Dallas Cowboys Fire Coach Phillips

Wade Phillips discharged as Cowboys coach

Just 24 hours after Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced some few changes at the team, the one that regarded coach Wade Phillips has already been made. It is for the first time that Dallas fires a coach during the mid-season. The decision was made after the team got to a shameful 1-7 negative record in the new season, one that included in the same time an embarrassing defeat to Green Bay this Sunday. The Packers beat Cowboys 45-7 as Jones couldn’t help himself from announcing several key modifications. Now, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett replaces Phillips as interim.

Dallas’s owner also announced that the new defensive coordinator, role which was also taken in charge by Phillips, will be now led by Paul Pasqualoni. Said Jones: “An in-season coaching change is not something I’ve done before, something I was reluctant to do as recently as last week. But I think what’s best for the organization and the fans is a coaching change.” Wade Phillips ends a three-year adventure in Dallas. The former coach thanked to all who trusted in his work before looking disappointed for the last poor results. However, Phillips left Cowboys with a 35-23 record and 83-35 overall as head coach. He was also the first to lead the Cowboys through a playoff victory since 1996, winning in the same time two NFC East titles. This was Jerry Jones’s first decision to fire a head coach since he took the helm of the Cowboys in 1989.

Phillips was announced by his replacement just minutes before all the players arrived to club’s headquarters. Once made public, most of the players looked surprised by Phillips’s expelling. Quarterback Jon Kitna was among the most surprised, but finally seemed confident with Garrett’s naming as interim, mentioning in the same time that he has all the qualities that qualify one as head coach. When asked if he thinks that Phillips has been fired or the coach chose to quit, the quarterback considered a ‘disrespectful’ thing to try to answer to such questions.

Concerning Sunday’s game from Green Bay, Phillips acknowledged the team showed a poor football, but also didn’t hide to claim that it was also a poor coaching in the shameful defeat. And when owner Jones was asked last Friday if he will keep Wade as coach this answered affirmative. Shortly after the Sunday’s game though, things turn 180 degrees. Jones pointed very clearly that the team will suffer crucial modifications and despite he didn’t mention any name, time proved that Phillips name was part of the changes.

Wade overtaken Dallas in 2007 from Bill Parcells who left the Cowboys with a 34-30 record in three years. However, Phillips era was one of the most successful in the recent years. He also finished his job with a .607, unlike his predecessor’s .531. On the other hand, Dallas is the place where Phillips provided few of the best results. His two years spent with Bills ended with a 29-19 record, while the period spent with Broncos between 19943 and 1994 brought him a 16-16 record. Dallas is also the longest period for him as a head coach. There is no other place where Phillips coached for longer.