Don't believe everything you read, kids. Aside from the fact that no one would agree to take a job in Week 3, it's never been JJ's MO to fire anybody midseason, no matter how shitty a job they've been doing.
I would laugh my dick off if Phillips was fired and Garrett took over as interim head coach.
There's no other option than Garrett, and you never know, there might be the chance that, like Sean Payton, he's a better HC than playcaller.
I heard some interesting things earlier this week about the practice tempo in Valley Ranch. It was an eye opener for me, as I've been placing a lot of blame on him of late. That being said, what I heard this week makes me believe he's not the problem.
Remember, this guy played for Jimmy Johnson and seems to be a creature of habit based on his bloodlines. I'll try to post what was said to me later on.
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.
Cowher would never take this job.
Well I was labeled a conspiracy theory for just this premise last year.
1- The only reason Phillips kept his job is because he could not get Cowher. He was the only one that would have made an instant transition and presented the best upside with almost no need for any drastic changes to personnel. Cowboys playoff charge would not have been enough if Cowher had said yes.
I'm not sure I believe that. Jerry's fan of Wade's laid back style. No, the playoff win is not enough, but he, like many, anticipated that breaking that barrier after 13 years would pave to way for more improvement. So far, that's been dead wrong.
2- I am convinced Garrett has taken advantage of Jerrys love and patience with him. He has been intentionally holding back players regressing in his playcalling to oust Phillips and position himself as the HC for this team. If we lose...Garrett will be the interim HC. If that offense takes off when he is HC I will smack the shit out of him for the wasted years.
I thought it would happen mid-season last year but this scenario is playing out now.
I don't think he's
intentionally holding guys back. I do think he's a prime example of why guys shouldn't be promoted so quickly. He'd never called plays in his life prior to being hired as the Assistant Head Coach/OC in 2007. Jerry's plan all along was to groom him behind Parcells and Sparano for a year and let him take over. Tuna shot that plan to shit when he quit a year ahead of when Jerry thought he would. The Dolphins told him "You either hire this guy now, or we're not going to let you, period" so he pulled the trigger.
I think Garrett needs to keep improving. The trouble is, this team is not one conducive to a coach "learning on the job". He's come up with some nice wrinkles, but he appears to be braindead when it comes to crucial playcalling, finding balance, and creating an identity. Which brings me to this point - he needs to stop trying to please everybody and stick with what works best.
Start Felix, return MBIII to the "closer" role. Much as I love Choice, he gets the leftovers. This doesn't need to become a power offense, but it needs to establish a persistent threat on the ground. The Cowboys' best players are in the passing game, so I understand the need to air it out, but you can't become predictable like he has to the point where linebackers are calling out your plays before your QB runs them (hello Ray Lewis, Eagles, Giants and Broncos, among others).
Shanahan and Gruden were the "likely" replacements since they were desperate for gigs. Shannys in Wash and Grudens offense is the polar opposite of Garretts offense I dont see them co existing.
If its Cowher Ill pee my pants in glee.
Anyone else and I will cry as this defense will slowly collapse into mediocrity. It happened to SD without him , if its not Cowher and its any offensive minded coach it will happen again.
What's sad is Wade really has no protege - someone who could continue to work on the defensive foundation he's laid. Maybe he's too laid back to have one, idk. If you can him, who runs the defense? Reggie Herring? Pasqualoni? Campo? I don't see any way that can work.
Yeah, if I could, I would just start the tight end playing Dallas every week in fantasy football. Cooley was the Redskins leading receiver and was just short (I think) of 100 yards. Then Olsen had a touchdown, but really Chicago just torched them over the middle.
I have no idea why they stopped blitzing the shit out of Cutler. I don't think Wade knows either.
The worst part about having him as a head coach - on the Olsen TD, Bradie James made a read and shouted it out, and apparently Keith Brooking never heard it. Now Wade is always saying he holds guys accountable, but in a prime example of the kind of coach he is, he said Brooking's screwup was "my fault. I need to prep them better".
Seriously?
The penalties, the turnovers, the LACK of creating turnovers defensively, the clueless look on his face every time...this is nothing new either. These have been problems for years, even under Parcells' watch.
Know why? It's not soley the coaching, it's the atmosphere. What was Terence Newman complaining about this week? The circus atmosphere. Celebrities visiting practice for photo ops, having open practices at Cowboys Stadium, having the longest training camp of any team by far and splitting it in three different spots.
This week has made it painfully clear to me after so many years. It's not gonna change anytime soon. The Yankees have won 5 World Series championships in the last 15 years, but it wasn't until George Steinbrenner, rest his soul, was taken out of the picture by MLB that the team could be run properly, re-established talent the RIGHT way and recaptured it's glory.
Unless a similar situation happens here, I realize I'm not going to see another Super Bowl champion in my lifetime, gigantic stadium be damned.
cslap:
