Rumor: Wade Phillips to be fired Monday?

[BigBucs]

Rumour – Cowboys on the verge of firing Wade Phillips

Written by Kevin Lee
on September 22, 2010

UPDATE – 2pm EST – Jon Gruden has a clause in his MNF contract that won’t allow him to leave his analyst position to take the Cowboys HC position if Phillips was fired. As well, Tony Dungee has gone on record as saying he won’t coach this year.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows the NFL that Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is on a short leash. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has gone on the record saying that the 0-2 start is “quite a setback” for the organization.

Word now comes from two great sources close to the organization that Jones is gauging interest from a few former NFL head coaches currently working on TV networks. CBS in-studio analyst Bill Cowher is Jones number one choice to replace Phillips. His second choice is NFL Network/Fox analyst Brian Billick. Both Cowher and Billick have Super Bowl rings, something Jones really wants to have when it comes to who will be leading his struggling team.

Many feel the players have tuned out Phillips and last Friday was a clear example of how this situation continues to snowball. Phillips got into details on Monday about Friday’s practice. “Do I think it could be better? Sure,” Phillips said. “Do I think we had a bad practice Friday? Yes, we told them that in the meeting. We went back over it and said, ‘Hey, we didn’t practice well enough.’” How does the same thing occur that has happened over the past two years under Phillips watch? Enough is enough and now is the time for Jones to pull the plug on him. It’s plain to see that the team has no identity and have tuned out Phillips.

I am told that if the Cowboys lose to the Houston Texans on Sunday that Jones won’t hesitate in firing Phillips. Two other possible candidates that have surfaced are Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Mariucci. Schottenheimer who last patrolled the sidelines for San Diego back in 2006-07, was fired by the Chargers in February of 2007. His 5-13 playoff record is definitely not appealing. While Mariucci has a 3-4 playoff record, he hasn’t coached since the 2005 season after a three year stint in Detroit.

Regardless, of what happens in Houston this Sunday, Jones needs to fire Phillips if he hopes to have his team in the playoffs come January. I for one truly believe one of the 4 names I have mentioned will be wearing that Star on their hat come early next week.

More to come as the week unfolds. I can be contacted at kevinlee@prosportsblogging.com anytime.

Kevin

Update at 2pm EST – Rumour – Cowboys on the verge of firing Wade Phillips*|*Pro Sports Blogging

Read this over at a Bucs message board I frequent. He referenced and linked me to the article above. Take it as you wish.

So while I was driving around during work earlier, I was listening to 105.3 The Ticket (Dallas radio). And they had a guy from ProSportsBlogging who has a story today saying that by Monday, Wade Phillips will be fired. He said he has a number of respectable sources and the radio hosts agreed (and were surprised) that they were credible sources, but they wouldn't say who out of respect for those sources.

And they also reported that Bill Cowher or Brian Billick may replace Phillips.

This is all coming from ProSportsBlogging and they spent 30 minutes talking about PSB and their credibility and they ARE credible, but just not very well known nationally. They have full-season credentials with NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB teams and are respected amongst all the teams/leagues. Last year, they broke a big trade in the NHL before anyone else did.

Not saying it's going to happen, but it's out there. And about 1 hour after they were done interviewing Kevin Lee (who broke the story), they had a local media member saying that he believes ProSportsBlogging b/c he's been noticing some fishy stuf going around Valley Ranch.

This will either make or break ProSportsBlogging.

 

[Derrville]

Fire Garrett. Phillips has made this defense one of the bests in the league.

 

[ram29jackson]

Romo is the actual problem

 

[kmanharris]

or move Wade to DC, which he would probably never do. He isn't right for the job. He does a great job with the defense but he doesn't command the respect a head coach needs to command.

 

[jags224]

about damn time.

 

[Aso]

Jason Garrett really is the problem, or at least thats what it looks like to me.

 

[PP]

about damn time.

nothing happened yet

 

[Tailback U]

I highly doubt that Bill Cowher would step in right now should Phillips be fired. Don't know if that is what the article was saying, but it sounded like it.

 

[jags224]

nothing happened yet

oh im so sorry its not offical, I should wait until its "official" to post that..

 

[Archer]

I highly doubt that Bill Cowher would step in right now should Phillips be fired. Don't know if that is what the article was saying, but it sounded like it.

Cowher has been waiting on the Carolina job that is about to open any week now

 

[ram29jackson]

nope, its Romo that needs to go haha

he just doesnt have that..IT..when it comes to being a QB

 

[SHOGUN]

The team wouldn't fare much better under Jason Garrett.

 

[Tailback U]

I would laugh my dick off if Phillips was fired and Garrett took over as interim head coach.

 

[dave]

Jerry Jones should just take the job himself.

 

[EmpireWF]

This is no surprise.

If they lose on Sunday, with the bye week coming up, you expect the owner to sit by with an 0-3 record? No way.

He'd probably have to throw plenty of money at Cowher to bring him back though.

 

[BazookaJoe5]

Potentially hiring "offensive guru" Brian Billick? Really? :jonesy:

I don't believe for a second any of those coaches would step into the job midseason, even Billick, and certainly not Cowher, so why would you fire Wade and go to Garrett? I know Jerry has (or had) a hard on for him but he seems to me to be the problem with the Cowboys, not Wade.

 

[Maynard]

Rumour –

when someone from the USA says it, then i might believe it

 

[ram29jackson]

its that EMO QB, Romo that is the problem

 

[G-men]

its that EMO QB, Romo that is the problem

why do you continue to post when you clearly know absolutely nothing about football. i dont think a guy who is second in the league in passing yardage is the problem.

 

[RyanLeaf16]

I don't believe Jerr-uh would bring in a big name mid-season. It's just not conducive to salvaging the season. He would likely hand the reigns over to Jason Garrett and let him audition for the gig for the remainder of the season. However, Jones would likely set the bar very high as a means to justify firing Garrett as well and bringing in a guy like Cowher or Gruden in the off-season.