Terence Newman: This wasn't Wade Phillips' fault

[djtavo]

Terence Newman recently took issue with Cowboys coaches not owning up to their mistakes. However, while sitting at his locker after the loss to the Eagles, Newman said Wade Phillips shouldn't shoulder the blame.

"It's not his fault. It's the players' fault," Newman said. "We go out and play the games. If things don't go right, everybody points the finger at him, but it's not his fault. He's definitely done an excellent job. He's a great coach. When blame starts to be pointed, blame us. We're the ones who are out there playing."


Frankly, after a season falls so short of expectations and ends in such embarrassing fashion, there is plenty of blame to go around. The head coach absolutely has to take his fair share, but Newman must know there's nothing to be gained from him piling on Phillips.

 

[cbartel81]

Dallas Fans: Say what you want. Get as P.O.'d as you want and look for someone to blame. When you are done with all of that and have gotten over this terrible day, it still does not change this eternal fact.. PLAYERS play and coaches coach. It is their responsibility to make plays and execute.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Dallas Fans: Say what you want. Get as P.O.'d as you want and look for someone to blame. When you are done with all of that and have gotten over this terrible day, it still does not change this eternal fact.. PLAYERS play and coaches coach. It is their responsibility to make plays and execute.

...in this case.

Many of the mistakes made by the Cowboys are basic problems one works on in Pop Warner.

What play was called? On what count is the ball snapped? Where's my position on the field? Who do I cover?

Failure on the field prior to the ball being snapped is on the coaches. You are hired to place the players in the best position to succeed on the field. If you can't find the right methods and encouragements to accomplish this you have no use being a coach.

Players will do what they think is best in their eyes it's the coaches' jobs to get them to work as a team.

That's why this team is one of the most undisciplined I have seen in (36) years of watching the Cowboys despite their talent.

 

[the kid 05]

Dallas Fans: Say what you want. Get as P.O.'d as you want and look for someone to blame. When you are done with all of that and have gotten over this terrible day, it still does not change this eternal fact.. PLAYERS play and coaches coach. It is their responsibility to make plays and execute.

thanks for pointing out the obvious but what happens when you have a player coach???

 

[cbartel81]

It's that simple as a coach isn't it! You don't think that for an NFL coach it is more than that. It might be because the players make 10 times as much as the coaches. Most of the players in the NFL feel that money equals authority. Thus, the only authority they respect is that of the owner. It can work if the owner gives all of the football control to his football coach. However, in Dallas when a player has a problem with a coach putting him at a position that would be better for the team, but not one he wants to play (because in the system in place it will minimize his numbers and decrease his value come free-agent time) all he does is go to Jerry and complain. Jerry sides with the player because he is a business man and has to get as much as he can out of his investment. A player is a larger investment financially than a coach. He picks up a phone, the player gets his way, the other players see this and use it to their advantage, and round and round we go. You can prepare, watch tape, gameplan, practice, and work as hard as you want but if a player (or worse players) go on the field and do what they want rather than thei jobs and what you work on all week, you have to hold them accountable. This is how you get 53 guys to work as a team. If your owner is on your side and gives you total authority of football decisions, and the players know this you can get them to conform and work together under the same umbrella. But because a guy like Jerry Jones is not going to let another " Bill Parcells or Jimmy Johnson Jr." walk through the door again. So, Cowboy fans will have to continue to hope that individual talent is enough from week to week to find a way to win games or even a championship in the total TEAM sport.

 

[TwoDeep3]

Dallas Fans: Say what you want. Get as P.O.'d as you want and look for someone to blame. When you are done with all of that and have gotten over this terrible day, it still does not change this eternal fact.. PLAYERS play and coaches coach. It is their responsibility to make plays and execute.

So if the coach is so responsible for the actions of the players, then why don't they just get the second stringers to be in place and drop the starters and save money for the cap?

At some point the player has to put himself in the right position.

Or do you really think they coach the players to play out of position?

Coaches make a difference, no doubt. But if the player is constantly out of position, then you can bench the guy or you can suffer.

Or did the Roy Williams (SS) failure go unnoticed by you?

 

[jackrussell]

Brown's players are saying the EXACT same thing about Romeo Crennel right now.

 

[The Great Number 8]

Translation: I love playing for Coach Cupcake. Please, please don't bring in a guy who will make me work my arse off everyday and be accountable

 

[Jarv]

Translation: I love playing for Coach Cupcake. Please, please don't bring in a guy who will make me work my arse off everyday and be accountable

Lol...:laugh2:

 

[Established1971]

...in this case.

Many of the mistakes made by the Cowboys are basic problems one works on in Pop Warner.

What play was called? On what count is the ball snapped? Where's my position on the field? Who do I cover?

Failure on the field prior to the ball being snapped is on the coaches. You are hired to place the players in the best position to succeed on the field. If you can't find the right methods and encouragements to accomplish this you have no use being a coach.

Players will do what they think is best in their eyes it's the coaches' jobs to get them to work as a team.

That's why this team is one of the most undisciplined I have seen in (36) years of watching the Cowboys despite their talent.

good post, I love it when someone dissects a tired cliche

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

No one ever is to blame.

[youtube]4Fiba80YVyM[/youtube]

 

[superpunk]

Even if that's so, who else can you blame when the players don't look ready to play? They're confused as hell out there, no idea what's going on. Who is going to take the fall for that?

We can't replace the entire team.

Head coaches are hired so that you can fire them.

 

[Oh_Canada]

Players love Wade because Wade treats them like his spoiled little children. Too bad coaches who are LOVED by there players often make for terrible head coaches.

 

[Givincer]

Brown's players are saying the EXACT same thing about Romeo Crennel right now.

Maybe there's some truth to it?

I doubt Romeo Crennel just has no clue what he's doing. The guy is a championship defensive coordinator.

Players realize coaches are not the ones who have to go out and actually perform the called plays (or, considering our game yesterday, perform period...).

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Translation: I love playing for Coach Cupcake. Please, please don't bring in a guy who will make me work my arse off everyday and be accountable

Lame. Newman is accountable and is one of the hardest workers on the team. The last coach said so himself.

Now if Marcus Spears or Flozell had made those comments...

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I'll give equal blame to all parties involved in this terrible season.

 

[Givincer]

Even if that's so, who else can you blame when the players don't look ready to play? They're confused as hell out there, no idea what's going on. Who is going to take the fall for that?

We can't replace the entire team.

Head coaches are hired so that you can fire them.

We certainly can't replace the entire team, but the team has been the only constant in these December collapses over the past few years, while we've had two entirely different head coaches and staffs running it. It was almost like an experiment, with coaches as the variable.

Bad teams change coaches every few years. You don't do that when you have a great team.

 

[Oh_Canada]

Brown's players are saying the EXACT same thing about Romeo Crennel right now.

....and Bills players saying the same about Jauron.

 

[superpunk]

We certainly can't replace the entire team, but the team has been the only constant in these December collapses over the past few years, while we've had two entirely different head coaches and staffs running it. It was almost like an experiment, with coaches as the variable.

Bad teams change coaches every few years. You don't do that when you have a great team.

Very true, very true.

But I would also submit this -

Look at the two coaches we've had. Parcells was at the end of his rope. He was tired, and it showed. The team reflected that IMO. Look at Wade. He's a habitual loser, and can best be described by the phrase "Aw, shucks." Hell of a coordinator, not a leader of men.

Maybe we need a different attitude. A younger, more vigorous attitude.