IRVING, Texas – In his first press conference since the end of the regular season, head coach Jason Garrett tried to use the setting on Wednesday to discuss the new faces on his coaching staff.
While he was able to do that, the focus shifted quickly to the issue of play-calling and the possible change next season involving Bill Callahan's role on the sidelines.
Whether or not Callahan's situation will be different, many faces surrounding him certainly will be.
Garrett shared some stories about the new coaches, including his involvement with the former Buccaneers assistants Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli and Rich Bisaccia when Garrett played for Tampa Bay in 2004.
Here's a short briefing from Garrett on each of his new assistants, including Wes Phillips who has been here for six seasons but is now the new tight ends coach.
Garrett on defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin:Early on, I think he was on to me because every day
after practice I would walk up to him and ask him a football question. He's a very generous and gracious guy. I learned not only from watching him and how he handled himself and meetings, but just being around him. He's very gracious and generous. We developed a relationship back then. My respect level for him is really off the charts. We're fortunate to have him here to coordinate this defense. He's done it better than anyone else has.
Garrett on defensive line coach Rod Marinelli:He's one of those guys who talks about the greatness of
the game of football. He talks about preparing the right way. There's great honor about playing and coaching this game and doing it the right way. The way he conducted himself that year I was around him, was really, really impressive to me. As impressive as a football coach as I've ever been around.
Garrett on special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia:He's been one of the premier teams guys in the league. He just has an infectious personality. It's particularly important for a special teams coach.
He's got a great demeanor. The players play as hard for him as I've ever seen players play for any coach. He's a greatteacher, loves the game. He'll be a great resource for us. He'll make this team better.
Garrett on wide receiver coach Derek Dooley:When I was a player here in the 90's, he was coaching receivers at SMU. Our relationship goes back that far. We coached together on Nick Saban's staff with the Dolphins in 2005-06. We've known each other well. He played receiver at Virginia and has a great receiver background. He and I know each other well. He knows our system and I think
that transition will be really good for us.
Garrett on tight end coach Wes Phillips:He's really someone who is my right-hand man. We spent some time together putting the offense in a number of years ago. He's really been a great asset and resource for me. Wes was a quarterback himself and coached receivers earlier in his career.
Garrett on running back coach Gary Brown:He's really a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I've known him for afar and competed against him. This is really a football guy. I'm excited about him. Often times, guys that play in the NFL don't have a willingness to do what's necessary to coach at this level. He's a really bright guy. He's someone who is a really, really good teacher. I know him the least of the guys we hired but I might be as excited about him as anybody else. [embedded_ad]
Garrett on asst. offensive line coach Frank Pollack:Frank played for Bill Callahan at Northern Arizona in the late 80's and they go way back. Some of the contributions he can make, along with his relationship with Bill, can make us a really good football team.
