Jason Garrett was once named the best coach in the NFL, but at present he’s just another “dumb coach” whose job security is as sturdy as pudding.
As the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants, JG’s stock continues to drop to penny status.
It’s hard to envision any scenario where the second-winningest coach in Dallas Cowboys history who was named the NFL Coach of the Year in 2016 will be named an NFL head coach any time soon. Or ever again.
On Sunday, his Giants were out-classed by the Dallas Cowboys in a 44-20 defeat.
Immediately after the game Garrett and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott enjoyed a big, sincere hug on the field.
And that was Garrett’s highlight of the day.
Garrett’s offense, which entering the game was one of the worst in the NFL, was hit with disabling blows in the first half that not even Vince Lombardi would overcome to win a game against even a mediocre opponent.
But JG is not helping his case to remain in the NFL. Right now he looks like a guy who would be well served to graduate from The Nick Saban School For Fired Coaches Who Want To Be Head Coaches Again.
The Giants were not going to beat the Cowboys, and they had zero chance when they lost their starting running back, starting quarterback and best wide receiver during the game to injuries.
Starting running back Saquon Barkley was removed from the game in the first quarter because of an ankle injury, and starting quarterback Daniel Jones was out late in the first half with a concussion.
Garrett bears some burden of that one.
Late in the first half, the Giants had the ball at the Cowboys’ 1-yard line, and rather than just try a dive play with a running back, Garrett called for Jones to run it himself on a roll out to the left side.
Jones ran for his life towards the pylon only to be met head on by a pair of Cowboys defenders.
This is the type of play where QB1s are vulnerable to a knockout. Jones is a solid runner, but he is also not Lamar Jackson.
After a minute, Jones picked himself up off the turf and stumbled awkwardly on his way back to the huddle. That was it. He had to be carted off, and was later diagnosed with a concussion.
On the next play, the Giants scored that touchdown on a 1-yard leap by Devontae Booker. Booker is a running back, not a quarterback.
Then, in the third quarter, the Giants lost top receiver Kenny Golladay to injury.
Even at full strength, it was doubtful that the Giants would defeat the Cowboys. But without their top skill position players, the Giants’ chances went from remote to nonexistent.
When the season ends, these sort of valid reasons will read like excuses when the New York Giants ownership evaluates the coaching staff.
If head coach Joe Judge and the team come too close to repeating last season’s 6-10 record, he and his staff are apt to be fired.
Or, Judge will be be instructed to make changes.
If the Giants stink and Judge stays, the axe may fall on one, or both, coordinators.
As much as the Giants ownership may like Garrett, whom they would have known for the better part of 30 years, this is also pro football. Friends get fired, too.
Garrett wants to be a head coach again, but his tenure with the Giants is going worse than some of his worst seasons that he had in his long tenure with the Cowboys.
The Giants were bad last year, and this season they are now 1-4. A big reason is Garrett’s offense doesn’t score points.
Back in 2007, Jason Garrett was regarded as one of the most promising young coaches in the NFL when Jerry Jones hired him to be his offensive coordinator.
Now it’s 2021, and Jason Garrett is just another “dumb coach” whose job security is as sturdy as pudding.
