Cowboys' Garrett is a great head coach-in-waiting
Troy Aikman
Posted: December 4, 2007
When I played for the Cowboys, the players' wives used to publish a cookbook. Sprinkled amid the recipes were some questions and answers from some of the wives and their husbands. I remember one question that was asked the year after my wife and I were married: Who do you know who could someday become President of the United States?
Rhonda and I filled out our questionnaires separately, but when we discussed that question later we discovered we both had the same response: Jason Garrett.
The qualities that led us to think of Jason in the Oval Office -- intelligence, integrity, people skills, communication skills -- are serving him well in his first year as offensive coordinator of the Cowboys. Now, Jason was my backup in Dallas and remains one of my best friends today. I know that makes me biased. But you won't have to look far to find front office types who are thinking of Jason as head coach material. And soon.
He's definitely on the fast track. The extent of his coaching resume: quarterbacks coach in Miami for two years and now this season in Dallas. But he grew up in a coaching family and spent 12 years in the league as a player. He didn't get on the field much, but he soaked up everything he could while sitting in meetings with Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese (Cowboys), Sean Payton (Giants) and Jon Gruden (Bucs). Garrett's office at Cowboys Center is lined with playbooks and game plans going back to the early 1990s. That's how long he has been preparing for a career in coaching.
And, as you'd expect from a Princeton guy, he's brilliant. I remember countless times when Jason would show me his notebook and say, "Hey, 8-Ball, what do you think of this play? It's a little variation of what we've been doing." It was good stuff, and over the years he kept getting better -- as you can tell while watching the Cowboys' offense.
Fans may not know Jason, but the folks around the league who hire coaches do. I guarantee you he's on several teams' shortlists of coaching candidates. As he should be. If Jason isn't a head coach next season -- maybe in college, but probably the NFL -- I'll be surprised.
Posted: December 4, 2007
When I played for the Cowboys, the players' wives used to publish a cookbook. Sprinkled amid the recipes were some questions and answers from some of the wives and their husbands. I remember one question that was asked the year after my wife and I were married: Who do you know who could someday become President of the United States?
Rhonda and I filled out our questionnaires separately, but when we discussed that question later we discovered we both had the same response: Jason Garrett.
The qualities that led us to think of Jason in the Oval Office -- intelligence, integrity, people skills, communication skills -- are serving him well in his first year as offensive coordinator of the Cowboys. Now, Jason was my backup in Dallas and remains one of my best friends today. I know that makes me biased. But you won't have to look far to find front office types who are thinking of Jason as head coach material. And soon.
He's definitely on the fast track. The extent of his coaching resume: quarterbacks coach in Miami for two years and now this season in Dallas. But he grew up in a coaching family and spent 12 years in the league as a player. He didn't get on the field much, but he soaked up everything he could while sitting in meetings with Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese (Cowboys), Sean Payton (Giants) and Jon Gruden (Bucs). Garrett's office at Cowboys Center is lined with playbooks and game plans going back to the early 1990s. That's how long he has been preparing for a career in coaching.
And, as you'd expect from a Princeton guy, he's brilliant. I remember countless times when Jason would show me his notebook and say, "Hey, 8-Ball, what do you think of this play? It's a little variation of what we've been doing." It was good stuff, and over the years he kept getting better -- as you can tell while watching the Cowboys' offense.
Fans may not know Jason, but the folks around the league who hire coaches do. I guarantee you he's on several teams' shortlists of coaching candidates. As he should be. If Jason isn't a head coach next season -- maybe in college, but probably the NFL -- I'll be surprised.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:21 PM
<< Home