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StrTgrm JFE: Time for Wade Phillips to start acting like a head coach
IRVING -- Week 1 and Coach Wade already has his Dallas Cowboys flirting with joke status.
This is not on the 45 guys on the field Sunday in the D.C. suburbs. There is talent on this roster and they played their butts off, even Scapegoat No. 1 Alex Barron. This is on the guys with the headsets who tacitly imply disasters like Sunday are OK by failing to hold anybody accountable for them.
Do not be surprised when what you allow becomes what you are.
And Sunday's 13-7 loss to Washington featured two plays so shockingly dysfunctional, so amazingly in opposition to all football logic that both have to be considered actionable offenses, possibly demoteable.
So what happens Monday at Valley Ranch?
The Cowboys announce they are going to work on Barron's technique, and Coach Wade says he "needs to interject more." You mean be a head coach, Wade?
"That was my fault," he said, taking responsibility for the failure-to-take-a-knee debacle he so obviously had zero input in.
Why?
"Because the head coach is in charge. That's the situation. That's the way it is, that's the way it should be," he explained.
The problem is saying "I'm responsible" is not the same as actually taking responsibility. That requires an action, making oneself responsible that the necessary changes are made not simply saying "my bad" in defeated voice.
What Coach Wade needed to do was call offensive coordinator Jason Garrett out Monday, say the failure to take a knee before halftime was inexcusable and he is on double-secret probation until further notice and announce plans to turn on his headset and listen during offensive talks.
And if that is not possible, Coach Wade needed to walk down to Jerry Jones' office and tell him "this is not working." "This" is Jerry's plan to have what basically amounts to an offensive coach, a defensive coach and no head coach in charge of the big picture. Do not think this is lost on the guys in the locker room either. They know what is what and they know they lack a chain of command and a real head coach.
Love ya, Jerry. But this is on you.
You want to be the GM, then be the GM, but you can't be the GM while also being a fight promoter and a party planner for JerryWorld. What the Cowboys need right now is for the GM to handle their coach problem before any more ugly like Sunday happens. Call Wade and Jason in, and explain the buck stops with Wade.
This means The RHG answers to him.
This means Wade actually turns his headset on and listens during offensive talk.
Anybody reading in hope of me backing off my belief The Redheaded Genius is a good coach is going to walk away disappointed. I'll save that kneejerk flip-flopping for others.
The RHG is a good coach who did a really stupid thing.
He is also the guy who called the plays on what should have been the game-winning drive. I say this not to excuse the horrible play call but rather to point out smart coaches do dumb things. Smart, young coaches do them with frequency. This is why every team needs a final-say guy
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/13/2465622/time-for-wade-phillips-to-start.html#ixzz0zV1GW000
IRVING -- Week 1 and Coach Wade already has his Dallas Cowboys flirting with joke status.
This is not on the 45 guys on the field Sunday in the D.C. suburbs. There is talent on this roster and they played their butts off, even Scapegoat No. 1 Alex Barron. This is on the guys with the headsets who tacitly imply disasters like Sunday are OK by failing to hold anybody accountable for them.
Do not be surprised when what you allow becomes what you are.
And Sunday's 13-7 loss to Washington featured two plays so shockingly dysfunctional, so amazingly in opposition to all football logic that both have to be considered actionable offenses, possibly demoteable.
So what happens Monday at Valley Ranch?
The Cowboys announce they are going to work on Barron's technique, and Coach Wade says he "needs to interject more." You mean be a head coach, Wade?
"That was my fault," he said, taking responsibility for the failure-to-take-a-knee debacle he so obviously had zero input in.
Why?
"Because the head coach is in charge. That's the situation. That's the way it is, that's the way it should be," he explained.
The problem is saying "I'm responsible" is not the same as actually taking responsibility. That requires an action, making oneself responsible that the necessary changes are made not simply saying "my bad" in defeated voice.
What Coach Wade needed to do was call offensive coordinator Jason Garrett out Monday, say the failure to take a knee before halftime was inexcusable and he is on double-secret probation until further notice and announce plans to turn on his headset and listen during offensive talks.
And if that is not possible, Coach Wade needed to walk down to Jerry Jones' office and tell him "this is not working." "This" is Jerry's plan to have what basically amounts to an offensive coach, a defensive coach and no head coach in charge of the big picture. Do not think this is lost on the guys in the locker room either. They know what is what and they know they lack a chain of command and a real head coach.
Love ya, Jerry. But this is on you.
You want to be the GM, then be the GM, but you can't be the GM while also being a fight promoter and a party planner for JerryWorld. What the Cowboys need right now is for the GM to handle their coach problem before any more ugly like Sunday happens. Call Wade and Jason in, and explain the buck stops with Wade.
This means The RHG answers to him.
This means Wade actually turns his headset on and listens during offensive talk.
Anybody reading in hope of me backing off my belief The Redheaded Genius is a good coach is going to walk away disappointed. I'll save that kneejerk flip-flopping for others.
The RHG is a good coach who did a really stupid thing.
He is also the guy who called the plays on what should have been the game-winning drive. I say this not to excuse the horrible play call but rather to point out smart coaches do dumb things. Smart, young coaches do them with frequency. This is why every team needs a final-say guy
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/13/2465622/time-for-wade-phillips-to-start.html#ixzz0zV1GW000