Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was criticized for his decision to kick a field goal with just over six minutes remaining in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, but the lack of communication surrounding the call he made may have been the most troubling part about it.
The Cowboys, trailing 13-6 at the time, had 4th-and-7 from the New England 11-yard line with 6:08 left in the game. Garrett opted for the field goal, despite the fact that Dallas was going to need a touchdown no matter what and had struggled to move the ball all game. When asked this week if he communicated with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore about what he was planning to do before the situation arose, Garrett had a concerning response.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to constantly interject on a guy calling a play,” he said, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “You want pick your spots in those situations.”
Garrett obviously made the decision to kick the field goal rather than go for it on 4th down, but it would reflect poorly on him if he did not communicate with Moore prior to that. Moore is the one calling the plays, so it would help to know if the head coach had ruled out taking the three points, which some coaches would have in that situation. That could have changed the playcalling on the series.
Dallas got deep into New England territory on that drive thanks to a 47-yard completion from Dak Prescott to Randall Cobb. It was a rare mistake by the best defense in football, and one that didn’t seem likely to happen again. Rather than rely on his team putting together another drive against a defense that was playing lights-out, many feel Garrett should have taken the shot on 4th-and-7 rather than cutting the Patriots’ lead to four. Either way, it sounds like the communication could have been better.
Jerry Jones was highly critical of his coaching staff following Sunday’s loss, and Garrett doesn’t seem to be helping his cause after the fact.
