Finding the next Cowboys head coach

The Dallas Cowboys have climbed on board the head coach carousel, letting Mike McCarthy’s contract end like a Dak Prescott slide. Here at BGN we want two things in life: to see the Eagles succeed, and to see the Cowboys fail. But iron sharpens iron (not a factual statement), having a competitive NFC East is a good for the Eagles, it forces them to not be complacent. So I’m going to be magnanimous and help the Cowboys in their head coach search. Bringing in outsiders to consult on top level hires isn’t out of the ordinary in the NFL, and I’m available and affordable.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. The Jerry Jones era has had its share of highs and lows, history tells us that the highs can be repeated and the lows avoided if they stick to a formula that has worked for them. What the Cowboys need is a winner. The head coaches of the Jerry Jones era make that clear.

Jimmy Johnson won a national championship with the University of Miami. Winner. He of course won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys.
Barry Switzer won three national championships at the University of Oklahoma. Winner. He too won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys.
Chan Gailey won a Division II championship with Troy State. Winner. He is the only head coach in Cowboys history to never miss the playoffs, and the only head coach in Cowboys history to never have a losing record.
Dave Campo had never been a head coach when the Cowboys hired him. Not a winner. He went 5-11 in each of his three seasons and is the only coach in Cowboys history to have a losing record for their Cowboys career.
Bill Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants. Winner. The Cowboys went to the playoffs in his first season, and he had three winning seasons in four years, bringing the Cowboys out of the dark days of the Campo era.
Wade Phillips failed as Broncos head coach and as Bills head coach. Not a winner. He was fired midway through his fourth season.
Jason Garrett had never been a head coach. Not a winner. In nine full seasons Garrett missed the playoffs six times.
Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl with the Packers. Winner. McCarthy is the only coach in Cowboys history to win 12 games in three straight seasons.

Not every coach who showed up to Dallas already a winner had great success with the Cowboys, but crucially every coach who showed up not already a winner had no real success.

The Cowboys have to have a coach who already has a championship ring, they can’t risk hiring an up and coming assistant like Ben Johnson. In this era of the NFL it would help if that coach has been at the forefront of offensive innovation. And they need a head coach who will keep them as a focal point for talking head shows, because for Jerry Jones any attention is good attention.

The Cowboys should hire Urban Meyer.