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Taylor: Jerry Jones can make tough decision: Replace Phillips with Pasqualoni
06:47 PM CDT on Sunday, October 31, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Bio | E-mail
ARLINGTON – These underachieving Cowboys have done the impossible: They’ve shaken head coach Wade Phillips’ confidence, and made Jerry Jones contemplate firing him during the season.
That’s what happens when a team goes through the motions and gets blown out 35-17 by the mighty Jacksonville Jaguars.
Against Mr. Fix It’s raggedy defense, David Garrard passed for 260 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Garrard, benched earlier this season, finished with a nearly perfect passer rating of 157.8.
Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 135 yards and Mike Sims-Walker, hardly a household name, added a 135 yards receiving.
Ridiculous.
“I’m distraught to say the least,” Wade said. “It was embarrassing the way we played and the way we coached. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win.
“Everyone knows we have a lot of talented players, and that’s the problem. I have talented players, and I’m not getting them to play well enough. To me that’s the root of the problem.”
That sounds like a man who either thinks he deserves to get fired or he’s resigned himself to getting fired.
We all know Jerry loathes the thought of firing any coach in the midst of a season because he doesn’t believe interim coaches work. His team’s wretched performance has forced him to reconsider.
History shows Jerry is willing to make tough decisions. You don’t think Jerry wanted to release T.O. do you?
The same goes for releasing Emmitt Smith and letting Bill Parcells become the organization’s face of the franchise and its primary voice for four years.
“I don’t think there is anybody in the world who would doubt that I’m willing to do something hard,” Jerry said. “I’m willing to do something that doesn’t feel good to me.”
Jerry is simply trying to figure out how much sense it makes financially to fire Wade and his coaching staff without a collective bargaining agreement in place.
After all, if the expected lockout occurs after the season, the new coach will be twiddling his thumbs, while collecting paychecks since there won’t be any players around to learn the new offensive and defensive systems.
Figuring out who to name as interim coach is the biggest issue because you can’t add a legitimate coach such as Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden until the season ends and they can see what else is available.
It’s not like Jason Garrett has done anything to earn the job.
Trailing 14-3 on fourth-and-and-goal from inside the Jacksonville 1 with 11 seconds left in the first half, Jon Kitna turned the wrong way on a handoff, running into Marion Barber, knocking him off-balance and ruining the play.
Blunders like that fall under coaching and execution. It’s the epitome of pathetic.
Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis? His unit, which has been shaky all season, somehow had four people within a yard of punt returner Mike Thomas and each of them assumed he was going to make a fair catch.
Thomas gained 16 yards before getting tackled. You can’t make this stuff up.
Secondary coach Dave Campo? It’s one thing to make Vince Young look like a Hall of Famer a few weeks ago, but Garrard wouldn’t even be starting if his replacement wasn’t injured.
The secondary, as of now, is in disarray.
Defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni is about the only person, who might have some credibility with the players. Pasqualoni, the former head coach at Syracuse, is a disciplinarian with a commitment to details, something the current coach lacks.
The Cowboys, owners of the NFL’s highest payroll, have more victories than just one other team: winless Buffalo.
Wow.
Dallas has its first four-game losing streak since 2002, when it went 5-11 under Campo. The Cowboys will need good fortune to wins five games this season.
Go ahead, study the schedule and pick out four more wins. Good luck. You can’t do it.
Right now, they’re a contender for the No.1 pick.
“I’m at a loss right now,” Wade said. “If I knew what to do, I would’ve already done it.”
That’s why Jerry is finally pondering a change. It could be a lot sooner than any of us envisioned.
06:47 PM CDT on Sunday, October 31, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Bio | E-mail
ARLINGTON – These underachieving Cowboys have done the impossible: They’ve shaken head coach Wade Phillips’ confidence, and made Jerry Jones contemplate firing him during the season.
That’s what happens when a team goes through the motions and gets blown out 35-17 by the mighty Jacksonville Jaguars.
Against Mr. Fix It’s raggedy defense, David Garrard passed for 260 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Garrard, benched earlier this season, finished with a nearly perfect passer rating of 157.8.
Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 135 yards and Mike Sims-Walker, hardly a household name, added a 135 yards receiving.
Ridiculous.
“I’m distraught to say the least,” Wade said. “It was embarrassing the way we played and the way we coached. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win.
“Everyone knows we have a lot of talented players, and that’s the problem. I have talented players, and I’m not getting them to play well enough. To me that’s the root of the problem.”
That sounds like a man who either thinks he deserves to get fired or he’s resigned himself to getting fired.
We all know Jerry loathes the thought of firing any coach in the midst of a season because he doesn’t believe interim coaches work. His team’s wretched performance has forced him to reconsider.
History shows Jerry is willing to make tough decisions. You don’t think Jerry wanted to release T.O. do you?
The same goes for releasing Emmitt Smith and letting Bill Parcells become the organization’s face of the franchise and its primary voice for four years.
“I don’t think there is anybody in the world who would doubt that I’m willing to do something hard,” Jerry said. “I’m willing to do something that doesn’t feel good to me.”
Jerry is simply trying to figure out how much sense it makes financially to fire Wade and his coaching staff without a collective bargaining agreement in place.
After all, if the expected lockout occurs after the season, the new coach will be twiddling his thumbs, while collecting paychecks since there won’t be any players around to learn the new offensive and defensive systems.
Figuring out who to name as interim coach is the biggest issue because you can’t add a legitimate coach such as Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden until the season ends and they can see what else is available.
It’s not like Jason Garrett has done anything to earn the job.
Trailing 14-3 on fourth-and-and-goal from inside the Jacksonville 1 with 11 seconds left in the first half, Jon Kitna turned the wrong way on a handoff, running into Marion Barber, knocking him off-balance and ruining the play.
Blunders like that fall under coaching and execution. It’s the epitome of pathetic.
Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis? His unit, which has been shaky all season, somehow had four people within a yard of punt returner Mike Thomas and each of them assumed he was going to make a fair catch.
Thomas gained 16 yards before getting tackled. You can’t make this stuff up.
Secondary coach Dave Campo? It’s one thing to make Vince Young look like a Hall of Famer a few weeks ago, but Garrard wouldn’t even be starting if his replacement wasn’t injured.
The secondary, as of now, is in disarray.
Defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni is about the only person, who might have some credibility with the players. Pasqualoni, the former head coach at Syracuse, is a disciplinarian with a commitment to details, something the current coach lacks.
The Cowboys, owners of the NFL’s highest payroll, have more victories than just one other team: winless Buffalo.
Wow.
Dallas has its first four-game losing streak since 2002, when it went 5-11 under Campo. The Cowboys will need good fortune to wins five games this season.
Go ahead, study the schedule and pick out four more wins. Good luck. You can’t do it.
Right now, they’re a contender for the No.1 pick.
“I’m at a loss right now,” Wade said. “If I knew what to do, I would’ve already done it.”
That’s why Jerry is finally pondering a change. It could be a lot sooner than any of us envisioned.
