Fantasy Q&A: Jason Garrett
By Dave Richard
Senior Fantasy Writer
There isn't a team in the NFC with as many startable Fantasy options as the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Tony Romo, running backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber, wide receivers Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, tight end Jason Witten and the Cowboys DST are all recommended for use on a weekly basis in standard Fantasy leagues. Eliminating the defense from the conversation, the man at the controls for the 'Boys offense is Jason Garrett, a first-year offensive coordinator.
We had the chance to pick his brain following Dallas' preseason loss at Houston on Saturday and find out as much as we could about the Cowboys semi-revamped offensive scheme.
The third preseason game is important because the starters see so much playing time. Even though you lost the game, were you happy with where the offense is at this point?
Garrett: We were sloppier than we've been, and that's the one thing we were really pleased about in the first two games. You want the number of penalties you incur to be zero. We only had two or three in the first couple of games, and I think we had better balance in the first couple of games. Houston did a nice job making it difficult for us to run the football. We got ourselves into some bad down-and-distance situations with some penalties or some minus-yardage plays. So I don't think we were in as good a rhythm as we had been the first couple of weeks. But for the third preseason game, it will be a great learning tool for us to see how we can come back and respond and play better.
Do you forsee any changes based on this game?
Garrett: I don't know change as much as just refocus everybody and just make sure that we go out and play the way we're capable of playing.
The Cowboys running backs have been a hot topic this preseason. Julius Jones looks like the "running downs" guy and Marion Barber looks like the "passing downs" guy. How true is that statement?
Garrett: I don't know if that's true. They're both going to play, they're both very good football players and we love both of those guys. We want to get them as many touches as we can get them. They're both so versatile, so we can use them in any kind of situation. For now, you're right, Julius was the regular down back and Marion has been coming in on third down, but both of those guys are going to play in a lot of different situations.
Were you encouraged by Julius Jones' goal-line touchdown vs. Denver earlier this preseason?
Garrett: Yeah. I'm just impressed by both of those guys. They're both very talented guys who can do a lot of things, and their approach is right. They love playing football, they play tough, they're smart guys and like I said, we just want to give them as many opportunities as we can within the confines of the offense.
We've seen a lot of Patrick Crayton with Terry Glenn sidelined this preseason. Obviously, the confidence in him being your No. 3 receiver is high, but if push came to shove and you needed Crayton to start, how confident are you that your offense wouldn't miss a beat?
Garrett: He's done a lot of good things and is a good football player. Patrick is smart, he knows what to do, he's competitive, he makes catches when he needs to make them and will play in traffic. He's one of those guys that quarterbacks like to throw to. He's shown that as an inside receiver and I think he's continuing to show that as an outside receiver.
Considering the significance in using mismatches on offense, how important is Jason Witten to your team?
Garrett: Jason is such an established player. I'm saying this about a lot of different guys, but he's a talented player who goes about it the right way and works hard in practice. He wants to be as good a player as he can be. The sky's the limit for him. He still has so much room to grow.
Can you explain how much of an advantage it is for Tony Romo to have all of these options to throw to?
Garrett: I think the more weapons you have on offense, the better you're going to be. You want to have balance between the run and pass game, and when you're throwing the ball you want balance between the receivers. To have the kind of outside receivers we have and have Witten working inside and have backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield, that's all going to help us as an offense and force the defense to make some decisions about who they want to stop. Anytime you have those weapons, it's certainly a benefit to you.
----------
BONUS Q&A: JASON WITTEN
It looks like the change in Dallas' offensive philosophy is helping you out. Do you expect to be more productive this year and be more of a help to the offense?
Witten: I think so. I think we'll be more dimensional, and hopefully I can be productive. I feel confident in what this system is trying to do, and I feel like I am a valid part in my role as a tight end.
And how beneficial is it to be a tight end in this pass-oriented offense?
Witten: It's good. I think that especially when you have a quarterback like Tony (Romo) who moves around, that tight end becomes a safety valve, and that's a crucial part. And especially when we have some great receivers on the outside in Terrell (Owens), Terry (Glenn) and Patrick Crayton, the tight end turns into a great spot.
Senior Fantasy Writer
There isn't a team in the NFC with as many startable Fantasy options as the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Tony Romo, running backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber, wide receivers Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, tight end Jason Witten and the Cowboys DST are all recommended for use on a weekly basis in standard Fantasy leagues. Eliminating the defense from the conversation, the man at the controls for the 'Boys offense is Jason Garrett, a first-year offensive coordinator.
We had the chance to pick his brain following Dallas' preseason loss at Houston on Saturday and find out as much as we could about the Cowboys semi-revamped offensive scheme.
The third preseason game is important because the starters see so much playing time. Even though you lost the game, were you happy with where the offense is at this point?
Garrett: We were sloppier than we've been, and that's the one thing we were really pleased about in the first two games. You want the number of penalties you incur to be zero. We only had two or three in the first couple of games, and I think we had better balance in the first couple of games. Houston did a nice job making it difficult for us to run the football. We got ourselves into some bad down-and-distance situations with some penalties or some minus-yardage plays. So I don't think we were in as good a rhythm as we had been the first couple of weeks. But for the third preseason game, it will be a great learning tool for us to see how we can come back and respond and play better.
Do you forsee any changes based on this game?
Garrett: I don't know change as much as just refocus everybody and just make sure that we go out and play the way we're capable of playing.
The Cowboys running backs have been a hot topic this preseason. Julius Jones looks like the "running downs" guy and Marion Barber looks like the "passing downs" guy. How true is that statement?
Garrett: I don't know if that's true. They're both going to play, they're both very good football players and we love both of those guys. We want to get them as many touches as we can get them. They're both so versatile, so we can use them in any kind of situation. For now, you're right, Julius was the regular down back and Marion has been coming in on third down, but both of those guys are going to play in a lot of different situations.
Were you encouraged by Julius Jones' goal-line touchdown vs. Denver earlier this preseason?
Garrett: Yeah. I'm just impressed by both of those guys. They're both very talented guys who can do a lot of things, and their approach is right. They love playing football, they play tough, they're smart guys and like I said, we just want to give them as many opportunities as we can within the confines of the offense.
We've seen a lot of Patrick Crayton with Terry Glenn sidelined this preseason. Obviously, the confidence in him being your No. 3 receiver is high, but if push came to shove and you needed Crayton to start, how confident are you that your offense wouldn't miss a beat?
Garrett: He's done a lot of good things and is a good football player. Patrick is smart, he knows what to do, he's competitive, he makes catches when he needs to make them and will play in traffic. He's one of those guys that quarterbacks like to throw to. He's shown that as an inside receiver and I think he's continuing to show that as an outside receiver.
Considering the significance in using mismatches on offense, how important is Jason Witten to your team?
Garrett: Jason is such an established player. I'm saying this about a lot of different guys, but he's a talented player who goes about it the right way and works hard in practice. He wants to be as good a player as he can be. The sky's the limit for him. He still has so much room to grow.
Can you explain how much of an advantage it is for Tony Romo to have all of these options to throw to?
Garrett: I think the more weapons you have on offense, the better you're going to be. You want to have balance between the run and pass game, and when you're throwing the ball you want balance between the receivers. To have the kind of outside receivers we have and have Witten working inside and have backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield, that's all going to help us as an offense and force the defense to make some decisions about who they want to stop. Anytime you have those weapons, it's certainly a benefit to you.
----------
BONUS Q&A: JASON WITTEN
It looks like the change in Dallas' offensive philosophy is helping you out. Do you expect to be more productive this year and be more of a help to the offense?
Witten: I think so. I think we'll be more dimensional, and hopefully I can be productive. I feel confident in what this system is trying to do, and I feel like I am a valid part in my role as a tight end.
And how beneficial is it to be a tight end in this pass-oriented offense?
Witten: It's good. I think that especially when you have a quarterback like Tony (Romo) who moves around, that tight end becomes a safety valve, and that's a crucial part. And especially when we have some great receivers on the outside in Terrell (Owens), Terry (Glenn) and Patrick Crayton, the tight end turns into a great spot.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:44 PM
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