Our mistake - firing Wade Phillips

[Cowboy Brian]

I'd love him back as DC.

 

[Little Jr]

Wade>jg. That's all I know

 

[Vanilla2]

Extremely similar. Though I think Wade is at least a professional NFL coach. An assistant coach, but at least legit and professional. Barry was a joke.

I as a fan back then (teenager) wasn't as into the minutia of the team back then.

I knew jimmy was better but really didn't grasp how much a drop off Barry actually was.

Looking back yeah it was bad.

I think that even though the cowboys won with wade I feel it was inspire of him instead of because of him and set in motion our current state of water treading.

Deep down I wish the team would start over from the ground floor keeping only a couple players

 

[links18]

I'd love him back as DC.

Jerry has already said we aren't going back to the 3-4. The 3-4 is Parcells' legacy in Dallas and Jerry wants nothing more of it......

 

[percyhoward]

I feel like Wade inherited a 10 win team that benefited from Wade's defense and it generated a few more wins. Plus the offense was lights out too and was far more aggressive than it was while Parcells was here who played too conservative for my liking.

The defense improved from 22nd in points allowed per drive in Parcells' last season to 14th, 14th, and 3rd in Wade's full seasons.

Offensively, we became aggressive when Romo stepped in. Romo's 8.6 yards per pass attempt led the league in 2006, while Parcells was still around. We had a top 5 offense in both Parcells' last year and Phillips' first, ranking 3rd and 4th in points per drive. The reason wasn't aggressiveness, it was red zone running. We got away from the running game when Sparano left after the 2007 season and dropped to 14th.

 

[links18]

I think that even though the cowboys won with wade I feel it was inspire of him instead of because of him and set in motion our current state of water treading.

Deep down I wish the team would start over from the ground floor keeping only a couple players

Yeah, that 2007 team showed great composure when it counted, didn't it? All that talent, only to implode in December and January.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Jerry has already said we aren't going back to the 3-4. The 3-4 is Parcells' legacy in Dallas and Jerry wants nothing more of it......

Sadly, I think you're right about that. I suspect that is a big reason reason Jerry is so against it.

 

[Dodger12]

I still wonder to this day why his team quit on him.
He supported his players.
He may have come off as a bumpkin, but I don't think he was a moron.
You can't be as successful a DC as he is and be a moron.

Maybe someone here knows more about the situation than I.

Wade wasn't a moron. It's funny how the Dallas media made him out to be some back woods hick country bumpkin and yet consistently gives the rookie trainee, Garrett, a pass. We can all speculate but I think players liked Wade, especially on the D side of the ball, but people knew he was 1/2 a HC with Garrett being the other half and HC in waiting. Regardless of what people here think, I believe that mattered. How players view their HC matters. The HC was be the undeniable leader of the team. He may not make personnel decisions in terms of who gets drafted, but he must be the undisputed leader on the football field. He needs the authority to pull guys and put them in on game day. Those decisions are too often made in some committee meeting at Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Wade Phillips. I still don't believe that's the case with Jason Garrett.

 

[Dodger12]

Now would I have liked to have seen him get a chance with an OC who actually worked for him and was totally on his side... Yes. Jerry admitted after Wade was gone that he wouldn't have let Garrett be fired basically no matter what. Dodger mentioned Wade being hired because he was a good 34 coach and because he was soft... I'd say it was because he was a good defensive coach and he'd accept an incredibly green Garrett being given free rein over the offense. Basically none of the other candidates in 2007 fit that one crucial Jerry criterion.

At the end of the day, I believe that the HC should have a say in who his coordinators and assistant coaches are. They should be completely loyal to the HC and answer to him. Wade took the job knowing the situation with Garrett. I can even accept that to some degree and compromise is not always a bad thing. I also believe Wade saw the writing on the wall and knew Garrett wasn't ready and tried to bring in a quality football guy in Dan Reeves. When that fell through, coupled with Stewart being forcibly let go, Wade was as good as toast. He was neutered just like Garrett is being neutered now......quid pro quo Clarice.....

 

[KJJ]

Why did Parcells leave anyway? I honestly forget. Was he burned out? I remember Jerry giving him an extra million to stay the year before, but he ended up leaving the next year anyway. The fact that it was right after the bobbled snap made it feel like he left us high and dry. If it was Jerry's meddling, that explains it. It just felt like unfinished business. Who knows what he would've done with the 13-3 team the following year? We'll never know.

Parcells was clearly burned out which is why he never went back to coaching after he left the Cowboys. The 06 season took it's toll on him and he was too old to put in the time to develop a young QB in Romo who he said had warts. There were signs just prior to the 06 season that Parcells was thinking about hanging it up as a coach. When the Cowboys signed TO prior to the 06 season Parcells was asked about the signing. He said Jerry wanted TO and that it's his team and he'll be here longer than he will. It was clear by the way he answered questions about TO that he wasn't thrilled about him coming on board but went along with it.

Having to bench Bledsoe during that season who was his guy and having to go with Romo who had to be developed wasn't something Parcells wanted to put the time into. Romo had 10 turnovers in Dec/Jan and although Parcells knew Romo was a talented QB he just didn't have the patience to deal with his warts. Parcells was an old school 4 yards and a cloud of dust coach who saw the NFL was gearing towards the pass and knew it was time for him to get out of coaching.

 

[viman96]

Any team has DC 3-4 openings? Or any that want to convert to 3-4? If not it is possible Wade does not coach next year.

 

[Corso]

Wade wasn't a moron. It's funny how the Dallas media made him out to be some back woods hick country bumpkin and yet consistently gives the rookie trainee, Garrett, a pass. We can all speculate but I think players liked Wade, especially on the D side of the ball, but people knew he was 1/2 a HC with Garrett being the other half and HC in waiting. Regardless of what people here think, I believe that mattered. How players view their HC matters. The HC was be the undeniable leader of the team. He may not make personnel decisions in terms of who gets drafted, but he must be the undisputed leader on the football field. He needs the authority to pull guys and put them in on game day. Those decisions are too often made in some committee meeting at Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Wade Phillips. I still don't believe that's the case with Jason Garrett.

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[03EBZ06]

I never wanted WP anyways but no, it was not a mistake, the firing WP had to be done.

 

[percyhoward]

Having to bench Bledsoe during that season who was his guy and having to go with Romo who had to be developed wasn't something Parcells wanted to put the time into.

This makes it sound like Parcells wasn't the one who benched Bledsoe.

 

[links18]

This makes it sound like Parcells wasn't the one who benched Bledsoe.

He already had Romo play an entire preseason game that year and he was putting him for meaningful mop op duty whenever possible. The Romo era was going to start sooner or later.

 

[danielofthesaints]

You couldn't be more wrong OP.

 

[jobberone]

I still wonder to this day why his team quit on him.
He supported his players.
He may have come off as a bumpkin, but I don't think he was a moron.
You can't be as successful a DC as he is and be a moron.

Maybe someone here knows more about the situation than I.

He's appears to be a genuinely nice guy. He doesn't need to be a HC. He's a good to better DC and has a good eye for talent on that side of the ball.

 

[xwalker]

I was all for it, and I was wrong. In hindsight he was a great coach for us, Garrett was the problem and is the problem now.

I can say unequivocally, that at least 1 time in your life you were not wrong.

Wade killed the locker room mentality. He allowed them to develop an extreme sense of entitlement which resulted in the team quitting on him.

The team has not quit on Garrett.

 

[Corso]

He's appears to be a genuinely nice guy. He doesn't need to be a HC. He's a good to better DC and has a good eye for talent on that side of the ball.

I agree- sans the Williams pick (Brandon? Jason? Both?).
I'm guessing that being a nice guy is not going to cut it in an NFL locker room.
I think Dodger is very likely right when he said that the players looked upon him as only half a coach with Garrett either actively or passively undermining him.
Don't get that last line wrong: I'm not accusing Garrett of trying to torpedo Wade and the team- I'm saying that may have been how it looked to players at the time.

 

[Corso]

I can say unequivocally, that at least 1 time in your life you were not wrong.

Wade killed the locker room mentality. He allowed them to develop an extreme sense of entitlement which resulted in the team quitting on him.

The team has not quit on Garrett.

Something I must have mentally blocked out and you bring up a very good point-

The sense of entitlement on those teams were sickening.
Garrett may have a ton of faults, but you can't say he's a coach who coddles players.