Bill Callahan Named Dallas Cowboys Playcaller by Jerry Jones

On Wednesday afternoon, Clarence Hill, Dallas Cowboys beat writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dropped some “breaking news” on his Twitter feed regarding the future direction of the Cowboys offense. He said:

On the surface, this “announcement” isn’t a blind surprise, but it certainly will make waves for “America’s Team”.

Current head coach Jason Garrett was promoted after being the offensive coordinator, and has been calling plays for the team throughout his tenure. Callahan was named the offensive line coach in 2012, and the former Oakland Raiders head coach is best known for his team’s Super Bowl flop in 2002.

The Cowboys ranked 15th in the league in points per game last season (23.5), despite being blessed with some tremendous talent in Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Demarco Murray (however banged up he may be). As a result, Garrett has come under nationwide pressure concerning his playcalling and overall game management (read: clock management).

This move will certainly be scrutinized by many, but the pressure may only heaten up on Garrett in the aftermath, as he is clearly on the hot seat entering the season, and his “weakness” in the clock management field will be magnified as a result of his limited responsibilities.

Callahan was quoted (by Hill) as saying that he was “honored and flattered to take on responsibilities of calling plays”, but it was certainly be interesting to follow whether he feels the same way when winter arrives.