Phillips, Bears' Smith share Texas ties, calm demeanor
By CALVIN WATKINS
The Dallas Morning News
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The two coaches grew up 234 miles apart.
Wade Phillips, who coaches the Cowboys is from Orange, Texas, or as he says, from about seven or eight little towns across the state.
Lovie Smith the coach of the Bears, the Cowboys' opponent on Sunday night, is from Big Sandy.
Besides coming from small Texas towns, where football is everything, the coaches are considered laidback and some of the nicest guys in the coaching profession.
Well, Smith doesn't think being described as a nice guy is a good thing.
"Nice guys?" Smith said on a conference call with reporters this week. "It's amazing how you stereotype guys. When I guess you're not cussing out players, you get this nice guy approach."
When asked is he laidback, Smith said, "Laidback, that's another one. I wouldn't say laidback."
What about calming influence?
"Now we're making progress," Smith said. "I would like for the players to see a calm guy on the sidelines, who is giving them positive feedback to get the job done."
Smith is getting it done. Last season, he led the Bears to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1985.
Phillips is also noted for his Mr. Nice Guy approach.
But during training camp, Phillips cussed in front of his team when several players were late for a special teams walkthrough.
When Terrell Owens was penalized for a touchdown celebration in last week's victory over Miami, Phillips was animated on the sidelines with special teams coach Bruce Read. Phillips was upset that Owens' antics cost his team 15-yards.
"Oh, Wade has another side to him," inside linebacker Bradie James said earlier this year. "Don't let that laidback look fool you."
The demeanors of the two coaches could be attributed to the sleepy towns where they grew up in and to their mentors.
Phillips, who is quick with some one-liners, followed his father, Bum into coaching.
"It says something for growing up in a small town," Wade Phillips said. "It's about how friendly things are there and that kind of thing."
Phillips said just because you're from a small town doesn't mean being laidback is who you are.
"Jimmy Johnson was from Port Arthur and that was next to [Orange] and you know how he is," Phillips said.
Smith's mentor is Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, who is also calm and cool on the sidelines.
"If people say I'm similar to coach Tony Dungy, that's a compliment," Smith said. "We coach the guys hard, and our players play a physical brand of football the right way. That's the approach we take, and I'm comfortable with that."
Both coaches said there's pride in coming from small towns to coach in the NFL. Phillips has a winning record as a head coach and is noted as one of the best defensive minds in the game.
Smith is also an excellent defensive coach with a winning record who is beloved by his players.
"I'm always cheering for guys from Texas to do well," Smith said. "Wade will understand if I'm not cheering for him this week."
The Dallas Morning News
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The two coaches grew up 234 miles apart.
Wade Phillips, who coaches the Cowboys is from Orange, Texas, or as he says, from about seven or eight little towns across the state.
Lovie Smith the coach of the Bears, the Cowboys' opponent on Sunday night, is from Big Sandy.
Besides coming from small Texas towns, where football is everything, the coaches are considered laidback and some of the nicest guys in the coaching profession.
Well, Smith doesn't think being described as a nice guy is a good thing.
"Nice guys?" Smith said on a conference call with reporters this week. "It's amazing how you stereotype guys. When I guess you're not cussing out players, you get this nice guy approach."
When asked is he laidback, Smith said, "Laidback, that's another one. I wouldn't say laidback."
What about calming influence?
"Now we're making progress," Smith said. "I would like for the players to see a calm guy on the sidelines, who is giving them positive feedback to get the job done."
Smith is getting it done. Last season, he led the Bears to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1985.
Phillips is also noted for his Mr. Nice Guy approach.
But during training camp, Phillips cussed in front of his team when several players were late for a special teams walkthrough.
When Terrell Owens was penalized for a touchdown celebration in last week's victory over Miami, Phillips was animated on the sidelines with special teams coach Bruce Read. Phillips was upset that Owens' antics cost his team 15-yards.
"Oh, Wade has another side to him," inside linebacker Bradie James said earlier this year. "Don't let that laidback look fool you."
The demeanors of the two coaches could be attributed to the sleepy towns where they grew up in and to their mentors.
Phillips, who is quick with some one-liners, followed his father, Bum into coaching.
"It says something for growing up in a small town," Wade Phillips said. "It's about how friendly things are there and that kind of thing."
Phillips said just because you're from a small town doesn't mean being laidback is who you are.
"Jimmy Johnson was from Port Arthur and that was next to [Orange] and you know how he is," Phillips said.
Smith's mentor is Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, who is also calm and cool on the sidelines.
"If people say I'm similar to coach Tony Dungy, that's a compliment," Smith said. "We coach the guys hard, and our players play a physical brand of football the right way. That's the approach we take, and I'm comfortable with that."
Both coaches said there's pride in coming from small towns to coach in the NFL. Phillips has a winning record as a head coach and is noted as one of the best defensive minds in the game.
Smith is also an excellent defensive coach with a winning record who is beloved by his players.
"I'm always cheering for guys from Texas to do well," Smith said. "Wade will understand if I'm not cheering for him this week."
posted by The Gryphon at 10:11 PM
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