Is Jason Garrett getting too much crap for being conservative?

[Rob0729]

Jason Garrett is getting a lot of crap for being conservative at the end of the game from everyone including the owner of the Cowboys. I don't necessarily agree with the particular play calls, but I think he actually employed the right strategy on that drive before Brady's game winner. Here are my reasonings:

1.) The Cowboys had the lead and had an opportunity to force the Pats to burn their last two time outs and one first down would have at best given the Pats less than one minute and no timeouts to tie or beat the Cowboys.
2.) The Cowboys defense has been giving Brady and the offense fits all day. It wasn't like the Pats were scoring at will yesterday. The way the defense was playing, the safe bet was to play conservatively on offense avoiding the big turnover and letting the defense win the game.
3.) It is these situations where Romo usually spits the bit.

Maybe I just am not head coach material, but the way the game was going. I would have trusted by defense to stop the Pats more than trusting Romo.

You can argue that the particular running plays were the wrong ones to run, but I thought it was the smart move to be conservative and take away the clock and time outs.

I guarantee you if they aired it out and Romo threw three incomplete passes allowing the Pats to keep all their time outs, Garrett would have been killed for not just running the ball.

 

[SyN65]

Not really, Cowboys could have won that game but they didn't play to win. Giving the ball to Brady with that much time was a huge mistake that falls on Garret's shoulders.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

It's like 4th-and-2.

If it works, everyone's talking about it; if it fails, it's pitchfork-and-torches time.

 

[Rob0729]

Not really, Cowboys could have won that game but they didn't play to win. Giving the ball to Brady with that much time was a huge mistake that falls on Garret's shoulders.

But if they passes and failed, they would have given the Pats more time and more time outs.

I would agree if the Pats' offense wasn't sputtering, but prior to that game winning drive no one on this board had confidence that Brady could lead a game winning drive like he did.

 

[Fball]

He was in "play not to lose" mentality. A more aggressive coach - like a Sean Payton - wouldn't have played it that way.

First, the decision not to take advantage of 1-1 w/ Dez near the goal was inexplicable. That's on Romo, but he may be coached that way.

And the decision to just run 3x, even after losing yards, and being content punting the ball away, was waaaaaay too conservative. You can do that against teams like the Redskins or Bucs...not against the Pats. You have to put a team like the Pats away when you can, and not give Brady any time (see: Bills).

 

[PATSNUTme]

I've heard the second guessing on D&C and Mike & Mike this morning and I consider it bull.

You have have held the Patriots to 1 TD all game. You have the 4th rated defense. So why take the chance of a turnover, giving the Patriots a short field to work with.

The Patriots had to go 80 yards against a top defense. Garrett did not make a bad call, Brady just is MR. Clutch when the stakes are high.

 

[everlong]

Can you imagine what these same people would be saying today had Romo been picked? They would be killing Garrett given Romo's recent 4th quarter meltdowns and he already had a pick and could have had two more.

The one thing they could have done was to go play action to the left and have Romo roll out to the right with the instructions that if his one and only read is covered tuck it down and run. I was actually worried before the series started that Dallas might make this call and then Romo runs for 8 setting up a situation where they run it twice up the gut trying to get the two yards.

 

[Rob0729]

BTW, the play calling didn't cause a false start penalty on third down making it a difficult situation of 3rd and 18. If it was 3rd and 13, they might have passed, but 3rd and 18 is too much to risk to air it out protecting a lead inside the 2 minute warning with the Pats' offense sputtering.

 

[Rob0729]

It's like 4th-and-2.

If it works, everyone's talking about it; if it fails, it's pitchfork-and-torches time.

That's my take. If they let Romo throw and he had three incompletions or an interception, Garrett would have been killed for not being conservative and letting his defense who has stopped Brady most of the game win the game for the Cowboys.

 

[captain insano]

isnt this the pats area of the board? visiting lockerroom?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Garrett is really in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation with Romo. I do think he's not the right HC for that team though. He's trying to coddle them over the rough patches. Listening to his presser where he was accentuating the positive including ON OFFENSE was pathetic... The Cowboys organization suffers from an entitlement mentality that permeates the entire roster to begin with. Telling them how well they performed overall even though they came up short just feeds that and in the end gets the HC axed...

 

[Rob0729]

isnt this the pats area of the board? visiting lockerroom?

This is related to the Patriots game. Why would this be a visiting locker room? I am not asking if Jim Schwartz is getting too much crap for his play calling vs. the 49ers.

 

[Rusty Coupe]

Somebody on one of the Cowboy's boards said , "the Lions beat the Cowboys twice".

Garrett gambled on the first two running plays and it didn't work out. Then with the false start on 3rd down he thought the better option was to let the defense stop Brady, he rolled snake eyes.

 

[Rob0729]

Garrett is really in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation with Romo. I do think he's not the right HC for that team though. He's trying to coddle them over the rough patches. Listening to his presser where he was accentuating the positive including ON OFFENSE was pathetic... The Cowboys organization suffers from an entitlement mentality that permeates the entire roster to begin with. Telling them how well they performed overall even though they came up short just feeds that and in the end gets the HC axed...

I think Garrett being the wrong guy for the job is a separate issue, but you are right. I expect Rob Ryan to be the Cowboys head coach next year. Watching the game yesterday, you would have thought he already was.

 

[patsfan-1982]

the cowboys were stoping Brady befor that last drive where Brady was pretty much perfact, you have to give your defense a shot to win the game

 

[ivanvamp]

It's like 4th-and-2.

If it works, everyone's talking about it; if it fails, it's pitchfork-and-torches time.

Their D was playing pretty well all game long, and the Pats had a long way to go. You have to think your odds (as Dallas) were pretty good in that situation.

However, one huge advantage the offense has there is that they KNOW it's 4-down territory. Keeping this NE offense from getting 10 yards in 4 plays is a very, very tall order. And 2:30 is a lot of time for Brady to move the team downfield, given 4 downs for every 10 yards.

In short, I think i'd have tried to throw at least once if I was them.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I've heard the second guessing on D&C and Mike & Mike this morning and I consider it bull.

You have have held the Patriots to 1 TD all game. You have the 4th rated defense. So why take the chance of a turnover, giving the Patriots a short field to work with.

The Patriots had to go 80 yards against a top defense. Garrett did not make a bad call, Brady just is MR. Clutch when the stakes are high.

You and Rob are right.
The Dallas D had just given the Pats a 3 and out.
The D had held us to one TD.
Sure it's TFB but it's 80 yards and you have the game defensive momentum in your favor.
Have the critics noted that the Dallas D smacked Brady hard that drive and had the Pats receivers so well covered except on one play to Woodhead such that only perfectly placed throws would result in gains? The coach wisely took time off the clock such that only the very best QB play could beat them. TFB removed his head from where it had been and went all world over their asses.

 

[jlu52]

History has illustrated that if you give too much responsibility and creative license to Romo at critical points in the game, he has a tendency to make his worst mistakes at said times. Maybe Garrett was playing not to lose because the Cowboys have already lost 2 games this year going all out. They've experienced the agony of defeat this year twice when certain victory was a foregone conclusion by most people watching. Like others have said, Garrett was in a damned if he does or doesn't here.

 

[Betterthanmost]

He can't win really. If he lets Romo throw and he throws a pick, that is the end of their season as he would have lost Romo. There is no way anybody recovers from that.
They want him to run, but only run when facing an offense that is struggling. Ok! The Pats were struggling. They had not scored the whole second half. Why can't my defense stop them again with no TO and just over 2 mins of time remaining?
Jerry Jones also did not help. Hard to win with an owner like that.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

He can't win really. If he lets Romo throw and he throws a pick, that is the end of their season as he would have lost Romo. There is no way anybody recovers from that.

What is "that"?

Brady gave away the LOLphins game in 2004, and bounced back nicely from that. . . .