Matt Mosley answers a question about Wade Phillips.
Q: Matt, please tell me the Cowboys' dynamic and charismatic new coach Wade Phillips is not going to be another Dave Campo, is he? He has acted like he has had nothing to do with any decisions since hired by Jerry Jones. Please tell me there is more than meets the eye here and that he is a gifted coach with an opinion and ideas and not just a puppet.
{snip}
Matt: ...the honest truth is that Phillips is extremely bright, and his laidback demeanor should have a calming influence on this club. If Marty Schottenheimer had been fired immediately after the Chargers' playoff loss to the Patriots, Phillips would be the San Diego head coach. Anyone with that organization will tell you that.
Sounds good, I agree with that. Not only would Wade Phillips have been the head coach in San Diego, but the current San Diego coach, Norv Turner, would’ve probably been the head coach in Dallas. Thanks for waiting on firing Schottenheimer, San Diego, I like our end of the deal better.
More Mosley:
The reason people talk about him not having much personality is because they measure him against his legendary father, Bum. Although he doesn't waste a lot of words, I've really enjoyed the couple of conversations we've had.
Hmm...nice try. But Wade is just so laid-back, and has such an understated sense of humor, that he comes across as bland. It’s not in comparison with his father - but in comparison with people who actually have a pulse. OK, I go too far, but he’s no Parcells. While I’ll gladly trade wins for personality, after covering Parcells’ press conferences for two years, I’m really not looking forward to Wade’s for the entertainment factor. Now, he does drop a dry joke in every once in a while, but I don’t think we are going to get the clever phrases, meandering stories with funny endings, and off-the-cuff-wit that we got from Parcells.
Mosley:
He's a no-nonsense guy who won't let his ego get in the way in dealing with Jerry Jones and a certain wide receiver. He's not the most inspiring guy in the world, but he hasn't won the respect of a lot of coaches and personnel guys across the league for nothing.
Winning the respect of the other coaches and personnel guys is one thing, winning football games is another. If you can win the games, you can have all the personality of a government bureaucrat who just gave up coffee, and we’ll still love you.