Mike & Mike Two-A-Days: Doom and Gloom Crew Rejoice!

[YosemiteSam]

Cowboys will be 3-13 this year. Adams, Kosier, Colombo, and Gurode will all go down with injuries on the oline. Newman, Ware, James, Ratliff, and Scandrick go down with injuries on the defense. Folk and McBriar go down on special teams and Hell Boy has to both kick and punt this season! :laugh2:

 

[burmafrd]

We were ALSO a few bounces and breaks from going 11-5. We had key injuries to people at the worst possible times. You can talk all about the Steelers last year but they were pretty healthy everywhere but the O line in the playoffs- and Rothsburger took a pounding. But he was big enough and tough enough to take it.

There is no real reason to expect less then 9-7 this year, none at all looking at our schedule. Only if we have another rash of injuries.

 

[sonnyboy]

Two things that I hear over and over again with respect to the 2009 Cowboys that I don't understand or except.

1) This teams gone 9-7, 3 out of the last 4 years, so 9-7 or worse! is a reasonable expectation.
This would hold more water if the 4th season was nothing special, 7, 8 or 10 wins. Or if the special 13 win season was two years ago and we we're coming off back to back 9-7 seasons. Or if we declined from 13 to 9 wins last year because of departed players or players whose skills deminished.

But that wasn't the case. This team's win total dropped from 13 to 9 for one reason and one reason only........injuries.

2) Wade is a liability/not a legit HC. Bull****!
Go check the man's track record before the Cowboys.
When did he take over a team and it not improve? Defensively and overall record?
When did he have a team with a very good QB that was expected to win a play-off game and fail to?

He coached the 2007 Cowboys to their best record in franchise history.

I'd love to see one of these Dallas area journalist actually do their job. Get on the phone with 30 or more GM's and Coaches around the league to solicit their anonymous opinion of Wade Phillips.

Anonymity breads honesty. Get the opinions of the most seasoned respect NFL execs and publish the damn thing.

I'd bet dollars to donuts most fans would be shocked to see how highly regarded he is among those how know what their talking about.

 

[Alexander]

I'd love to see one of these Dallas area journalist actually do their job. Get on the phone with 30 or more GM's and Coaches around the league to solicit their anonymous opinion of Wade Phillips.

Anonymity breads honesty. Get the opinions of the most seasoned respect NFL execs and publish the damn thing.

I'd bet dollars to donuts most fans would be shocked to see how highly regarded he is among those how know what their talking about.

I have read other reports from other journalists that posed a similar question and the response was that he was an all-timer in terms of being a defensive coordinator and that 9-7 was about what to expect from him as a head coach as his results have demonstrated that. 13-3 was an anomaly, and most of his teams have been in that general range. I believe that was in one of the offseason magazines, USA Today's Larry Weisman wrote it if I am not mistaken.

I feel pretty confident that Phillips isn't regarded as a great head coach league-wide. No shame in it. There are lots of excellent coordinators that aren't great head coaches. He falls way above the Lindy Infante/Dick LeBeaus of the league, slightly above the likes of Dick Jauron but not in the upper tier like say a Tony Dungy became. Good, but again, missing something, probably with his demeanor. All it would take is a few playoff wins to "graduate" so to speak.

 

[sonnyboy]

I have read other reports from other journalists that posed a similar question and the response was that he was an all-timer in terms of being a defensive coordinator and that 9-7 was about what to expect from him as a head coach as his results have demonstrated that. 13-3 was an anomaly, and most of his teams have been in that general range. I believe that was in one of the offseason magazines, USA Today's Larry Weisman wrote it if I am not mistaken.

I feel pretty confident that Phillips isn't regarded as a great head coach league-wide. No shame in it. There are lots of excellent coordinators that aren't great head coaches. He falls way above the Lindy Infante/Dick LeBeaus of the league, slightly above the likes of Dick Jauron but not in the upper tier like say a Tony Dungy became. Good, but again, missing something, probably with his demeanor. All it would take is a few playoff wins to "graduate" so to speak.

Great Post and I agree 100% that Wade is not nor should eb consider a great HC. I wouldn't even put him in the category of "very good".

I have read similar articles to which you have referred. You always have to question the legitimacy of one or two off the record comments a writer makes reference to in a piece like that.

I compare Wade to Dungy the year before he won his SB. Both highly respect DCs with less than stellar HC records. Especially with respect to post-season success.
Dungy had some, but he also had two legit HC shots, a lot more talent and an elite QB.
Both considered underachievers who lacked that certain something.

I maintain that Wade is a legit HC. He brings a ton of experience and defensive expertise and was an excellent hiring given the situation as it existed in Feb 2007.
He also has had enough success in 2007 and 2008 to warrant a third year.

 

[Alexander]

Dungy had some, but he also had two legit HC shots, a lot more talent and an elite QB.

In terms of Denver and Buffalo, he wasn't destitute either. He inherited older teams left behind from Levy and Reeves. He tried to carry forward that foundation. In Dallas, he inherited a younger better team with more upside than he ever had in previous stops and I think better than what Dungy got from Jim Mora.

As for Romo, he is pretty good, despite his shortcomings. Not elite like Manning, but one that with the proper assistance can be good enough.

Dungy was helped by the fact he established "his" system defensively. "His" way of doing things. He had great assistants offensively (Mudd, Moore) who handled that side of the ball and he retooled the Colt defense. He even has a "tree" so to speak that has spread to other teams in the NFL (Edwards, Lovie Smith etc.), so I think he was already above Phillips' echelon even before he won a Super Bowl. Phillips really hasn't had that kind of history.

Dungy's system did well in Tampa and did great with front office support (Polian) in Indianapolis. In fairness to Phillips, he has had to deal with both Jerry Jones and Ralph Wilson in two of his three head coaching stops. Phillips runs his scheme very well, but I can't say you can define him as having a "system" nor has he ever had the inclination or autonomy to establish one. That's partially his fault, partially not.

Both considered underachievers who lacked that certain something.

True, but I think Dungy was more of a "mentor" to some players (ask people like Sapp and Warrick Dunn how he was for them in Tampa). I just don't get that from Wade Phillips. To a man, player's respect what he can do with a defense. But I have yet to see any player speak about his other intangibles in terms of being a head coach like they did for Dungy. And if he was fired as Dungy was in Tampa, how many of these Cowboys would pine away?

I maintain that Wade is a legit HC. He brings a ton of experience and defensive expertise and was an excellent hiring given the situation as it existed in Feb 2007.

Yes and no. Defensively, we needed him due to the commitment with the 3-4. He made a bad decision with Brian Stewart however. He should have taken the reigns from day one. I still don't think any favors were done for him when his offensive coordinator was picked before he was and even interviewed for his job. It is still a strange dynamic that I question will work.

He also has had enough success in 2007 and 2008 to warrant a third year.

Dungy had even more success in his final year in Tampa than Phillips has ever had. Playoff wins and losses are the determining factor. Until he starts losing conference championships instead of wildcard or divisional playoff games, I don't think he's earned more than what he has. Jones gave him that. He's got to get over the hump.

 

[lcharles]

Cowboys will be 3-13 this year. Adams, Kosier, Colombo, and Gurode will all go down with injuries on the oline. Newman, Ware, James, Ratliff, and Scandrick go down with injuries on the defense. Folk and McBriar go down on special teams and Hell Boy has to both kick and punt this season! :laugh2:

:spanking:

 

[big dog cowboy]

Cowboys will be 3-13 this year.

I guess Emmitt giving us 7 wins (maybe) isn't so bad after all.

 

[windward]

I think we go 11-5 or better. I see our 5 losses coming in splits with NYG and PHI, as well as possibly Atlanta, New Orleans, and San Diego. Atlanta seems to always have our number, as does New Orleans. We always have Carolina's number -- Julius Jones had one of his biggest games against a really good Carolina team back in the day IN Carolina. San Diego always earns respect until they find a reason to give it away...they had a near implosion last season, but they get the benefit of the doubt from me.

Other than that, I think we roll our schedule, and possibly do even better if we keep the foot on the gas after Turkey Day.

How does Atlanta have our number? We are 1-1 against them in the past 6 seasons

 

[Cowboy Junkie]

Really? Must not have been on the Gottlieb show, where he normally kills us per his show angle, I suppose.

Mike Greenberg is clueless about sports in general - he's really just a journalist that happens to work in sports. Golic I respect a bit more, but he's been out of the league for quite some time as well and might have some bias having played for the Eagles

Both of them are generally entertaining though - their routine of Greeney being frail and feminine never gets old

I think the opposite. I could care less about their prediction but they are so old and boring it is very hard to listen any more .Only reason I listen at all is because it is the only show offered on ESPN at that time slot

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

I love how ESPN points out the MNF games only.....

 

[Da Hammer]

Greeny is close IMO i got us at 9 wins. Other than pass rushing, and TE we have no area where we are great at. Our running game has the potential to be great but i have questions about the offensive line being consistent. Barber/Jones have to prove they can stay healthy. Romo has the potential to be great but then also has moments where in a single stretch he can blow a game bigtime. Our secondary is still young although headed in the right direction i believe. Scandrick i have huge sights for in the next couple years. Our receivers are average. crayton as a #2 again makes me wanna puke. coaching is a huge problem until proven otherwise. December is a huge problem until proven otherwise. special teams look to be improved.

I say 9 wins dont really see how you can go higher than 10 to be honest. and dont see us going worse than 8-8 unless we get a ton of injuries which could happen to any team. 9 wins we get, edge of making the playoffs could go either way depending on some of the NFC south teams and how good they truly are...

 

[28 Joker]

That is just idiotic.

I know I can get 9.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Was listening to Doug Gotlieb over the weekend, he predicted a "special" season for the Cowboys and thought we were gonna win alot of games.

please tell me you aren't trying to use Gotlieb as a source of inspiration

Phil Steele says we are a SB contender, that is good enough for me.