Monday, November 8, 2010

Phillips fired as Cowboys make mid-season coaching change

NFL.com Wire Reports
After another embarrassing defeat on primetime television, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had seen enough of the Wade Phillips era in Dallas.
Jones made the move Monday that had speculated about for weeks, firing Phillips after 3 1/2 seasons and replacing him with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
Jones entered the weekend not planning to make a move, but Sunday night's 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers became the tipping point. It was the Cowboys' fifth consecutive loss, dropping them to 1-7 this season.
"The decision has been made to move forward with a new person in the head coaching position for the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said during a press conference.
This is the first time the Cowboys have changed coaches in the middle of a season.
"Obviously this is a very difficult decision for me, the team and our organization. We are grateful to Wade and his contributions to the Cowboys, leading us to two division titles in his first three seasons with the club," Jones said. "We also clearly understand we are not where we want to be at this time and that's an understatement."

The Cowboys are in the midst of their worst season since 1989 and, by record, among the worst in franchise history. Realistically, it's a low point for the franchise considering Dallas was coming off a division title and a playoff win, and was expected to contend for the Super Bowl that'll be held at Cowboys Stadium.
Jones said that the move to replace Phillips is not an admission of defeat, something he stressed to players during a brief meeting Monday morning. He repeatedly referenced a need to change the culture of the team, and said the next eight games will serve as a chance for both players and staff to show if they want to be part of the organization going forward.
"I know how fleeting your time is to get to play and how fleeting time is in my case to get to be part of the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said. "So I think you ought to play like it's your last down every down, and I don't think we're having that."
The first game under Garrett will be at the New York Giants on Sunday.
Just about everything has gone wrong for the Cowboys this season. But the constant has been mindless mistakes: penalties, turnovers and other breakdowns befitting an expansion team, not one of the highest-paid rosters in the NFL. Phillips couldn't get the Cowboys to snap out of it. He tried being loyal instead of benching the players who were underperforming the most. That only seemed to make things worse.
The bottom has fallen out since quarterback Tony Romo broke his left collarbone Oct. 25. Maybe that was to be expected, but the reality is the defense has been the bigger problem.
That unit has allowed at least 35 points in three straight games, something the Cowboys hadn't done since their inaugural season, 1960, when they went 0-11-1. Stranger still, it's almost exactly the same players who closed last season with the first back-to-back shutouts in club history. This may have been Phillips' undoing, because he also was defensive coordinator.
Jones confirmed that defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni will take over the defense. Jones also made references that the defense was a key aspect of the team's struggles, saying the unit's difficulties spread to other parts of the team.
Jones had steadfastly supported Phillips throughout the current tailspin, even saying late last week that Phillips would keep the job the rest of the season. While the first five losses had all been by a touchdown or less, which showed players were still fighting, a second straight humiliating loss left Jones with little choice. Something had to change to spark the team's interest over the final eight games.
"There are a lot of people that certainly are going to suffer and suffer consequences," Jones said Sunday night.
Garrett's unit hasn't been much better, but he's been viewed as the coach-in-waiting since he was hired -- days before Phillips.
Garrett, 44, becomes the first former Cowboys player to become head coach. He was a backup quarterback behind Troy Aikman from 1993-99, and was the quarterbacks coach in Miami in 2005-06 before rejoining the club in 2007. He's had the title of assistant head coach since 2008, when he withdrew from other interviews to remain with the organization.

Garrett's father was a longtime scout for the Cowboys and he has two brothers on his staff: tight ends coach John and Judd, the director of pro scouting.
The 63-year-old Phillips leaves with a 34-22 record and was 1-2 in the postseason. Dallas won the NFC East twice on his watch.
His career record as a head coach with Dallas, Denver and Buffalo is 79-57, but only 1-5 in the postseason. He had only one losing record in eight full seasons. Counting a 3-4 mark over two stints as an interim coach, Phillips has 82 regular-season wins, matching the total of his father, former Houston and New Orleans coach Bum Phillips.
Phillips' job was shaky after a 44-6 loss to Philadelphia to close the 2008 season that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs, and again last season when it appeared they were headed toward a collapse in early December and Phillips' contract was expiring. But the Cowboys pulled out of it so impressively that Phillips received a contract for this season and next. He's owed at least $3 million for 2011.
It's quite possible this will be Phillips' final turn as an NFL head coach, although he could resurface as a defensive coordinator, his specialty throughout a 34-year career in pro football.
This season, his defense couldn't stop the run (routinely allowing 100-yard rushers, something that didn't happen once last season) and was helpless against the pass, offering neither a rush nor good coverage.
The offense in Dallas wasn't clicking even when Romo was healthy. The problems stem from an offensive line that consistently seems overmatched, whether it's trying to open holes for running backs or protect the quarterback. The backfield trio of Marion Barber, Felix Barber and Tashard Choice hasn't done much even when the holes were there. The lasting image of the receivers this season has been of balls ricocheting off them and into the hands of defensive players.
Even the special teams has been a disappointment.

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Dallas has been solid covering punts, but struggles to stop kickoff returns, another oddity because many of the same players are on both units. Teams are taking advantage of the weakness, too. When David Buehler booted a kickoff 6 yards deep to start the second half against Green Bay, the Packers returned it anyway -- and took it nearly to midfield.
The Cowboys have tried nearly every trick in the turnaround handbook -- a players-only meeting; an emotional speech from special teams coach Joe DeCamillis about nearly being killed when the team's indoor practice facility collapsed; a speech by Jones last week; a change in practice schedule; and, this past week, a return to fundamentals.
So now Jones is trying pretty much the only thing left.
Speculation will persist on the club's next permanent leader. Obvious candidates include former Super Bowl winners Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden, both currently working in broadcasting.
Despite talks of who will eventually take over the coaching reigns on a permanent basis, Jones told reporters Garrett will get his shot to keep the job beyond the next two months.
"He does have the opportunity to get the job long-term," Jones said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Jerry Looking At His General Manager (from Dallas Cowboys . com)

Posted by jellis at 11/1/2010 9:21 AM CDT
In the postgame locker room Sunday, with reporters digging for any subtle indication Jerry Jones is blaming Wade Phillips for the failings of the now 1-6 Cowboys, the team's owner, president and general manager actually placed himself in the crosshairs.

In typical Phillips fashion, the coach tried to shoulder the blame. But Jones wouldn't let him take it all.

"The unique way that we are structured is that Wade can't say that without including me in that," Jones said. "He wouldn't say that, but I will say that ... The makeup of the team, the players that are involved, the coaches, we all know they couldn't be here, not a one of them, if I hadn't agreed to it or put them here."

Jones is speaking, of course, of his socks-and-jocks approach to the football department, which includes not only final say in all personnel matters, but the planning of training camp and just about everything else which might have consequence on the field.

The problem with Jones attempt to shoulder that blame from Phillips, who is attempting to take it from the players, is that the previous 22 years of his ownership suggest coaches and players are subject to change. The GM can't and won't change.

"Well now wait a minute," Jones said, correcting a question in that vein. "You know that you can change GMs. I know we're going to read about that ... certainly you can do that. But I'm just saying all things are possible. In my mind we're trying to get some limit of what makes sense, and that doesn't make sense for this situation."

"You should recognize that I think about every - every - thing. And for 20-something years that I've been the GM here, when I look at our structure and I evaluate how we're set up and I evaluate where our commitment is, I look at every aspect of it. And the GM is a part of it. The president is a part of it. The one thing I don't ever look at is the ownership part of it. But I look at everything else."