DMN Blog: Mike Ditka: 'It's not like Wade's playing'

[WoodysGirl]

Posted at 11:48 AM on Mon., Nov. 1, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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Former Super Bowl winning player and head coach Mike Ditka chatted about the NFL Monday morning on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show. Ditka, who won a Super Bowl ring while playing with the Cowboys in 1972, spoke about the Cowboys poor start and the job done by head coach Wade Phillips.

On how difficult it is for Wade Phillips:
"I've been there. It's no fun. It's no fun. It's not like Wade's playing. I mean, I watched the whole game. He didn't drop a pass, he didn't make a fumble, he didn't get a penalty. I understand that and I hear all the guys, and guys on my show too, 'He doesn't have this or he doesn't have that.' I think there's a lot of different types of head coaches. There's not one mold. Everybody is not Bill Parcells , not everybody's Vince Lombardi . Some people are Tom Landry, some people are Bill Belichick, some people are other people. So, you have to be who you are. A lot of people don't buy into who he is. I don't know Wade Phillips that well. All I'm saying is that you can only be true to yourself. I mean, if you're not the players are going to see through that anyways. So, he is who he is. I know one darn thing, he has not played a play yet this year. And as long as he's not playing, he can't take the full responsibility. Those guys have an obligation. They got to look in the mirror. I said it a couple weeks ago, point their finger when they look in the mirror and what do you see? You see yourself. You got to start blaming that person a little bit, man. Because you are the guy that can do it. You're the guy that can make a difference. I'm sorry, he's got that sideline that stops him from going on the field. He can't make a difference. Well, you're going to come back and say, 'He makes a difference with his decisions.' Well, I don't care what decision you make. You can make a bad decision and the players can make it look good. You can make a good decision and they can make it look bad. Maybe he's made a lot of good decisions that have gone bad because of the players play."


Read more on his take on the 'boys loss: http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/archives/2010/11/mike-ditka-its-not-like-wades.html

 

[jobberone]

It's not all Wade's fault but he's the captain of the ship. Just as Garrett is responsible for the offense. Both need to go.

 

[NeonNinja]

It's not all on him but he's the HC and needs to motivate and find solutions to the problems.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

It's not like he's coaching either.

 

[boysfanindc]

It is weird to hear a coach say coaching does not matter.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

It is weird to hear a coach say coaching does not matter.

He didn't say coaching didn't matter. He just said that the players bear some responsibility as well.

Said it before, but that's the bad thing about having an easy target like Wade for a coach -- the perception is that all you have to do is change out the coach and all will be well. But a lot of players are quitting on this team right now, and they need to be gutted also.

 

[Oh_Canada]

It is weird to hear a coach say coaching does not matter.

Coaches rarely throw other coaches under the bus.

 

[Doomsday101]

He didn't say coaching didn't matter. He just said that the players bear some responsibility as well.

Said it before, but that's the bad thing about having an easy target like Wade for a coach -- the perception is that all you have to do is change out the coach and all will be well. A lot of guys are quitting on this team right now, and they need to be gutted, too.

And that is true. However when all is said and done the HC takes full responsiblity for the end result that is just the way it is.

 

[skinsscalper]

He didn't say coaching didn't matter. He just said that the players bear some responsibility as well.

Said it before, but that's the bad thing about having an easy target like Wade for a coach -- the perception is that all you have to do is change out the coach and all will be well. But a lot of players are quitting on this team right now, and they need to be gutted also.

I agree to a certain extent, CL. But, when the players have been conditioned into believing that there is no accountability, then it's easy to avoid the mirror. That falls on both the coaching staff and the GM. Which is why I also agree that a mere coahing change will change very little.

 

[Reality]

By Ditka's standards, any random guy off the street would be an awesome coach and if his team sucked, it would be the player's fault.

Yeah .. that makes perfect sense ..

-Reality

 

[Ren]

Wade is the guy responsible for getting the team ready to play, he's failed completely at this. Wade is calling this very obvious defense that doesn't give the players a chance to make plays he's responsible for that too

Ditka always stick up for the coaches it seems like,. This is the same dude the traded away an entire draft class for Ricky Williams, there's a reason he's no longer coaching

 

[Doomsday101]

Wade is the guy responsible for getting the team ready to play, he's failed completely as this. Wade is calling this very obvious defense that doesn't give the players a chance to make plays he's responsible for that too

Ditka always stick up for the coaches it seems like,. This is the same dude the traded away an entire draft class for Ricky Williams, there's a reason he's no longer coaching

It is the coaches job it is also the job of professional ball players to go out and do the job. There is a reason why NFL players make the money they do.

 

[alancdc]

Totally shocked that the defense can't keep us in football games.

 

[boysfanindc]

He didn't say coaching didn't matter. He just said that the players bear some responsibility as well.

Said it before, but that's the bad thing about having an easy target like Wade for a coach -- the perception is that all you have to do is change out the coach and all will be well. But a lot of players are quitting on this team right now, and they need to be gutted also.

Yeah and the earth is round, the players bear some of the responsibility, wow there is some serious insight.

Thanks Mike.

 

[Ren]

It is the coaches job it is also the job of professional ball players to go out and do the job. There is a reason why NFL players make the money they do.

You can only run the plays that's called, Wade blitzes all the time and it's the same predictable blitz every time. A good coach would know the strengths of his players and gameplan around that. We see nothing of that on defense when guys like Scandrick and James always seem to find them selves in single coverage where they get beat again and again. Wade has A LOT to do with the failures of this defense

 

[Doomsday101]

You can only run the plays that's called, Wade blitzes all the time and it's the same predictable blitz every time. A good coach would know the strengths of his players and gameplan around that. We see nothing of that on defense when guys like Scandrick and James always seem to find them selves in single coverage where they get beat again and again. Wade has A LOT to do with the failures of this defense

You can do more than stand there which is what guys are doing, yes there is nothing confusing about it yet that same style of defense has worked but it takes guys fighting not making contract at the line then coming to a stop. Football is not that confusing but it takes guys with heart and fighting not guys standing around which has been the case.

 

[Chuck 54]

He didn't say coaching didn't matter. He just said that the players bear some responsibility as well.

Said it before, but that's the bad thing about having an easy target like Wade for a coach -- the perception is that all you have to do is change out the coach and all will be well. But a lot of players are quitting on this team right now, and they need to be gutted also.

Wade has to go...that's clear, but people quickly forget how bad this team was under Bill Parcells as well...how Wade took Bill's team that underachieved and took them to 13-3.

The coach makes a difference, but we are not tough on the OL or the DL or ILB...and we absolutely suck at FS. That, along with the untimely turnovers early in the season, doomed this team.

Wade could come back next year with the same team and be 4-2...Bill Cowher could come in and do everything his way and this team could be 2-4.

Until you have a dominant OL and Defensive front, it's always a crap shoot.

 

[chinch]

It's not like he's coaching either.

LOL.

Bulls-eye... but still funny!

 

[7footer]

It is weird to hear a coach say coaching does not matter.

LOL...So you got that too huh?

What a joke. The discipline of the team, and responsibility to ready the team for their game each week falls solely on the HC's shoulders.

 

[Smith22]

When a coach is asked if he has lost the team and his answer is something to the effect of "I don't know, I hope not", GAME OVER.