If you watched Dallas lose their season opener against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, it was obvious the Cowboys offense was pathetic.
Forget the fact Dallas rolled up 380 yards against the Redskins. Piling up a bunch of yards has never won a football game.
The only result that has ever mattered is how many points are on the scoreboard, and the Cowboys could only manage seven points against a respectable, but not overwhelming Washington defense.
Some of the blame can be placed on the 12 penalties Dallas had in the game, something the Cowboys have had problems with ever since Wade Phillips took over as coach.
You could also point a finger at kicker David Buehler, who missed a 34-yard attempt early in the 2nd quarter that could have allowed the Cowboys to attempt another field goal as time was running down instead of being forced to score a touchdown.
Maybe the Cowboys loss could be directed to Tashard Choice, whose fumble just before halftime gave Washington a 10-0 lead.
Perhaps the person most deserving of blame is right tackle Alex Barron, who left the official no choice but to throw a flag on the game’s final play as he put a stranglehold on Redskins’ defensive end Brian Orakpo.
But the person solely responsible for the Cowboys loss is offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, whose play calling on Sunday resembled a cross between a mad scientist and a 6-year-old opening Christmas presents at a rapid fire pace.
Garrett apparently didn’t get the memo about starting offensive linemen Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo being out with injuries.
Dallas’s offensive line is the team’s biggest area of concern even when Kosier and Colombo are healthy, but Garrett didn’t seem too worried when he had Tony Romo attempt 47 passes in the game.
Even with a patchwork offensive line, Dallas has two pretty good blocking tight ends in Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett, both of which provide additional blocking.
Let’s not forget about the Cowboys three solid running backs – Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Choice – all of which are more than capable of wearing out a defense.
Instead of utilizing the running game while mixing in some play action and screens, Garrett had Romo attempting short passes over the middle and what amounted to several laterals to Dez Bryant.
The Cowboys’ passing game wasn’t generating much yet Garrett didn’t make an effort to run the ball down the Redskins’ throats.
Even knowing the offensive line situation and Barron’s propensity to hold on passing plays, Garrett played right into the hands of Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.
For someone who was once considered to be head coach material, Garrett’s tenure as the Cowboys offensive coordinator has been a disaster.
Despite the array of talent Garrett has to work with, Dallas continues to have trouble putting points on the board – a problem that has carried over from last season.
Instead of pointing fingers at Buehler, Choice or Barron, maybe it’s time owner Jerry Jones end the failed experiment that is Jason Garrett.
It was the Cowboys owner who almost made Garrett his head coach after the departure of Bill Parcells, so the likelihood of Jones showing Garrett the door is virtually nil.
But Jones is going to learn another hard lesson, just like the one he learned when former coach Jimmy Johnson left the team.
He’s going to discover that Garrett – and not Wade Phillips – is the reason why the Cowboys won’t come close to realizing their Super Bowl dreams.
