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07-29-09, 10:54 AM
Buck Harvey - Buck Harvey
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/buck_harvey/51957412.html
A Cowboys starter was talking privately this month, and he said, sure, he likes Wade Phillips well enough. He also thinks Phillips knows a few things about defense.
But the player is also convinced Phillips is too sensitive and reacts to the media. The player said this is a liability. He said these are among the cracks that cost Phillips respect in his locker room.
All of which would help explain Tuesday, when Jerry Jones gushed about his coach. Jones thinks these moments matter to Phillips.
But that doesn’t explain everything. That doesn’t explain why Jones sticks with Phillips in the first place. Just as Jones’ contention that his new stadium should inspire his team to play like a billion bucks, his view of Phillips is as illogical.
If anything, as the Cowboys’ season begins, Jones summed up why it won’t end well.
The twist is that the Cowboys have a better roster now. The chemistry should be improved, as should the running game. The offensive line is thin but sturdy, and Tony Romo has shed a couple of things. Both have had reality shows.
But overlooking all of it is a marriage that remains as puzzling as it did in Philadelphia in late December. Then, the Cowboys ended their season with a 44-6 thud, and afterward, Romo was sounding like Terrell Owens.
The Eagles, Romo said, had “exposed” the Dallas schemes.
Jones didn’t flinch. He supported Phillips, and then he asked how long Andy Reid had been in Philadelphia.
Jones knew the answer. Ten years. “I’m looking for continuity,” Jones said.
He’s got it. When this continuous streak without a playoff win began, the Alamodome he’s in now was considered a viable NFL venue.
There’s no clear reason for Phillips’ continued employment. Perhaps Jones wants to remain in charge, or perhaps the right replacement wasn’t available last winter. Perhaps, too, Jones didn’t feel like paying Phillips $3 million not to coach.
But Jones couldn’t leave that alone, and this is his nature. Just as he had to embellish the role of his new stadium — suggesting it will inspire wins — he embellished the value of Phillips.
“From the standpoint of getting ready to strap it on and getting ready to accomplish,” Jones announced, “there is nobody I want sitting by me any more than the guy sitting right next to me.”
Nobody?
“I’m extremely, extremely — and I want to emphasize this — I’m so solid in my thinking that by having Wade Phillips as our head coach.”
That’s two “extremelys” and one “solid” — and zero contract extensions. Asked how he could allow such a coaching gem to work without a contract beyond this season, Jones rambled.
“I don’t ever talk about contracts,” was the highlight.
Jones also dismissed whether players might react badly to a lame duck. “If I thought it helped them run better, tackle better, throw better, catch better, over whether or not Wade or one of our coaches, the status of their contract, I would be disappointed in them.”
There was a time Phillips saw all of this differently. Then, in January of 2001, after another disappointing season, Buffalo wasn’t as impressed with Phillips.
Phillips thought he was in trouble, since management hadn’t extended his contract. He said later he wouldn’t have wanted to work with just a year left on his contract. Wouldn’t the players have seen him as powerless?
“I think it would have been an unmanageable situation,” Phillips said then.
Now he’s in precisely the same unmanageable situation.
But Jones isn’t bothered. Not by Philadelphia, not by the lack of past success. This isn’t faith as much as it was a flaw, and this is where franchises usually fail. From the top.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/buck_harvey/51957412.html
A Cowboys starter was talking privately this month, and he said, sure, he likes Wade Phillips well enough. He also thinks Phillips knows a few things about defense.
But the player is also convinced Phillips is too sensitive and reacts to the media. The player said this is a liability. He said these are among the cracks that cost Phillips respect in his locker room.
All of which would help explain Tuesday, when Jerry Jones gushed about his coach. Jones thinks these moments matter to Phillips.
But that doesn’t explain everything. That doesn’t explain why Jones sticks with Phillips in the first place. Just as Jones’ contention that his new stadium should inspire his team to play like a billion bucks, his view of Phillips is as illogical.
If anything, as the Cowboys’ season begins, Jones summed up why it won’t end well.
The twist is that the Cowboys have a better roster now. The chemistry should be improved, as should the running game. The offensive line is thin but sturdy, and Tony Romo has shed a couple of things. Both have had reality shows.
But overlooking all of it is a marriage that remains as puzzling as it did in Philadelphia in late December. Then, the Cowboys ended their season with a 44-6 thud, and afterward, Romo was sounding like Terrell Owens.
The Eagles, Romo said, had “exposed” the Dallas schemes.
Jones didn’t flinch. He supported Phillips, and then he asked how long Andy Reid had been in Philadelphia.
Jones knew the answer. Ten years. “I’m looking for continuity,” Jones said.
He’s got it. When this continuous streak without a playoff win began, the Alamodome he’s in now was considered a viable NFL venue.
There’s no clear reason for Phillips’ continued employment. Perhaps Jones wants to remain in charge, or perhaps the right replacement wasn’t available last winter. Perhaps, too, Jones didn’t feel like paying Phillips $3 million not to coach.
But Jones couldn’t leave that alone, and this is his nature. Just as he had to embellish the role of his new stadium — suggesting it will inspire wins — he embellished the value of Phillips.
“From the standpoint of getting ready to strap it on and getting ready to accomplish,” Jones announced, “there is nobody I want sitting by me any more than the guy sitting right next to me.”
Nobody?
“I’m extremely, extremely — and I want to emphasize this — I’m so solid in my thinking that by having Wade Phillips as our head coach.”
That’s two “extremelys” and one “solid” — and zero contract extensions. Asked how he could allow such a coaching gem to work without a contract beyond this season, Jones rambled.
“I don’t ever talk about contracts,” was the highlight.
Jones also dismissed whether players might react badly to a lame duck. “If I thought it helped them run better, tackle better, throw better, catch better, over whether or not Wade or one of our coaches, the status of their contract, I would be disappointed in them.”
There was a time Phillips saw all of this differently. Then, in January of 2001, after another disappointing season, Buffalo wasn’t as impressed with Phillips.
Phillips thought he was in trouble, since management hadn’t extended his contract. He said later he wouldn’t have wanted to work with just a year left on his contract. Wouldn’t the players have seen him as powerless?
“I think it would have been an unmanageable situation,” Phillips said then.
Now he’s in precisely the same unmanageable situation.
But Jones isn’t bothered. Not by Philadelphia, not by the lack of past success. This isn’t faith as much as it was a flaw, and this is where franchises usually fail. From the top.