San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Garrett weighs in on his old team
Former Dallas Cowboys coach and current NBC Sports analyst Jason Garrett recently joined the Rich Eisen Show to talk all things football. Here are some highlights:
His thoughts on the Cowboys’ offseason
Garrett: “First of all, they had an awfully good year last year. They didn’t get the job done against San Francisco in the playoff game. So the starting point is probably it’s a really good football team. I know many of those guys; we drafted many of them, and I know the kind of men they have in that locker room and the leaders they have in that locker room. There’s no doubt in my mind that they are going to respond in the right way. One of the things that’s been really impressive to me about that organization and that team is they’ve continued the offseason program, the work ethic. … You hear stories about everybody being there, 100 percent attendance all throughout the offseason program. … I know they’ve got a lot of really good cornerstone players there who have been great players for a long time. They’re excited about the young players that they have. So I wouldn’t bet against this team.”
How should Mike McCarthy deal with outside noise?
Garrett: “I think the biggest thing for any head coach — and really for any player in the NFL — is really just focus on yourself and what you need to do to be your best. And I know that’s a cliche, and everyone thinks it’s coachspeak and all of that, but it’s so true. And it’s so true certainly in a place like
Dallas.
“There’s a lot of people who make their living speculating about things and digging things up and stirring things up. That’s just the world that we live in. The days of Walter
Cronkite telling you the news as it is, you know, six o’clock every weekday evening — those are long gone. It’s 24hour news cycles, and we’re trying to stir the pot. And so, when you’re in those roles you
have to just really focus on what you need to do to be your best.
“This was a theme that we tried to use with all of our players through the years — players getting into Twitter wars and all of this kind of stuff — it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s just lock in on what we need to do each day to be our best.’ And when you’re preaching that message to your team, sometimes you’ve got to preach it to yourself . ...
“And not that you think about it a lot, but you’re asked about it a lot. And so you just kind of lock in and say, ‘Hey, this is what I need to do to be my best today.’ Mike, obviously, is a fantastic coach, has been for a long time. He understands the importance of doing that. And I think they have a really good team and they obviously have a really good head coach and a lot of good players, and they have a chance to be a good team this year.”
What is Jerry Jones like after a loss?
Garrett: “Jerry Jones, he’s a fascinating guy. You don’t have the success that he’s had throughout his life, in really everything’s he’s touched — he has amazing abilities, he has amazing wisdom and intelligence about so many different topics. I would say he was incredible after losses. He was incredible when times were tough. His support for coaches and for players — when the football part of it was tough or things in your individual lives were challenging … he was incredible. I saw the examples through the years when I was playing there, when I was coaching there. … There’s a perception about Jerry Jones, and I think some of it from the outside might be accurate, but there’s a lot of stuff (where) he’s portrayed in a certain way that I simply don’t agree with. … I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Jerry Jones.”