Amari Cooper Can not Solve Cowboys' Biggest Problem: Jason Garrett | Bleacher Report

The Dallas Cowboys' primary issue is the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow: Jason Garrett is not the right person to lead the team.

The second-longest-tenured head coach in the franchise's history has done nothing to build upon what little success he's experienced during his nine seasons.

Dallas went all out during the week in an attempt to make a push for the NFC East Division by a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Wide Amari Cooper receiver, only to fall flat against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Cowboys' 14-point loss is their worst coming off bye since the 2004 campaign.

"We did not see this coming," owner Jerry Jones said after the 28-14 loss at AT & T Stadium, for the Dallas Morning News' Jon Machota. "We did not have a lot of time to prepare." "We had a lot of time to get ready and make changes to give us a better shot.

Dallas to 3-5 overall and two full games behind the division-leading Washington Redskins. Poor preparation falls directly on the coaching staff.

Maybe criticism of Garrett attending a World Series contest while he was still having some merit, even though Jones did not think so and was a week away from defending his coach.

"First of all, I'm not having anybody, I'm not associated with any of Jason Garrett," he said last week on 105.3 FM the Fan in Dallas (via ESPN.com's Todd Archer). "I can assure you that he did not have his mind on our team." Like I said firsthand, we're talking about the weekend, and we're talking about this weekend. Jason Garrett's mind is where I know where his work is.

"A little bit of respite now, and then as far as a bye week, [it] is not an issue. "

It's an issue now being completely outplayed by a squad (4-4) with its own set of problems. Tennessee lost its previous three games and did not manage more than 19 points in any of those. On Monday, the best version of Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota showed up against a supposedly improved Dallas defense. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback also ran for the final score with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Titans played the team with a new weapon to exploit, since Dion Lewis replaced Derrick Henry in the starting backfield. The 195-pound back was too much to handle for the Cowboys. Lewis led Tennessee in both rushing and receiving yards. He finished with 122 yards from scrimmage and a score on a second-quarter screen pass.

Tennessee managed 340 yards and built sustained drives.

"Mariota said," We're all kind of figuring out where the spaces are and understanding really when I'm pitching the ball or throw it, by ESPN.com's Turron Davenport.

Mike Vrabel's squad scored on red-zone opportunities, and it could have been worse for the Cowboys, since Mariota missed a wide-open Corey Davis in the end zone before Ryan Sucup clanged a gimme 28-yard field goal attempt off the left upright.

Jones' frustration is becoming apparent, as ESPN's telecast:

The confidence he had exuded about his head coach is waning.

"When you have played the game, it's a cause for concern," he said, for NBC DFW Sport's Jean-Jacques Taylor.

Reporters pressed Jones on whether he can be patient with the team's current direction.

"I really do not know what that means right now," he said. Said.

Jones would not discuss Garrett at any point during the regular season. He does not expect any other changes in the coaching staff, either, according to ESPN.com's Todd Archer.

But Jones undercut his coach in the season by a second-guessing decision in the last week. And none of this is new territory – which makes it a potential move all the more obvious.

The Cowboys have only made the postseason twice in Garrett's tenure. If he does finish this season, the team will have a .500 or worse record in six of his nine seasons.

Monday's performance is more of the same. Yes, Cooper provided a spark. The team's team was new to 58 yards and a touchdown. He looked at great running routes and creating separation. The latter point makes a massive upgrade over the Dallas receptions fielded through its first seven contests.

But the problem with the scheme did not change with Cooper in the lineup. The Cowboys are too conservative and lack imagination in their passing game, and they did not even attempt to hit their first-round pick-and-field. Instead, the offense has been made with Cooper involved.

"He's a great player," Dak Prescott quarterback Machota. "You get the ball in his hands." He's an advantage.

Cooper will be fine. He's an upgrade and an important piece to the franchise's future.

The same can be said of Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. But neither of these cornerstone pieces have been fully developed since their breakthrough rookie campaigns. Prescott, in particular, has regressed a lot and has yet to reach the point where he can carry the offense if / when Elliott is not running well. Prescott forced to pass into the double-coverage of the game. The quarterback is still at the level of third-year veteran should.

Furthermore, the offensive-ounce line is a shell of its self-training. La'el Collins and rookie left guard Connor Williams have not transitioned into full-time roles. Collins showed more promise at guard, while Williams may have been thrust into the lineup too early.

All of this-the lack of development, the guys slotted in the wrong spots, the regression-falls on Garrett.

So maybe the future has some potential, but the present is a mess because the staff is not properly developing the team.

Life will not get any easier for the Cowboys in the coming weeks, either. The Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Washington, and New Orleans Saints before facing the Eagles for the second half of the season.

The odds of Dallas is successfully navigating that is stretching to re-instill faith in its head coach is slim to none.

"As Coach Garrett said, we got a decision to make," Prescott added, per Machota. "The schedule gets tougher, but we know the team we have gotten to buckle down, lock arms and be together more than ever … We still got a long season to go. "

At best, Garrett is a mediocre coach. At worst, he's holding back the entire organization from making legitimate progress.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @brentsobleski.