105.3 The Fan, via Maven Sports’ Mike Fisher.
The Eagles lead New York, 10-0, in the third quarter, as of this writing.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL