RANDALL’S RANT

Dallas head coach Garrett making curious decisions

Here’s what happens when you play not to lose. You lose. Need proof? Just look at Jason Garrett’s track record. The coach of the Cowboys pulled it off again on Sunday when he once again outsmarted himself by trying to send a game to overtime, before his placekicker banged one off the left upright as time expired and Dallas went home on the short end of a 20-17 final. Both Cowboys’ fans and bettors were left shaking their collective heads. A Dallas win would have satisfied both parties with the ‘Boys being a small underdog in Washington. It’s tough to win or pick winners in this league. It becomes that much tougher when a head coach makes decisions that lead you to believe that he is betting on the other team. Here’s what went down. Trailing by three points and time running out, the Cowboys were first and 10 at Washington’s 31-yard line. They had one timeout remaining with 12 seconds left in regulation. That’s about a 48-yard field goal try if Dallas doesn’t advance any further. With the timeout, they can certainly try to get it closer for kicker Brett Maher as 48 yards is certainly no chip shot. These days, there is no such thing for kickers. Just ask anyone that lives in Baltimore. Anyway, we digress. Rather than trying a safe short pass to improve his team’s chances at a successful kick or dare we say it, try flinging one to the end zone to try and actually win the game, Garrett calls a basic running play with Ezekiel Elliott gaining three yards towards the preferred hash mark, setting up a 47-yard try. A costly false-start penalty later turned it into a 52-yard attempt, which ultimately missed by inches.

Maybe us Dallas backers got what we deserved? Maybe it’s on us. Why put our trust in Garrett’s conservatism? Haven’t we learned something along the way with the coach’s nitwit decision making? As recent as two weeks ago, we were given a preview for something like this when Garrett chose to punt on 4th-and-1 from the Houston 42 with 5:40 to go in overtime before losing the game. This guy is coaching in the ’60s. Investing your faith or money on him in the 2000s is fool’s gold. Since Dallas owner Jerry Jones unexplainably refuses to can his current coach, may we suggest locking Garrett in a room for two or three weeks with Sean Payton game videos. Hopefully, some of that would sink in and the Cowboys might win a close one now and then. Until then, enter at your own risk.