Mike Singletary? Cowboys Very Smart or Very Dumb.

Those eyes

Quiet for Redskins today, so let's talk about the Cowboys mess.

As we all know by now, Bill Parcells retired again and his career as a head coach ended on Tony Romo's botched snap. Actually there were seven plays after the botched snap, but the Cowboys were poised to go up by two with 1:19 left in a road playoff game against the Seahawks and when Tony bobbled it, I bet Bill made his decision to hang it up then and there.

How amusing for Redskins fans. Bill benches and alienates Drew Bledsoe, his former golden boy in New England, for Tony, who proceeds to look good enough to get the Cowboys into the playoffs but not as a great seed, and then new golden boy blows it. Football always finds a way to humble even the greats.

Jerral W. Jones then hires Jason Garrett, Troy Aikman's former backup quarterback, as head coach. Or maybe offensive coordinator. Or possibly something else, just sit over there while the grownups talk.

Other names swirl. Wade Phillips, Norval Turner, and now Mike Singletary.

At this point I should note that Jason Garrett has been a coach for all of two years. Now that does not disqualify him by any means, but it does go into consideration. Mike Singletary has been a coach for all of four years and is currently Mike Nolan's assistant head coach/defense (what's with all these titles? Just call him the freaking defensive coordinator and be done with it) in San Francisco. Whereas I have no doubt about Mike Singletary's ability to communicate his knowledge of the game (a hall of famer, he was an incredible linebacker in the NFL for 12 years), head coach requires the ability to operate in the third dimension of the team overall, the ownership and the media. Just ask Richie Petitbon how well being a good (and experienced for that matter) coordinator translates into being a good head coach.

So on the surface, both Singletary and Garrett look like questionable candidates in light of the fact that Tom Coughlin, Joe Gibbs and Andy Reid all will be returning to the NFC Beast next season.

There is another factor at work here, being covered well by Dave at Blogging the Boys (many stories -- check Jan 25-30, 2007): the Rooney Rule. Now I personally believe the Rooney Rule on minority opportunity in the NFL is itself discriminatory and such bullshit that I have saved my harshest criticism of this rule for an editorial here. The rule is a failure and it is time to abolish it.

So cynical minds might believe that Jerral W. Jones is interviewing Mike Singletary, nominally as a head coach to satisfy the Rooney Rule, but in reality as a possible defensive coordinator. Norval says he already has someone in mind for defensive coordinator, but Norval and Mike Singletary work together on Mike Nolan's staff. Is that person Mike Singletary?

If not then Jerral W. Jones continues to make large and public blunders. He disrespects Norval's plans for his own defensive coordinator while making a hall of fame linebacker nothing more than a quota-filler, while preparing likely head coach Norval to deal with an 'offensive coordinator' (Jason Garrett) that is likely not in Norval's plan for coaching staff.

It's called schadenfruede.



This piece originally ran on Hogs Haven on January 30, 2007.

Photo of Mike Singletary from here