Jason Garrett Passing Up Ravens Job Was Motivation Terrell Suggs Needed

Two days before the Cowboys closed out Texas Stadium in forgettable fashion, I wondered if the rest of the league had caught up with Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. After getting credit for leading the Cowboys to 13 wins a year ago, he's also the guy behind an offense that has been maddeningly inconsistent this season.

Sure, losing Tony Romo for a month had something to do with it, but Brad and Brooks had nothing to do with Garrett's decision to underutilize Marion Barber earlier in the season, or to find new ways to take Terrell Owens and Roy Williams out of the game plan, even if unwittingly (prior to Ed Werder Week, anyhow). And last night, Romo admitted that it took the offense three quarters to understand exactly what the Ravens defense was doing. That's on Garrett.

Interestingly, Garrett could've had the Baltimore job last spring, but he left his interview without signing a contract, and Jerry Jones promptly gave him a raise. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs had that in mind as he was slapping Romo silly.

"It was personal,'' Suggs said. "You know their coach, Jason Garrett, he turned the job down and said one of the reasons was we didn't have men of character. We fed off that... I wonder which team he wishes he was coaching now?''

Heated Coach-Player Feuds

Ravens star Terrell Suggs, left, took issue with Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett turning down Baltimore's head coaching job last spring, and used it as motivation to help his team beat the Cowboys on Saturday. "It was personal," Suggs said. "I wonder which team he wishes he was coaching now?" Click through for other memorable coach-player feuds.

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Redskins running back Clinton Portis unleashed a load of frustration toward Jim Zorn in a December radio interview and flippantly called his coach a "genius." The comments followed Portis' benching in the third quarter of a Week 14 loss to the Ravens.

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The feud between New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, left, and Stephon Marbury reached a boiling point at the end of November. The Knicks suspended Marbury and docked him nearly $400,000 in salary after claiming he refused to play.

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Ex-Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson, right, blasted Brad Childress on a conference call in November, telling reporters he would like to "duke it out" at the 50-yard line with his former head coach.

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The Royals' Jose Guillen, left, had to be separated from Kansas City pitching coach Bob McClure before a game in July. Guillen also had a sitdown with general manager Dayton Moore after confronting a heckling fan during a game against Texas.

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Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez apologized after a scuffle with traveling team secretary Jack McCormick, in which the slugger reportedly shoved him to the ground on June 28.

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Shawn Chacon, left, was placed on waivers by the Astros June 26 following a physical confrontation with GM Ed Wade. "I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground," Chacon said. The pitcher was upset by the decision to move him from the starting rotation to the bullpen.

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Outspoken wide receiver Chad Johnson has repeatedly feuded with Cincinnati Bengals management. Johnson blasted the team last year for implying he was "selfish and a cancer" and asked for a trade, prompting head coach Marvin Lewis to reply "he is a Cincinnati Bengal for quite a while."

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NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his step-mom, Teresa, feuded over Dale Jr.'s trademark No. 8 after his departure from DEI last year. The driver settled on using No. 88 in 2008.

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Manager John Gibbons, who was fired by the Blue Jays in June, routinely feuded with players during his time in Toronto. Gibbons reportedly challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight in July 2006 and had a shoving match with Ted Lilly after the pitcher refused to surrender the ball when he was removed from a game later that year.

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The Dallas Morning News' David Moore points out that there is no record of Garrett making those comments, which is just more proof that Suggs has malice in his heart. Or maybe he just needed some extra motivation because there are only so many times you can hear Ray Lewis' pregame pep talk without your mind wandering.

Whatever, the Ravens are right in the thick of things and the Cowboys, just like every year since 1996, are in real danger of not winning a playoff game. The solution, obviously, is that Jones needs to spend more money this offseason.