It was a long, strange year for the Dallas Cowboys. High expectations fell flat, finishing 6-10, after being projected to possibly represent the NFC in the Super Bowl (which by the way, is being held in Cowboys Stadium). Tony Romo went down with a season-ending injury against the Giants, which almost eerily symbolized the Cowboys season. And to top it all off, head coach Wade Phillips became the first coach in the Jerry Jones era to lose his job in-season, after starting with a painfully disappointing 1-7 record. But the season is over, and now it's time to move forward. The first step in this process is the hiring of a new head coach. And the man that has been chosen to bring the 'Boys back to prominance is Jason Garrett. After the firing of Phillips, Garrett stepped in as interim head coach and helped lead Dallas to a 5-3 record through the second half of the season. His record could have been even better, had it not been for a Roy Williams fumble against the Saints on Thanksgiving and a missed extra point by David Bueler against the Cardinals on Christmas. After taking over on an interim basis, his players seemed to find new life, which resulted in their 5-3 record, including victories over the Detroil Lions, Peyton Manning and the Colts in Indianapolis, and NFC East rivals, New York, Washington, and Philadelphia.
Garrett is a former quarterback, who played his college career at both Princeton and Columbia. He began his college career in Princeton, before transferring to Columbia, when his father, Jim Garrett, became head coach. Following his father's resignation from Columbia in 1985, Jason and his 2 brothers, John and Judd, transferred back to Princeton. From college, he was signed as a free agent by the New Orleans Saints in 1989 and 1990. He would then go on to play in the World League of American Football for the San Antonio Riders. He then found his way into the Canadian Football League, playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders. In 1993, Garrett was signed by the Dallas Cowboys and played as the 3rd string quarterback behind starter Troy Aikman. The highlight of his NFL career came on Thanksgiving Day in 1994, when he filled in as starter for both Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete, who were down with injuries. He led the Cowboys to a comeback victory that day, passing for 311 yards and 2 touchdowns. In 2008, ESPN named this the 4th best moment in the history of Texas Stadium. His playing career with the Cowboys ended after the 1999 season. He would then go on to play backup to Kerry Collins for the New York Giants from 2000-2003, before ending his career with short stints in Tampa Bay and Miami.
After his playing career came to a close, he was named the quarterbacks coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2005. After 2 seasons in Miami, he was hired by Jerry Jones to become the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator in 2007. By 2008, he was the highest paid assistant in the NFL. He was approached to become a head coach by the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons in 2008, but chose to remain with the Cowboys. In late 2008 and early 2009, he was interviewed by the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and St. Louis Rams. He was a finalist in the Rams head coaching search, but ultimately lost the job to Steve Spagnuolo. His break came during this season, when Wade Phillips was fired after their 1-7 start. Now he will get the opportunity to coach on perhaps the biggest of stages. He will be only the 8th coach in franchise history, following in the steps of past coaches, such as Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcels, and most recently, Wade Phillips. From here, Jerry Jones and Garrett will need to make other coaching decisions, most notably at defensive coordinator. Then comes the NFL Draft and free agency, where the 'Boys will need to address many problems, from their offensive and defensive lines, to their gaping holes in the secondary. We hope to see the first of the Jason Garrett era begin in the fall of 2011, barring a players lockout. Either way, the next era in the history of the Dallas Cowboys has begun, and it's time to get to work.
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