Cowboys Head Coaches: Phillips Tops in Winning Percentage, Climbing in Tenure
According to Todd Archer, Wade Phillips' recent contract extension could put him in lofty company in Cowboys History:
If Phillips coaches for the duration of the extension, only Tom Landry will have had a longer tenure coaching the Cowboys. And Phillips hopes to break the tie he would have with Jimmy Johnson if he makes it through 2011.
His winning percentage already ranks as the best in the Cowboys coaching history. With a .667 winning percentage over his past three seasons as the Cowboys coach, Wade Phillips has topped the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Tom Landry and Barry Switzer. But until he wins a Super Bowl, he'll most likely be mentioned in one sentence with the other Dallas coaches who haven’t won a Super Bowl, like Bill Parcells, Chan Gailey and Dave Campo.
Make the jump for more on the Cowboys coaches winning percentages and coaching tenures in the NFL.
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Clocking Into a Title: Sean Payton Grounds Peyton Manning
We see head coaches in the NFL mangle clock management at the end of halves on a weekly basis. Too few coaches can think tactically, getting the play call for the down and distance correctly, while simultaneously getting the strategic aspect of play calling right.
Last night, Saints honcho Sean Payton made a series of calls which turned a potentially losing possession sequence in his favor. It's a case study in how thinking small won big.
The Super Bowl on Centre Court
New Orleans problems started when they won the coin toss and then promptly flopped on their first possession. The Colts methodically drove 11 plays and kicked a field goal. The Saints gained one first down the next time out but had to punt after Marques Colston dropped a deep in on the Colts side of the 50. Manning again led an eleven play drive, this time reaching the end zone.
At the end of the first quarter the Colts had 149 total yards and ten points. Saints DC Gregg Williams' game plan was to make Manning play slow-ball; he ran a lot of 3-3-5 fronts, and was changing his coverages behind his line. Williams' quickly learned that neither of his outside linebackers, Scott Fujita or Scott Shanle, could provide pressure as edge rushers. (Manning would leave the game unsacked, and was rarely pressured.) If the Colts were going to be stopped, the Saints secondary would have to make plays. Some help from the Colts would also be welcome.
At this point, the Super Bowl looked like a tennis match, where the Saints had twice been broken and the Colts had held their first two serves. New Orleans' offense found its legs on its third series, grinding for its own 11-play field goal drive, but Payton knew he had to get back on serve, or Manning would simply stay one possession ahead of him. Think of Indy's win over the Chiefs in the '04 divisional playoffs, a 38-31 shootout where neither team punted but a Chiefs turnover left them one score short of the Colts all day.
Pierre Garcon gave one possession back to New Orleans when he matched Colston's drop of a first down pass. New Orleans again moved methodically down the field and looked ready to tie the game when a twisting 27 yard catch-and-run by Colston put New Orleans at first-and-goal on the Colts 3. Here, Payton showed that how you score means as much as getting the points.
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Welcome a New Writer to BTB's Front Page
As is tradition here at BTB, we add some front-page help over the offseason. We do this to add new voices to the blog with differing points of view and expertise. We like to bring up guys (or gals) from the community who have done exemplary work in the FanPosts and the comments section over an extended period of time. Also, it has to be someone who has received the recognition of his peers.
We've got just such a person at BTB. You guys know 'em, most of you guys love his work, so it should be no surprise we are bringing him up to the front for the 2010 offseason.
More...
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Super Bowl XLIV Open Thread
It's Super Bowl time. Saints and Colts mixing it up for the Lombardi Trophy. I'm going NFC and pulling for the Saints. Plus, they have a group of ex-Cowboys over there.
Usually, I just do an open thread. But this year, SB Nation is inviting all NFL football fans to join an open thread at sbnation.com. The link is here. It's a one-click sign-up process for anybody part of an SB Nation blog. Also, click the auto-refresh box just above the comments when you log in.
If you want to hang here and chat, too - no problem. I know our community is close and guys like hanging and arguing with each other. But give the other open thread a try, too; maybe you can hang in both.
Go Saints, but more important, please be an entertaining game!
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Seven Up: Smith, Rice, Jackson, Grimm, LeBeau, Little & Randle Make the HOF
The NFL just announced its class of 2010, which is bigger than usual because two names from the veteran's committee got the the thumbs up, in addition to five new members. It consists of:
- Emmitt Smith
- Jerry Rice
- Russ Grimm
- Dick LeBeau
- Floyd Little
- John Randle
- Ricky Jackson
This was one of the deepest groups of candidates in recent years and the voters nonetheless did a solid job. Rice and Smith were locks. One is the all-time receiving leader. The other is the NFL's all-time rushing leader.
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Emmitt Smith Waiting on a Call; More from Tony Dorsett
Later today, a former Cowboys running back will receive a very important call. Without a doubt, Emmitt Smith is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I could go on and on about his durability, his ability to see tackles coming and break free, the low-center of gravity that gave power to a short back, his blocking and receiving - you get the drift. Emmitt was simply one of the best and most complete backs to ever play the game. So instead of telling you what you already know, let's give him some video love, before the announcement comes out later today.
More about a different Cowboys running back legend after the jump.
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Michael Irvin Sued In Rape Charge; Gets Fired, Counter Sues
As brilliant as Michael Irvin was on the field, his off-the-field life has always been something of a mess. You can add to that mess as Irvin has been sued in civil court over an allegation of rape.
Here's the basics: Irvin's accuser says she was raped by Irvin and an unidentified male at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on July 5th, 2007. She reported the incident on July 20th, 2007 to the authorities, but by that time there was no forensic evidence. She also signed a "waiver of prosecution" which basically meant she wanted to put the incident behind her.
She filed the lawsuit Thursday, and her lawyers claim that settlement negotiations had taken place but broke down, and that the woman passed a polygraph test.
Now, Irvin is counter-suing to the tune of $100 million since he's been fired from his ESPN radio gig. ESPN says they had planned to cancel the show anyway, and did it today because of this incident. Irvin, for now, is still part of the NFL Network team covering the Super Bowl.
Other than that, I really have nothing more to say on the incident, I can't judge it from this far away. But it's now news, and Irvin is one of my favorite Cowboys, so it pains me to post about it.
If you want to get more details, read this ESPN article.
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Tony Dorsett on the Two-Back System
My colleague, Joel Thorman, is down at the Super Bowl doing some coverage for SB Nation. Joel also helps run the Chiefs blog, Arrowhead Pride. He told me he was sitting down with Tony Dorsett today, so I asked him to ask Tony D. some stuff about Marion Barber, Felix Jones, etc. Joel was already going to ask about a two-back system because of the Chiefs situation. They need a Marion Barber to complement their Felix Jones - Jamaal Charles.
Well, Tony D. is old-school, and was having no part of the two-back system.
"I'm not a big believer in [the two-back system]. You pick a guy and go with it. You get somebody to back him up just in case he gets hurt. That's not bad to have - trust me. When a guy goes down you gotta have somebody that's comparable to him waiting in the wings ready to go."
"But when you're in there all the time, you just get a better feel for the game. You see how defenses are reacting to certain formations, how they react to a certain play you've run before and you get a better feel of how you want to make your adjustments and how you want to attack the defense yourself as a runner."
"Just doing that sparingly, in and out," he said, "you may get lucky and hit some big plays but that's not going to happen all the time."
I believe in the two-back system, but I can understand how if you're a running back, and you feel your the best one on the team, you want the ball - as much as you can get it. But with the economics today, the more attention paid to injuries that were shrugged off in the past - like concussions - the two-back system makes sense in this era.
I'll have some more from the interview tomorrow, including Tony's detailed account of the famous 99-yard run. For more of Tony's interview today, including his take on the media at the Super Bowl from his era to today, go here.
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