Cowboys Part Ways With Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys have parted ways with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan after five years, the team announced Friday.
This comes after going 10-6 in the regular season, grabbing the NFC East title and winning a playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks before falling short of the NFC Championship in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Saturday. However, getting to that stage of the season came with some mediocre offensive performances throughout that put fans in a "here-we-go-again" mindset.
In his time as offensive coordinator, the Cowboys made it to the playoffs twice and won once, which was last Saturday's wild-card victory. He also coached quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott in their dominant rookie seasons in 2016, where they ultimately went 13-3 but failed to win in the playoffs.
In the team's recent season, the Cowboys ranked 22nd in total offense, which ranked in the bottom of teams that made the playoffs.
Fans have long called for Linehan's firing as they look for the team to evolve and compete with the NFL's offensive powerhouses in this day and age.
Fans and media outlets received mixed messages coming off the loss to the Rams as many expected the Cowboys to make big coaching decisions. Garrett had told 105.3 The Fan on Monday morning that he expected Linehan to stay on the coaching staff, but he later took a step back in a press conference later that day and said discussions hadn't been happened yet.
Garrett released a statement Friday on his offensive coordinator no longer being a part of the team:
"This was not an easy decision because of how highly we regard Scott Linehan as a football coach and as a person. He and I had some really positive, substantive and open discussions which took place in the latter part of this week, and we ultimately agreed that it would be in the best interest of all of the parties involved if we were to make a change at this position. This was very much a mutual decision, and there was a great deal of common ground and shared understanding between both of us during our meetings. Scott has had an incredibly positive impact on our football team. He has been instrumental in the development and success of a significant number of our veteran and younger players. He is an outstanding football coach, a great friend and we wish him and his family nothing but the absolute best moving forward."
