Brass Tacks Time for Schwartz and Garrett: Win Now or Get Fired

Published on 17-Dec-2013 by Richard Huryn

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Opinion

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Brass Tacks Time for Schwartz and Garrett: Win Now or Get Fired

Ignore the votes of confidence.

The head coaches for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys should be very concerned about their job security.

In a season where both of their respective NFL divisions have been unstable, to say the least, these two teams have failed to seize control of what should have been guaranteed playoff berths.

The 2013 season has seen the NFC East become a disaster wrapped up in a hot mess. The Eagles, Giants, and Redskins started the season -- through Week 8 -- with a combined 7-16 record. The Redskins were facing a coach/owner/quarterback feud while the quarterback was still trying to recover from a serious knee injury. The Giants were dealing with a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback having the worst season of his career while simultaneously having no running game and a horrible offensive line. The Eagles were breaking in a rookie head coach and developing their own quarterback controversy.

All the Cowboys had to do was hold down the fort. Other than the usual uncomfortable involvement of Owner/GM Jerry Jones, and perhaps the worst defense in NFL history, the Cowboys had little drama. Yes, their roster suffered injuries, but every team deals with injuries. In today's NFL, injuries are no longer an acceptable excuse. The 2013 NFC East campaign could be won by an 8-8 or 9-7 team, and there was no reason to believe that Dallas could not be at least that good.

The NFC North has been unstable in a completely different way. Among the three other teams not named the Lions, the NFC North has seen nine different starting quarterbacks. The Packers and Bears have cycled through signal callers because of injury to their Pro Bowl-quality starters, while the Vikings simply have a discernable lack of talent behind center. In a league where quality quarterback play has never been more important, the stable and healthy Detroit Lions should have easily been able to seize control of the division and walk backwards into the playoffs.

However, despite all the injuries, turmoil, and controversy, the games still get played. And in these games, the Cowboys' Garrett and Lions' Schwartz have clearly been unable to effectively motivate and command their teams to success in a season where division titles were practically handed to them.

With both teams having a large investment in their starting quarterbacks, it's clear the time has come. If these two coaches don't get it done now, they should move on.