It seems a lot of the talk this morning is about Wade Phillips and his place in the coaching world. To me, this is the most telling statement by Wade:
"I'll go down as a really great defensive coordinator if didn't coach again. I'd like to go down as a great head coach."
Even at his age, Wade Phillips has a major goal to accomplish and that’s to be thought of as a great head coach. Not just a great defensive mind and not just the son of legendary coach Bum Phillips, but a great head coach in his own right. That’s a lofty goal for a man of, should we say, advanced age. Having that fire is a good thing; it gives him a real sense of purpose in taking over the Dallas Cowboys, not just a chance at a paycheck.
Wade inherits a playoff team that hasn’t yet reached its potential. Maybe in a way the current Cowboys team and Phillips have a lot in common. Both have shown flashes of what it takes to win big, but neither has quite achieved its goal. Phillips might have been on the cusp of achieving greatness with Buffalo until an unbelievable special teams play in a playoff game doomed his team, and set the stage for his eventual dismissal. Think about that, Phillips was done in by a special teams play while his team was on the road for a playoff game that they thought they were going to win. Does that sound familiar? The Cowboys were on the road in a playoff game that they thought they might win until an unbelievable special teams play doomed them.
So I submit that the Dallas Cowboys and Wade Phillips may be the perfect fit. Both participants have the chance to get rid of past history and write a new chapter in their stories. The Dallas Cowboys want to win a playoff game for the first time in a decade. Wade Phillips wants to prove he’s a great NFL head coach. They can solve each other’s problems this season.
Mickey Spags reminds us just how bad of shape the Cowboys were in the last time we came to San Antonio with a new coach. If you read the article, tell me just how astonished you are at the level of talent the Cowboys had on their team way back then. Say what you want about Bill Parcells, but he definitely helped to fix this franchise.