Can Wade be Colonel Hogan with a headset?

As a kid, I used to think Colonel Hogan was the coolest, cleverest, “bestest” character on television.  I will still occasionally catch part of a rerun on TV land.

Hogan was great at anticipating Klink’s response to one of his schemes.  He was Pavlov, and his captors were the dogs: he could see them getting ready to salivate from a ways away.

In a way, Colonel Hogan would impose his will on his opponents by out scheme-ing them.  Hogan always had the better game plan, the superior execution, and of course, the win at the end of the episode.

Last night, Sean Payton was cast in the role of Colonel Hogan.  Payton had the vastly superior game plan, the Saints had better execution, and now New Orleans owns the Lombardi trophy.

Good for them.  Congratulations.

But…

It was just 8 weeks ago that the Cowboys were prisoners in the noisy Superdome, Dallas came up with the vastly superior game plan, executed the plan well, and escaped New Orleans with a huge win.  That win was followed by a playoff clinching win at Washington, and a division clinching win against Philadelphia.  Then the Cowboys finally won a playoff game, beating the same team three times in a season for the first time in the history of the organization.

Throughout that stretch the Cowboys played their finest football since 1995 (yes, even better than during the 2007 season).  The best unit on the field from the Saints game to the second Eagles game was the Dallas defense.  The defense that will evolve into the third coming of Doomsday was dominating during that four game stretch.

Watching the Super Bowl, I was impressed with the aggressive nature of the Saints on special teams, defense, and offense.  It was an attitude that permeated throughout the team.

It reminded me of the aggressiveness exhibited by the Dallas defense during the stretch run last season.  Could it be that Wade manipulated the defense much in the way that Payton controls his high-powered offense?

If so, it would not be a stretch to suggest that defensive guru Gregg Williams did a better job coaching up the defense in New Orleans, than Jason Garrett did with the offense in Dallas.  Williams has been around the block a few more times than Garrett, and it may have shown against the Vikings.

But I digress, as I would like to return to the aggressiveness Payton displayed with going for a touchdown on 4th down near the Colts goal line, the onsides kick to begin the second half, and a very underrated use of timeouts in the first half. 

Sean Payton dared Peyton Manning to march the Indianapolis offense down the field during the last two minutes of the first half from the shadow of the Colts goal line after the Saints failed fourth down run.  Generally, teams are satisfied to prevent Manning and the Colts from scoring during the last two minutes of the halves.  Payton aggressively used his timeouts and it led to a New Orleans field goal.

The Saints dictated what was to happen in that game.  Payton directed a tremendous game plan leaving the Colts out-flanked, out-maneuvered, and out-coached.

When Dallas was playing like a championship team, the Cowboys defense dictated what offenses could do.  Wade seemed one step ahead of potent NFL offenses (and of course, the Redskins offense, which should not be confused with an elite unit).  Phillips truly maximized the defensive talent on the team at the end of the season, and outflanked opponents regularly.

Unlike Sean, however, the genius of Wade Phillips seemed to be in the subtle nuances of the defensive game plan.  Instead of directing brash attacks on the opponent as Payton did against the Colts, Wade decreased the number of blitzes the Cowboys were running per game.

The results spoke for themselves: shutouts in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.  By depending on Ratliff, Ware and Spencer to win more individual battles, opponents were completely caught off guard by the sudden devastation of a blitzing inside linebacker, safety, or even cornerback.

Contrasting the brash, aggressive Payton against the understated cunning of Wade Phillips is a lot like comparing apples to oranges.  Both coaches, however, share an apparent brilliance in directing their respective units. 

I have always preferred the stealthy approach of the senior coach, as I believe it best to conquer an opponent without leaving a hint as to how the victory was accomplished: especially if that opponent could face you again at a later time.  Also remember that the last two times a Wade Phillips led defense faced a Sean Payton led offense, Phillips’ teams have come out victorious.

If Phillips can resume out-coaching opposing coordinators next season, Wade could be the difference between Super Bowl success, and watching another team celebrate at the conclusion of the season at Cowboys stadium. 

Considering the performance of the Cowboys defense at the conclusion of last season, I think it appropriate to cast Wade in the role of Colonel Hogan.  I am just wondering which NFC East coaches would be Colonel Klink and Sergeant Shultz.