Big baller, play caller.

Jason Garrett officially became the 8th head coach of the Dallas Cowboys this week,  after having served the last three and a half seasons as the offensive co-ordinator.  We also know the "great" job that he did as the "interim" coach; leading the Cowboys to a 5-3 record after the horrendous 1-7 start, in a season they were expected to play in February's Super Bowl that will be hosted in Jerry's World.

In the offseason, Dallas extended Wade Phillips' contract by 2 more years, on the heels of a strong finish that saw them not only win a division title, but a playoff game for the first time since 1996.  After a reality check beatdown by the Vikings, probably the last good game by Brett Favre, you kind of hoped that they would come back stronger in the next season.

Now this isn't a secret to anyone familiar with football, and the Dallas Cowboys to be precise.  The only thing that Jerry Jones really, really wanted, was to hoist the Lombardi trophy at the 50 yard line in his own stadium.  Anything short of that, and Wade Phillips would be gone.  It didn't matter if Dallas went 16-0, won the NFC title but lost in the Superbowl.  It had to be this season, or else.

Wade was sent packing after a loss to the Packers

Wade Phillips is a different kind of cat.  He's not going to get on the podium and give you sound bites like Jim Mora, or maybe even Herm Edwards.  He's not going to rip into players on the podium or even get in their face on the sidelines.  And he's definitely not the "fire and brimstone" kind of a coach.  You can call his style maybe soft, or whatever.  Just don't expect to get much from this guy. 

I guess the players eventually just stopped responding, and went out there doing their own thing.  The season just started out as a joke.  When the offensive line wasn't busy holding, they were being penalized for false starts.  The secondary couldn't stop anybody, you had Mike Jenkins (a pro bowler the previous season) bailing out on tackles; this team was a comedy of errors.

While Phillips dismissal was imminent, the problem that I have with his replacement is this; who was the offensive coordinator during the team's 1-7 start?  And why is it that offensive production goes up, just after Phillips was fired?  Certain things don't require a trained eye and this is one of those things.  A few other columnists have brought this up on national TV, so I guess I'm not alone in wondering whether there was possible sabotage.  Whenever an offense sputters, the offensive coordinator is usually demoted or fired; but you can't fire a guy that's about replace you, especially when he's got the full faith and credit of the team owner.

Garrett made his career as a backup QB

What's done is done.  Garrett is the new sheriff in town and he has been charged with the mission of leading the Cowboys to success, much like he enjoyed during his stint as a backup quarterback.  He was on 2 Super Bowl winning teams and is fondly remembered for leading the Cowboys to a Thanksgiving day win over Green Bay in 1994.  He still retains his play-calling duties and has full control of personnel matters; so there isn't a player who will be on that team without his approval.

I'm sure if Jerry Jones could have had it any other way, maybe Garrett would have been head coach sooner, instead of the soap opera that unfolded when Bill Parcells had left.  However, if there is a team capable of playing out a soap opera, it can only be Dallas.