I really don't hate Wade Phillips. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. But he is no longer an effective head coach for the Dallas Cowboys if he ever was at all. I wanted him fired after the 2008 season. I thought he had lost the team at that point. And I still believe they won in spite of him rather than because of him last season. At least the defense was still effective in 2008 and 2009 even if he wasn't doing a good job leading the team.
But things are worse now than ever. The defense stinks. The offense can't stop making mistakes. The special teams play is inconsistent. And Wade seems to do nothing to fix the problems that are consistently showing up week to week. And now the team is simply giving up when the chips are down against inferior talent. The Cowboys can't be called anything but a disaster at this point. And Wade is the man leading the downward spiral.
I said it last week and it is even more obvious now. This team isn't going to turn things around this year. Romo or no Romo, the Cowboys have too many problems to put together a winning streak that would save the season now. So when Jerry Jones says he wants to keep Wade Phillips through the end of the season because it sets the team back to switch to a new coach now I get very confused.
What does Jerry think he is going to save by keeping continuity in the coaching staff now? The season is lost and we can all see it. Things are so bad that some of the knee jerk "fans" are wearing bags on their heads at the game to make their point. While I think the paper bag over your head is a little extreme considering the team won a playoff game last year I think Jerry should see that there is a lot of truth in what his fans are telling him. The team is an embarrassment. And Jerry even admitted as such and apologized to the fans after the game.
But then in the next breath he essentially said that things are going to remain status quo for the rest of the season. I just don't understand what that accomplishes. I think he should give Jason Garrett a shot if he really believes that Garrett can still be the next head coach. Paul Pasqualoni has served as a defensive coordinator of a 3-4 defense before so he can take over the defensive play calling. It isn't like Wade has done a stellar job in the last few games running the defense so it couldn't hurt to try something new. It would be a perfect opportunity to give Jason Garrett a test run as head coach with nothing to lose.
I don't think that people are asking Jerry to change the coach just to make a change like Jerry talked about after the game. It is painfully obvious that Wade Phillips has lost his ability to lead the team. Wade essentially admitted that fact in his post game press conference. But still Jerry stands defiantly behind his coach.
I'm sure the contract extension that Jerry gave to Wade looms large in the current decision making process. Jerry was fooled by the success of last season into thinking that the Cowboys won because of Wade Phillips rather than in spite of him. And now if Jerry fires Wade he'll have to pay out Wade's contract. What I don't think Jerry is considering is how many fans he is losing while he tries to save a buck by waiting until the end of the season. Jerry will lose more money in the long run from his fan base than he is going to save by keeping Wade around.
The bottom line is that Wade needs to go. Not at the end of the year. Now. I don't think Jerry is going to actually pull the trigger which is sad. I hope we don't have to see more performances like the Jaguars game to convince Jerry that Wade is no longer effective as the head coach.
They probably have to lose all the way through the Thanksgiving game against the Lions for Jerry to fire Wade. I read another blog the other day(can't remember where now) that said they feel that the reason that Garret's play calling has been as simple as it has is because he doesn't have faith in the 0-line either. I had actually thought that was painfully obvious after the blowout in Minnesota. The coaching staff made some changes in an effort to "get younger" at some positions. They however forgot to "get better" at those positions. They cut Flo and look at him over in Steeler country...they moved him down the line and he's doing better. They traded Carpenter for Barron to "shore up" the offensive line. They also failed to replace Carpenter. Not that I'm saying Carpenter was stellar, but he was consistent I believe. They cut Ken Hamlin and only kept 3 corners. Our secondary play is suffering because of that. I do agree though, Wade must go. It also wouldn't hurt Jerry to pay an actual GM to do more of the football type decisions around Dallas.
ReplyDeleteJason Garrett is a problem too. His play calling is absolutely predictable and this offense needs to go another direction. I'm not sure what Romo can handle, if he can be successful in a west coast scheme, but we need a more unpredictable offense. I sit here watching games with my girlfriend and I can call the play more often than not, and this includes last year as well.
ReplyDeleteWe need a coach who is a hard ass (Gruden, Cower, or anyone else of that mold, although I'm not too big on Gruden), and we need a staff that really understands different schemes.
What has been shocking about our defense is it as well has become predictable. Have you not seen our red zone defense? It is constant blitzes and the problem is we are sending the same people and there aren't many stunts or any sort of complexity. Last year, we played a lot of "bend but don't break" defense, kept a lot in front of us, relied on the front four to get pressure in nickel and dime, and occasionally sent blitzes up the middle or sides. It seems like a common occurrence, and everyone is catching on.
What is also going unnoticed is I don't think Newman or Jenkins are healthy, but that doesn't excuse the play early on in the year.
We also need a cut-throat leader on defense. Ware is too reserved and I don't see anyone on the team playing with passion or getting in people's faces. Not confrontational, but stepping up into that role. From Week One, I haven't seen that passion on the field that I see in almost every team and I don't think we were that passionate last year as well.
I coach football here in Virginia (grew up in Dallas), and what the one thing I ask my linebackers are to play with passion. Even if they make a mistake, not to lose the rage and passion. This is a game of momentum. Sometimes you have to create your own momentum.
WBF
ReplyDeleteSorry posting as anonymous they took away my comment thingy. Anyways.
Very good posts. Justin i'm going to give you a 8/10 and Anon you get 10/10.
I've really been thinking about this. Are we as talented as we thought we were? Watching the colts play texans. That was an amazing game. Some real talent. Its been so long since i've seen the cowboys play with that type of enthusiasm I don't remember what it looks like when they play good.
Good post R2W again. Your the man. GB coming up then Giants. I really want to stomp the giants.
WBF
WBF
ReplyDeleteR2W can you use your awesome analysis powers and get us a list of Head Coaches you want.
Also please include Mike Leach from TT that got fired for angering the Administration. (he would be perfect for us in my opinion)
I like Gruden.
ReplyDeleteI think Jerry needs to hire a GM too. It's obvious that drastic changes need to be made, and I'm a die hard, womb to the tomb Cowboys fan.
To me Garrett isn't the answer either. I really don't see how the players would respond to him any different than Wade. This team needs a tough guy head coach, and hopefully the players would respect that and play with that type of mentality. Garret seems like a finesse type of guy. It's time for the Cowboys to get back to playing some smash mouth football.
ReplyDeleteGoat
The fans jerry will lose are fair weather fans, they might stop watching cowboys for now - and if any really do go as far to switch to another team then they weren't really fans at all were they?
ReplyDeleteJG is too predictable, that has beaten into a bloody pulp the last two years but it is true. Wade's defense is following the trend of all his defenses before it. Stellar first year or two, then a sickening rapid decline shortly after that.
I posted nov 1st 8:18, and I recall after the Ravens game two years ago Ray Lewis saying that Jason Garrett's offense was the most predictable offense he had ever seen in the league. And now Garrard came out and said he has never seen a team play with that kind of enthusiasm (lack thereof).
ReplyDeleteI understand Garrett was a hot commodity two years ago and J.J. likes to keep former players and staff on board, but we have the wrong ones.
What ever happened to Reeves coming in and helping us out a bit? I think Reeves in a role similar to a GM would work out great, especially with scouting and player evaluations (kind of like Parcells in Miami). I know we can't get Parcells or Jimmy Johnson back, but wouldn't that be one hell of a ride? Can you imagine Parcells GM and Jimmy coming back again? But enough of the fantasy...
I honestly think our best chance of righting this ship is Reeves in a GM-like role, and Gruden/Cower as a head coach. I know Cower would be reluctant to come here, especially because he lives in North Carolina and he is all but signed to be their head coach next year, but I honestly think it's time as fans to step up and take a stand.
To the point about Leach, lets start out by saying I don't like college coaches coming up to coach NFL. It doesn't work. It just doesn't. I'm a huge OU fan and I remember leach when he was our O.C., but he wouldn't fit the mold. To be honest, we have way too many big heads on this team and we need someone that will come in and have instant credibility and who will whip them into shape. Of the candidates, Cower and Gruden work. Leach is a hard ass, but he would not step in and take the bull by the horns.
We need a coach who overshadows everyone's ego and who will demand every ounce of effort from every single player, from the scout team on up. I haven't missed a single snap of a cowboys game for over seven years and I'm not going to stop now.
And we now hear Jason Williams was cut not only because of talent, but because he wasn't trying to progress and he wasn't well liked. I seem to hear that a lot about some of our players, and while I understand that happens with every team, it seems to frequent here.
REEVES/COWER- 2011
-A.S.K.
Very nice fan posts and good point to A.S.K. on the Leach.
ReplyDeleteI just want a coach that will do exactly what we are all saying. Someone that comes in. Gets in some faces. Stirs up some trouble. And gets some respect and effort out of the players.
Unfortunately I think we have to quit talking about it lest we get angry when Jerry keeps Wade till end of contract. I honestly think he will. JJ hasn't said anything but positive towards Wade and has not committed to us that he will make a change.
Still think he won't pull the trigger?
ReplyDelete