Dallas Cowboys offensive guru Jason Garrett under heavy pressure

IRVING — The Dallas Cowboys’ three Garrett brothers — John, Jason and Judd, each one a year older than the next — had to rewind two decades to their Princeton playing days for the last time all three wore the same team colors.

Judd joined the Cowboys’ scouting department last year. John, the tight ends coach, came aboard with Jason in 2007, yet it was Jason’s surprising decision to return to Valley Ranch for the 2008 season that ultimately guaranteed the Garrett reunification.
Branded a genius for his deft handling of mercurial receiver Terrell Owens, celebrity-hound quarterback Tony Romo and the rest of the high-flying 2007 Cowboys offense, Jason Garrett, a red-hot head-coaching prospect, appeared on the brink of taking over the Baltimore Ravens.
"I think in the long run it was his either strong feelings or even loyalty to the Cowboys for how much they had done for him over the years, and how much he enjoys being in Dallas and how much he loves the Cowboys that caused him to come back," Judd said. "In the conversations I had, that was the thing that came through to me."
Owner Jerry Jones, of course, helped to woo Garrett back with the title of assistant head coach and a substantial raise that made him the highest-paid assistant ever in the NFL and put his salary on par with head coach Wade Phillips’.
Everyone knows the story from there. The bottom fell out in 2008. The Cowboys missed the playoffs and in the ugly postmortem, Owens and even Romo questioned Garrett’s ability to scheme and adjust.
Now with Owens out of the picture, Roy Williams taking over as the No. 1 receiver, tantalizing backfield options and two pass-catching tight ends, the pressure is on Garrett to produce. It all starts next Sunday at Tampa Bay when Garrett will don the headset as the most scrutinized offensive coordinator in the game.

Garrett, who rarely reveals emotion behind his icy-blue eyes when talking to the media, speaks in monotone, offers limited information and delves mightily in cliché, said winning football games is his only focus.
"We talk to our players all the time about being focused on the task at hand, one play at a time, one day at a time, and all those things, and that’s really the way I approach my life and certainly the job that I have," Garrett said. "You do your best in life when you’re focused on what you’re doing and you’re not distracted by other things.
"It’s pretty simple, and it’s probably something that I learned a long time ago and it’s an important part of doing your job well."

By JEFF CAPLAN

jcaplan@star-telegram.com