USA Today: Dallas Cowboys
Inside Slant
Posted 5/19/2007 1:09 AM ET
The Cowboys have been through just one minicamp, but the differences between how the Cowboys will operate under coach Wade Phillips from the previous tenure of the tyrannical Bill Parcells are stark.
The laid-back Phillips is clearly a players' coach and his relaxed style has gone over well in the locker room.
Players are no longer walking on eggshells and actually looking forward to coming to work. They don't have worry about getting berated when the head coach comes around the corner.
The bottom line is ... football is fun again.
The question the Cowboys must answer is how this new style will translate on the football field.
Remember, Parcells was lauded for his ways when he came in and took over a faltering Cowboys franchise that went 5-11, 5-11 and 5-11 over the previous three seasons under Dave Campo.
Of course, Parcells was brought to Dallas not just to be better than Campo, but to take the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.
And while he improved the talent on the franchise, his tenure in Dallas was ultimately considered a failure. The reason owner Jerry Jones put up with Parcells' gruff ways was because Jones thought it would pay off with a Super Bowl run. It didn't happen, so Jones went the other way and brought in a laid-back coach.
Jones pointed to Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts as an example of being able to win without being a dictator. Again, Dungy is being lauded now because he won.
Phillips' ways will ultimately be judged on what the Cowboys do on the field. Make no mistake, just because he is in his first year doesn't mean he will have a honeymoon period.
Jones believes the Cowboys have enough talent to make a Super Bowl run in 2007.
Phillips didn't do himself any favors when he ended the Cowboys' minicamp by lauding the talent and saying the team has no apparent weaknesses.
The facts are that the Cowboys were a 9-7 team that lost in the wild-card playoffs. So if they have no weaknesses, then Phillips is saying they did not live up to expectations last year, which is an indictment of the coaching.
He plans to not only bring a different style, but a different football mentality to the Cowboys than Parcells did. Phillips will be more aggressive offensively and defensively.
Only time will tell if a different philosophy and system will result in a better product on the field.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Cowboys brought in two players to try out during last week's minicamp, quarterback Richard Bartel and safety Eric Anderson.
Bartel impressed enough that the Cowboys signed him to a contract.
He gives the Cowboys five quarterbacks on the roster, in addition to Tony Romo, Brad Johnson, Matt Baker and Matt Moore.
Because Moore had to return to school and won't be back until the June 8-10 minicamp, the Cowboys needed another arm for the Organized Team Activity sessions.
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Posted 5/19/2007 1:09 AM ET
The Cowboys have been through just one minicamp, but the differences between how the Cowboys will operate under coach Wade Phillips from the previous tenure of the tyrannical Bill Parcells are stark.
The laid-back Phillips is clearly a players' coach and his relaxed style has gone over well in the locker room.
Players are no longer walking on eggshells and actually looking forward to coming to work. They don't have worry about getting berated when the head coach comes around the corner.
The bottom line is ... football is fun again.
The question the Cowboys must answer is how this new style will translate on the football field.
Remember, Parcells was lauded for his ways when he came in and took over a faltering Cowboys franchise that went 5-11, 5-11 and 5-11 over the previous three seasons under Dave Campo.
Of course, Parcells was brought to Dallas not just to be better than Campo, but to take the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.
And while he improved the talent on the franchise, his tenure in Dallas was ultimately considered a failure. The reason owner Jerry Jones put up with Parcells' gruff ways was because Jones thought it would pay off with a Super Bowl run. It didn't happen, so Jones went the other way and brought in a laid-back coach.
Jones pointed to Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts as an example of being able to win without being a dictator. Again, Dungy is being lauded now because he won.
Phillips' ways will ultimately be judged on what the Cowboys do on the field. Make no mistake, just because he is in his first year doesn't mean he will have a honeymoon period.
Jones believes the Cowboys have enough talent to make a Super Bowl run in 2007.
Phillips didn't do himself any favors when he ended the Cowboys' minicamp by lauding the talent and saying the team has no apparent weaknesses.
The facts are that the Cowboys were a 9-7 team that lost in the wild-card playoffs. So if they have no weaknesses, then Phillips is saying they did not live up to expectations last year, which is an indictment of the coaching.
He plans to not only bring a different style, but a different football mentality to the Cowboys than Parcells did. Phillips will be more aggressive offensively and defensively.
Only time will tell if a different philosophy and system will result in a better product on the field.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Cowboys brought in two players to try out during last week's minicamp, quarterback Richard Bartel and safety Eric Anderson.
Bartel impressed enough that the Cowboys signed him to a contract.
He gives the Cowboys five quarterbacks on the roster, in addition to Tony Romo, Brad Johnson, Matt Baker and Matt Moore.
Because Moore had to return to school and won't be back until the June 8-10 minicamp, the Cowboys needed another arm for the Organized Team Activity sessions.
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
posted by The Gryphon at 6:55 PM
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