Jerry mum; dumb Cowboys close to new coach next season

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Only your Dallas Cowboys could find a way to lose a game with a 400-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher.

It happened Sunday because these Cowboys play with the consistency of a six-year-old’s flag football team.

Mental mistakes. Physical mistakes. Dumb mistakes. read more

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Firing Wade Phillips Now Wouldn’t Help

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IRVING, Texas — Jerry Jones put to rest the silly speculation that Wade Phillips might be fired next week.

That getting rid of Phillips after an 0-3 start was ever a distinct possibility is a foolish belief. Jones just doesn’t operate that way. He’s never fired a coach midseason and definitely isn’t going to set the precedent with a coach who is three weeks into a two-year contract.

The idea that the Cowboys would benefit by canning Phillips in the aftermath of a loss Sunday in Houston is simply stupid, as I’ve tried explaining to some of my misguided friends at ESPN 103.3.

If Phillips is fired, who would replace him? Jason Garrett, whose offense can’t score more than one touchdown per week, certainly doesn’t deserve a promotion. Joe DeCamillis, an inspirational leader who might make a good head coach, has his hands full trying to fix a special-teams mess. Do you really want Dave Campo in charge again? And we haven’t even discussed the drop-off with the defensive coordinator if Phillips’ Valley Ranch access card gets confiscated.

Folks in a fantasy world seem to think Jerry can just get Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden or somebody else with a Super Bowl pedigree to replace Phillips on the fly. That’s not the way it works in the NFL. Coaching searches take longer than 10 days. It takes an entire offseason to implement a new coach’s schemes and philosophies.

Firing Phillips after a few weeks would send a clear message that the Cowboys’ season is a lost cause. The odds are stacked against an 0-3 team, but any player, coach or executive ready to roll over at that point has no business being in the NFL.

You can call Jones a lot of things, but a quitter isn’t one of them. If anything, he’s too stubborn for his own good. But, in this case, he’s absolutely right to stick with his head coach through a rocky start of the season.

If this season is ultimately a failure for the Cowboys, Phillips will probably be fired, although the labor uncertainty clouds the picture. Jones can carefully consider all the candidates during the offseason.

September certainly isn’t the time to conduct a coaching search, no matter how loud the knee-jerk crowd gets.

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Wade Phillips: We’re Close, But Too Far Away

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Bryant Earns More Praise, Romo Remains Realistic

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A few weeks ago at the Dallas Cowboys‘ rookie mini-camp, coaches had the opportunity to see first round selection Dez Bryant in action for the first time in team colors; the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with Wade Phillips eulogizing the former Oklahoma State star, saying he was the most impressive rookie he had ever seen.

On Monday, the opening of organized team activities, veterans had the opportunity to see the most immediately impressive of their new teammates in the flesh; like Phillips, they were left somewhat mesmerized by the tools possessed by Bryant.

“I heard a lot of hype about him coming in, and I definitely agree with him being the first pick,” said cornerback Mike Jenkins, per ESPNDallas.com. “The guy is going to be a great receiver in this league. … I think he has all the ability to be the best receiver we have.”

Roy Williams, whose role as a starter was threatened–according to many outsiders–by Bryant’s selection, raved about the young receiver as well, adding that he’d like to aid in his development.

“I’m trying to make him better, not only for him but for the Dallas Cowboys in the future,” Williams said. “He’s the future guy for this football team. Everybody knows that. I want him to be the man, come real soon.”

Of course, Bryant still has some developing to do. Williams, who has made clear that he won’t hand over his starting role without a fight, knows this, as does Bryant’s quarterback Tony Romo. Now this is an obvious conclusion to draw from the situation, particularly in mid-May, but, admittedly, it’s easy to forget.

Bryant, in his brief time with the team, has just been that impressive. Fortunately for us, who find ourselves swooning in the possibilities of the future, Romo is a realist.

“There’s a long way to go, it’s a process and it’s about improving,” Romo said, echoing every interview he’s ever given. “[With] young guys, it sometimes takes a little bit to get adjusted to press, different things, in the NFL, route adjustments. I’ll be interested to see all that as it gets forward. We’re just starting the process now.”

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