Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have a hard time saying goodbye to coordinators whenever they get a new head coach.
The Dallas Cowboys have a new coaching staff. The hiring of Brian Schottenheimer marks the ninth head coach since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989, and the tenth overall. For the first time in five years, the team will reset the coaching staff.
Well, sort of. It’s not a complete reset because Schottenheimer was with the staff as the team’s offensive coordinator. And when you really think about it, Jerry doesn’t like to rip off the band-aid and start fresh with a completely new coaching staff. With each new head coach he hires, he inevitably retains someone from the prior coaching staff. That’s not that uncommon, but what is unusual is how many times they keep one of the coordinators from the previous coaching regime.
When Jimmy Johnson took over in 1989, he brought in his own staff that included David Shula as the offensive coordinator and Dave Wannstedt as his defensive coordinator. Since then, Jerry has made eight new head coaching changes, and every change consisted of a returning offensive or defensive coordinator. Except one. Can you guess which one?
Let’s roll it back and look at how the Cowboys have avoided a complete overhaul and weirdly hung on to coordinators, again and again.
Who’s sticking around: Offensive Coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer
Schottenheimer was the team’s offensive coordinator over the past two seasons, although it’s been widely reported that Mike McCarthy was calling the plays. Schottenheimer was also on the staff as a consultant the year before that. Hiring Schottenheimer came as a bit of a surprise, but they’ve been around him a lot over the last few years, and it’s apparent they like what they see.
Who’s sticking around: Offensive Coordinator, Kellen Moore
The Joneses finally parted ways with their prodigal son, Jason Garrett, after coaching the Cowboys for 13 seasons, nine and a half as the head coach. While Garrett was gone, he left a parting gift in Kellen Moore, a guy who rose through the coaching ranks quickly under Garrett, emerging as the team’s offensive coordinator. During his four seasons as OC, Moore’s offense led the league in yards twice and finished in the top six in points scored three times. Moore is now the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Who’s sticking around: Offensive Coordinator, Jason Garrett
Garrett took over from Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season, but he resumed the play-calling duties he had as the team’s offensive coordinator under Phillips. Like Moore, Garrett was an intelligent but inexperienced coach whose impact was immediately felt. His first year as OC, the Cowboys scored 455 points, the second-most in franchise history at the time. The Cowboys finished top seven in points scored in three of his four seasons as OC.
2007 New...
