Cowboys' Jones forced to audition Garrett

Interim Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has the derisive nickname of "Redheaded Jesus" among many members of the Big D media. It's a reference to how, after the 2007 season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave Garrett a $3 million per year contract to keep the then-assistant from pursuing head-coaching opportunities with the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons.

Jones also made it clear that Garrett was the coach-in-waiting once the team was done with Wade Phillips, a coincidental twist considering the current situation. Finally, when the Cowboys spent the 2008 training camp with HBO's "Hard Knocks," Garrett got so much face time that he appeared to be more in charge than Phillips.

[Photos: Ousted Cowboys coach Wade Phillps]

Garrett seemed to walk on water in the eyes of Jones and the rest of Cowboys management.

Now, Jones hopes Garrett can maneuver the Cowboys out of the mud and muck of a 1-7 disaster. The situation can't get much worse after the Cowboys lost 45-7 to Green Bay on Sunday night – and the game wasn't as close as that lopsided score. The situation was so bad that Jones, who has never fired a coach at midseason and at least five times said Phillips would finish, was left with nothing to do but make a change.

A big part of the motivation is that Jones still hopes to salvage Garrett. The only way to do that was to give Garrett a chance now.

"Could you imagine trying to sell [Garrett] to the fans [in the offseason] if they kept playing like this and he was the offensive coordinator?" a source close to Garrett said, rhetorically. "That wasn't going to work. Jerry has to sell the fans for next year that something is going to turn this around. Jason has eight games to show something."

With the team playing as if it hadn't practiced at all (rather than the fact that the Cowboys had the longest training camp of any squad in the league), the perception is that no one involved with the coaching of this franchise is qualified to be part of the solution.

Thus, Garrett had to be put in a position of control now to get a start on cleansing the stench of this season from his skin. On Monday, Jones even started to lay some groundwork (some may call it wishful thinking) for Garrett to be the next permanent head coach.

"Jason certainly has been a part of long-term thinking for the Dallas Cowboys, for me," Jones said during Monday's media address. "I do believe Jason has the temperament, the disposition to affect a coach change. I think this is important. … His style is one that I think can be real effective. … He does have the opportunity to get the job long term. That opportunity would be obvious if we would do outstanding as a team."

Fair enough, but really selling Garrett later on required that he get that chance now. Otherwise, Jones would be cornered into making another high-profile hire along the lines of Bill Parcells. Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher are the obvious names that carry weight to get fans excited.

Garrett, though, can influence Jones' decision-making by showing him something in the season's final two months. And realistically, the situation can't get any worse. Before this season, the Cowboys were talking about becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. That talk wasn't unrealistic at the time.

Now, some of the current Cowboys will be lucky to be parking cars at Cowboys Stadium come the first Sunday in February.

What has happened to the Cowboys is preposterous. While the team has lost quarterback Tony Romo(notes) to injury (fractured left clavicle), that only partially explains the past three losses. It doesn't explain the collapse of the defense, which Phillips ran. That group, which includes Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Ware(notes), Jay Ratliff(notes) and Terence Newman(notes) has been a joke. Nothing demonstrates how little respect the team had for Phillips than the incompetence of the defense this season.

In that regard, just firing Phillips will be enough of a shot across the bow. The only way Jones could have been more direct with the message Monday is if it had been delivered by Ted Allen, the host of Food Network's "Chopped."

But even this eight-game tryout for Garrett may not be enough to make him marketable to the public. Really, Garrett has been as much of the problem as Phillips. Since a strong first season as offensive coordinator in 2007, Dallas' offense has been inconsistent. Spectacular at times? Sure. Awful at times? Yep.

Jones talked about how Garrett has managed the offense to the three most productive statistical seasons in team history. That's true, but don't confuse statistics with winning.

The Cowboys have an offense that's great when it's playing with a lead because it has the personnel to milk the clock. However, one of Dallas' issues this season is that it's second to last in rushing (75.6 yards per game). While the running backs can be blamed for failing to produce, Garrett's heavy reliance on passing has to be questioned. The play-calling deserves further scrutiny when you consider that the lumbering offensive line isn't good at pass blocking. It is fair to say that Garrett hasn't found a solution to that problem during his three-and-a-half seasons as the coordinator.

Garrett has been unable to do that despite having great talent at his disposal. Romo may have his faults, but he's clearly an above-average player. The other skill positions have consistently been loaded with the likes of Jason Witten(notes), Miles Austin(notes), Felix Jones(notes), Marion Barber(notes), Terrell Owens(notes), Roy Williams and now rookie Dez Bryant(notes).

Winning with backup quarterback Jon Kitna(notes) shouldn't have been so difficult. Instead, the Cowboys have turned into quitters. That's harsh, but it's true. This team quit on Phillips and on themselves. They have already reached the lowest point possible for a team.

Garrett can only make it better. The question is: How much better is enough for him to be the long-term solution?