Two of the hottest names that have been mentioned as potential head coaching candidates for the Dallas Cowboys have no experience at the NFL level, and most have assumed that would not deter Jerry Jones from hiring them given his history. However, Jones may have hinted on Friday that experience will be a factor in the decision making process if the Cowboys move on from Jason Garrett.
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones praised Lincoln Riley for the job he has done at Oklahoma and Matt Rhule for how quickly he has turned things around at Baylor. The Cowboys owner then made some interesting remarks about how difficult it is for college coaches to transition to the NFL.
For what it’s worth, Jones reminded listeners that Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 in his first season as the head coach in Dallas. Johnson only had collegiate coaching experience prior to that, and he went on to win two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. He was replaced by Barry Switzer, who also had zero NFL coaching experience but went 12-4 in his first season with a talented roster in Dallas and led the team to another Super Bowl championship in his second year on the job.
What does all that mean? Coaches that joined the Cowboys with no prior NFL coaching experience have combined to win three Lombardi trophies for Jones. If Riley wants the Dallas job, he could easily use that to pitch Jones, and there’s reason to believe it might work. The same can be said for Urban Meyer, who may actually have a better chance at landing the job than Riley.
It sounds like Jones’ first choice to replace Garrett is currently under contract with another NFL team, so he may decide to poke around the college ranks.
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