What do you think Jason Garrett's legacy will be as the head coach in Dallas for so many years? - MATTHEW K / DALLAS, TX
Nick: I think Jason Garrett will be seen as a pretty good coach who always had his teams in contention and competitive until the end. But, with this franchise, pretty good isn't good enough. They need to be competing for Super Bowls every now and then and that never really happened. He had some unfortunate losses in the playoffs but in nine years, he had chances to get his team over the hump and never did. I still think he's a good coach. But it wasn't good enough.
Rob: We discussed this on our joint podcast Monday, and I was reminded about how some of those years literally hinged on a single game, or a play or two within a single game. If Tony Romo doesn't get hurt in Week 16 of the 2013 season, maybe they clinch the division against Philly. If Romo doesn't get hurt in Week 2 of the 2015 season, maybe they're back in the playoffs. The Dez Catch. The Jared Cook Catch. Such a fine line in this league. But that's the way it goes, and ultimately coaches are judged on wins and losses. His teams always played hard and almost always were competitive.
What do you think the impact will be of a new head coach on the current staff, since some assistants are believed to still be under contract? - JAMES TULL / BOSTON, MA
Nick: I think like most coaching changes, you'll see a mix of new and current assistants. Most head coaches will want to keep some holdovers just so you can get an idea of what kind of players you've got. Plus, they can relate to how things are done in the operations side as well. That doesn't mean a coach won't come in and change things up, but holdover coaches are great points of reference as well.
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Rob:* When the Cowboys do officially announce a hiring, it'll be interesting to see what happens on the offensive side of the staff. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was one of three first-year, full-time assistants who did a nice job (QBs coach Jon Kitna, O-Line coach Marc Colombo). Moore had the offense in the top six in yards and points per game last year. Gary Brown has been a good teacher for Ezekiel Elliott. We'll see what happens.
