NFL
Jason Garrett Speaks His Mind on His First Meeting Against the Dallas Cowboys
For the first time since being let go by the franchise that employed him for two decades as a player and coach, Jason Garrett will face off against the Dallas Cowboys when his New York Giants visit AT&T Stadium this Sunday for an NFC East showdown.
Garrett, who is in his first season as the offensive coordinator for New York, will be looking to roll over the Cowboys’ horrendous defense in an effort to help the Giants to their first win of the season but that’s all Sunday will be for him. Jason Garrett isn’t using his return to Dallas as extra motivation as he says that this is just another game for him. He’s thankful for his time with the Cowboys but all he wants to do now is beat them, just as he would any other team.
Jason Garrett spent 20 years with the Dallas Cowboys as a player and coach
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Jason Garrett first came to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 as a free agent. Following a year on the practice squad, he became Troy Aikman’s backup in 1993 and remained in that role for seven seasons before joining none other than the New York Giants in 2000.
Garrett returned to Dallas in 2007 as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator and became the assistant head coach the following year. When Wade Phillips was fired after Dallas began the season 1-7 in 2010, Garrett was named interim head coach and led the team to a 5-3 record, which was good enough to get him the permanent job.
Over the next decade, Jason Garrett led the Dallas Cowboys to three division titles but the team never advanced past the divisional round in those three playoff appearances. Garrett ended his tenure in Dallas with an 85-67 record in the regular season and a 2-3 mark in the postseason.
His contract was not renewed following the 2019 season
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In 2018, Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys went 10-6 and won the NFC East for the third time in five years. They beat the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs but couldn’t get past the Rams to advance to the NFC Championship.
Loaded with talent, especially on offense, the Dallas Cowboys were projected to be one of the best teams in the NFC in 2019 and it just never happened. After starting the season with three consecutive wins against mediocre teams, Dallas couldn’t figure out how to beat the good teams and missed out on the playoffs with a disappointing 8-8 record.
Jason Garrett’s contract expired at the end of last season and while it took Jerry Jones some time to make the move, he decided not to renew Garrett’s contract. But it certainly didn’t take Garrett long to find a new job. Just 12 days after being allowed to walk, he signed on as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants and is now preparing to face his former team for the first time.
Jason Garrett speaks on his first meeting against the Dallas Cowboys
Sunday’s battle between Jason Garrett’s Giants offense and the Dallas defense will certainly be interesting. New York currently has the worst offense in the league while the Cowboys have the worst defense. But Garrett is preparing for this game as he would any other and just wants to leave AT&T Stadium with a win. He understands that people are thinking that he wants to win this game more than any other but, as he told NFL.com, that’s just not the case.
“The biggest thing we’re all focused on is what we can do to help the New York Giants play as well as we can play and that’s what we’re focused on as players, coaches. Many people around the league, you have history in another place, you know people on other teams. I obviously spent a lot of time in Dallas.
“I was very grateful for my experience there, all the players I was fortunate to coach and the guys I was fortunate to coach with, everyone in that organization, and really the people of Dallas. They were amazing to me. It was a great time in my life. I’m forever appreciative of that, forever grateful of that. But I’m excited about the opportunity and trying to help this team get better.”
Jason Garrett on facing the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants meet at AT&T Stadium this Sunday at 4:25 Eastern/3:25 Central on Fox.