IRVING, Texas (AP) – When the Cowboys drew a costly celebration penalty against Tennessee last weekend, Wade Phillips was upset – at the officials, not his players.
When he was asked about two Pro Bowlers making head-scratching mistakes against the Titans, Phillips had a head-scratcher of his own: He talked about two other Pro Bowlers hooking up on a great play – in a loss that dropped the supposed Super Bowl contenders to 1-3, their worst start in nine years.
Phillips has been running the Cowboys with that same soft touch ever since he replaced Bill Parcells. Although his style produced two division titles in three years, and a playoff victory last season, the underachieving first month of this season has raised fresh questions about whether he’s the right guy to be in charge – especially when he downplays all the silly penalties and flubbed performances in a game like the 34-27 loss to Tennessee.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes in Phillips and, of course, his decision is the only one that matters. And if he asks around the locker room, Jones would find a lot of players who agree.
Captains DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten said Wednesday the group doesn’t need a coach to scream some sense into them. They say they need Phillips’ steady approach and constant encouragement to bring out their best.
“He’s consistent, he’s the same guy every day, and it doesn’t go unnoticed,” Witten said. “I think you feel confident knowing that your head coach is being that same guy. He has a formula for winning football and we’re going to get there together. It’s more critical now than ever. I’m sure it’s easy to coach a team when everything is good. It’s a harder job when it’s like this. He does as good of a job as I’ve seen handling these situations.”
Ware is the most productive player on defense, the unit Phillips personally oversees. So it carries some weight when he describes Phillips as “a strong coach that keeps strong, keeps his players strong, too.”
That’s right, he said “strong” coach.
Watch the low-key Phillips on the sideline during a game and that word probably doesn’t come to mind. It’s certainly not the thought of anyone who hears a local radio station playing the Benny Hill theme music – the goofy, lighthearted “Yakety Sax” – at the start and finish of Phillips’ daily news conference.
Told that fans would be surprised by that description, Ware said: “We care what they think, but this is the inside of our locker room, and it’s all between the players and the coaches.”
Phillips is in his 34th NFL season and is on his third full-time gig as a head coach. He’s been a terrific defensive coordinator, but so-so running the show. Before January, he had the most regular-season wins among active coaches – and second-most ever – without a playoff win.
Jones knew what he was getting when he hired Phillips and knew even better when he gave him another contract through 2011.
Part of what Jones likes is that Phillips has no problem with the owner-general manager doing whatever he wants, including hiring the offensive coordinator. Of all the coaches Jones has hired, Phillips has the best balance of success (a la Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells) and credibility not to be called “a puppet” (a la Dave Campo, Chan Gailey and even Barry Switzer).
Phillips hardly curses. He could scream or throw things, but players might laugh or wonder what got into him.
Then again, Phillips doesn’t think a change is needed.
All their losses have been decided in the fourth quarter, which lets him know they’re close. It’s also an indication he has not “lost” the club; they’re still playing hard.
They just need to play smarter, better, and it’s his job to figure out how.
“We can make the plays that can make the difference in ballgames, we have the ability to do that,” Phillips said. “We’ve had mistakes, we’ve had problems, we’ve had even bad luck – the ball’s bounced the wrong way a few times. I still see this team as becoming a good football team. And that means winning games.”
He knows Jones keeps saying Phillips’ job is safe, and he’s tired of being asked about it. He gives the same answer anyway, telling about the time he was part of a staff swept out in Houston after repeatedly being among the best teams in the NFL, but having the misfortune of being in the same division as the dominant Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I don’t worry about that,” he said. “I worry about this football team and these football players and winning this next game.”
In his own, typical way – that passive, laid-back style that infuriates his critics – Phillips even threw in this caveat Wednesday.
“You know,” he said, “if we had any coaching at all, we’d be in good shape because we’ve got a lot of really good players.”
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