Wade Phillips gets the Pink Slip - Part Two

     The lack of leadership in the Dallas Cowboys organization was glaringly obvious.  They began the 2010 season incurring penalties at an alarming rate.  Wade Phillips even hired referees to watch team practices toward the end of his stay to keep the team in check twice a week.

     After Romo's injury, both the offense and the defense seemingly quit playing leading to blowouts by Jacksonville and Green Bay.  The offensive line turned into a sieve that could neither protect Jon Kitna nor jump start a league worst running game.  

     Last week it became apparent that almost everyone with the exception of Dez Bryant and Jerry Jones had given up.    Phillip's blitz packages became predictable and easy to spot.  The defensive line lacked penetration and the fans were screaming bloody murder.  Cris Collinsworth summed it up on the publicly televised execution Sunday night by mentioning "The Cowboys went back to basics last week and they're basically awful."

     So ended the Wade Phillips coaching regime, but did Jerry Jones make the right decision bringing in Jason Garrett?  Was Wade entirely to blame for the Cowboy's woes?  Was Wade even the right person to be let go or was he a victim of the execution of his players?

The Sum of All Jeers

     It's not certain whether or not Jason Garrett will do anything to replace Wade Phillips and turn the Cowboy's 2010 season around.  Problems with the offensive line and offensive play calling lead people to question Garrett's leadership abilities as well.  Not only that but doesn't Garrett share some of the blame for the Cowboy's 1-7 start?

       With the offensive line in shambles, the backup quarterback running for his life and making ill-advised throws, and the play calling in question does Jason Garrett deserve his promotion?

     Perhaps not, but Jerry Jones already knows this.

     In the press conference where Jerry Jones announced the termination of Phillips and the promotion of Garrett, he made a specific point.  Jason Garrett would NOT be the actual head coach of the Dallas Cowboys but would instead serve as Interim Head Coach until the beginning of the 2011 season.  At that point he would be eligible to apply for the position along with anyone else who wanted it.    The confidence Jerry once had in Garrett was already somewhat shot.

Failing Upwards?

     Jason Garrett may have lucked his way into the job of leader of the Dallas Cowboys but there was hardly any other choice.  With fan and media outcry coupled with his own anger and disappointment, Jerry Jones had no choice but to cut Phillips from the lead role.  

    With little time to interview potential candidates for the head coaching job (and of course comply with the Rooney Rule), Jones made a spur of the moment decision to allow Garrett to take the reigns.  He also did something further.  Jones made it known that everyone in the Cowboys organization, including players were on notice for their performance.

     With that statement, Jerry Jones receives an A for the way he handled the situation.  Not only did he recognize that Wade wasn't solely to blame for the mishap of the 2010 season in that statement, but he vaguely reminded the rest of the organization that they were somewhat responsible for Phillips getting fired.  By making Garrett an INTERIM coach instead of handing him the job, Jones made the statement that Garrett would get his chance but wasn't the clear-cut favorite anymore.  Jones backhandedly said that Garrett would have to turn the team around without quantifying how.

     That leaves Jones an out to hire whoever he wants for the 2011 season, even and including a fan favorite like Jon Gruden.  Finally, Jones is free to clean house at the end of the season based on merit and performance.  Everyone's already been put on notice, so there won't be any surprises if it happens.

     All that's left is to wait and see if Jones can follow through on the promise he's made to the fans.

-Dave Lumpkin

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