Fire Wade Phillips

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The players have spoken this week. Loud and clear. Oh, how they love Wade Phillips.

They’re upset because his leadership and approach to handling the Cowboys has been questioned for the 10 millionth time since Jerry Jones hired him instead of Norv Turner in 2007.

The players love Phillips’ demeanor. And his schemes. And the way he accepts responsibility for their mistakes.

Who wouldn’t love a guy like that?

It’s time for the players to prove their love. After all, words without actions are worthless.

This week, the players should win one for Wade. It has a nice ring to it.

If the players are sincere about their affection for Phillips, then they need to beat San Diego, ending the Chargers’ seven-game winning streak. That’ll get Phillips off the hot seat, stop the chatter about his eventual replacement and temporarily silence the critics — count me as one — who question his leadership.

It’ll even stop us from talking about the Cowboys’ 3-6 record in December under Phillips and their inability to play their best football in the season’s most important month.

Afterward, don’t give us any excuses. No mea culpas. No coulda, woulda, shoulda.

This is not the week for Terence Newman to let an interception slip through his hands or for Flozell Adams to succumb to his own agenda and start a brawl. This is not the week for Nick Folk to miss a field goal because the hold isn’t perfect.

Just win the game. Plain and simple.

This is as close to a must-win as the Cowboys can get without being mathematically eliminated with a loss.

Any player or coach who doesn’t realize that needs a brain transplant. If it takes that approach, Dallas will win.

It’s hard to beat a desperate NFL team at home. Look at how Green Bay drilled Dallas 17-7 a few weeks ago. Or how the Giants beat Dallas 31-24 last week.

Each was essentially on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs.

Now it’s the Cowboys who must play as though their season is on the line. It is.

Beat San Diego and everything Phillips needs to happen to ensure Jerry Jones picks up the team option on his contract remains in play. The Cowboys will still be positioned to win the NFC East, host a playoff game and end their streak of 12 seasons without a playoff win.

Lose, though, and this season is a wrap. Guarantee it.

Lose and you can make easily make the case the Cowboys won’t win another game this season.

That’s not hyperbole. It’s reality. Whether the players and coaches choose to accept that is irrelevant.

Logic says the Cowboys could play well and lose in New Orleans, which would give them a three-game losing streak heading into a road game against Washington.

Don’t act like you can’t see how the Cowboys could lose at Washington, since the Redskins are playing good football and lost by one point in Cowboys Stadium a few weeks ago.

Add a four-game losing streak to 24-hour sports talk chatter about Wade’s status, Jerry’s inevitable vote of confidence and it’s a recipe for yet another opportunity for Philadelphia to put Dallas out of its misery.

That’s why it’s imperative the Cowboys beat San Diego on Sunday.

To do so, their best players must perform at a high level because the Chargers are so good Dallas could play well and lose.

This week it’s about Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff. It’s about Jason Witten and Andre Gurode and Keith Brooking. It’s about Nick Folk and Bradie James and Miles Austin.

The season is on the line.

It’s time for the players to make it happen or the kind words for Phillips will ring hollow.

They control his future.

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Wade Phillips

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Dallas Cowboys, Wade Phillips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.