subject: Jerry Jones Firing of Wade Phillips [print this page] Jerry Jones Firing of Wade Phillips Jerry Jones Firing of Wade Phillips
Jerry Jones had to fire Wade Phillips. He had no choice. The team had quit on Wade Phillips. In fact they quit as soon as Tony Romo was injured during the New York Giant game. It's is also a well known fact that the players loved playing for Wade Phillips, which is great if he was their grandfather or father, but as a head coach there should be a certain healthy amount of fear and more fear involved.
Jerry Jones next step is something a little more drastic. He should fire himself as general manager. It is true Jerry Jones is the owner as well as a general manager, but if he wasn't the owner he would fire himself. The Dallas Cowboys have had one playoff win in fifteen years. That does not cut it in the NFL. That gets most general managers fired. Unlike most owner NFL owners Jerry did play college football, so he does know a little something about football, but he wouldn't with that resume' a look for a scouting position. And just because Jerry won three Super Bowls in four years does not make Jerry a successful general manager. That does not count in my book, because he inherited future hall of famer Michael Irvin who was already on the roster, and the Cowboys had the first pick in the draft that Troy Aikman who was the consensus best player in the draft. Those two players along the Hershel Walker (which Jerry had nothing to with, Jimmy Johnson orchestrated that trade) was heist transformed the Cowboys from a dreadful team into a three time Super Bowl champs. Jerry caught lightning in a bottle. Jerry also had a lot of help. He had Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy Johnson was not only head coach he had a major influence on personnel. Also since Jimmy was just out of college coaching he had a pipeline of information about most college players than most.
Since then Jerry Jones as a general manager has been terrible. Who can forget Jerry's futility in picking quarterbacks, from Quincy Carter to Clint Hutchinson and Drew Henson. He also could not draft an offensive linemen to save his life. Does Jacob Rodgers ring a bell anyone? Two of his best players on the team weren't drafted and basically fell into his lap were Tony Romo and Miles Austin as undrafted free agents. Those were scouts finding diamonds in the rough.
So it doesn't matter who Jerry picks to be his next coach. Be it Jason Garrett, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Jim Harbaugh, or even Chuck Noll. The Cowboys won't win with Jerry Jones as general manager. Jerry Jones has to do the right thing and fire himself. Get a real general manager who knows personnel. Let the new general manager pick the coach. Let him run the draft, trades and free agency. Jerry can still be involved in the marketing, which he is brilliant at, and the face of the franchise. He can still be in war room so when the general manager makes the draft pick. Jerry can act like he was the one who made the pick, jump up and down like a kangaroo, and mug for the camera. He should just let the general manager run the team and stay out of the way.
