Phillips might have backed the Cowboys into a corner
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Despite his lengthy résumé, this man not only violated the No. 1 rule for workplace long-term survival but was particularly negligent when it comes to his chosen profession.
Cover your own butt is the common-sense and popular approach to coaching football, although CYOB is certainly not limited to just that job.
With the regular-season opener mere days away, the Cowboys are suddenly faced with a cover question at cornerback, be it Terence Newman's ailing foot or in "package" coverage where backup corners log ample playing time in today's NFL.
The logical answer for Phillips was to ride it out with veteran Aaron Glenn, who even if he came up too old and slow for the position, it wouldn't have peeled any skin off Wade's job security.
Glenn was his inherited cornerback with a cap-friendly contract, plus a team leader and all-around good guy, highly respected by his mates.
Over the weekend, for no other sensible reason than Phillips thought Glenn could no longer help his team, the old Aggie was told his shelf-life at Valley Ranch had expired.
Yelps of displeasure were heard from within the Irving compound walls, threatening Phillips' locker-room love that had been so prevalent since he replaced Big Bill. Roy Williams was the most vocal Glenn-backer, but Roy certainly isn't alone in this disagreement with the head coach.
Phillips could have stuck with Glenn, and even if Aaron had failed to deliver, no one would have blamed Wade.
(OK, I hear you knocking. Jerry Jones ordered Glenn gone, you want to say, and it was over money. Sorry, but that doesn't add up, financially. The Cowboys saved only $1.2 million by cutting Glenn. Jerry isn't going to remove critical depth at a critical position over one-point-two mil. This man, you understand, is dreaming Super Bowl.)
Phillips made a bold move here. Bold should not be confused with smart, because with Newman's foot ailment, who knows how much playing time he will see in the immediate future. And even if Terence can handle the pain, and plays every snap, what about Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones?
When training camp opened in San Antonio, no one thought of Reeves or Jones as cornerbacks who might log front-line minutes. But a week before the season opener against the Giants, Phillips left his own butt exposed by putting Reeves in that position, while Jones also climbed a notch up the "secondary package" pecking order.
It was reported that eight teams immediately contacted Glenn, wanting to sign him, but that total is not confirmed, and at least one team on that list quietly said Tuesday it had not been interested. Regardless, Glenn landed quickly in Jacksonville.
Let there be no more wasted space explaining how adequate cornerback play is a necessity to the success of the "Phillips 3-4," due to the attack nature of what Wade brings.
Just as troubling is how the Cowboys, as an organization, now appear to have been totally unprepared in dealing with the importance of the position in regard to the success of the defensive scheme.
Four months ago, Aaron Glenn was still short, and still rather slow, which is normal for a cornerback who was about to turn 35 in July.
Did it take the Houston exhibition game, when Glenn struggled in coverage against the big and swift Andre Johnson, for the Cowboys to decide Glenn was not their man? The apparent answer: Yes.
But the draft was in late April, and the Cowboys did nothing to address cornerback outside of seventh-round picks. Forget the first round, with all that wheeling and dealing, but in the second and third rounds, a total of seven cornerbacks were taken.
The Cowboys, with no second-rounder after a busy first round, took an offensive lineman in the third, and he's a guy who wouldn't have made this final cut had it not been for his high draft status.
Then there was free agency throughout the spring and into the summer. Again, no move for a cornerback, although I didn't research what exactly was available.
It appears, however, that Glenn being short, slow and old snuck up on the Cowboys' braintrust. And even with all those Aaron negatives, are Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones an upgrade on Glenn? There is nothing to suggest they are. Nothing.
CYOB wisdom says Wade Phillips should have played a pat hand with his cornerbacks. But he got bold, which may not have been smart, although excuse me for kind of admiring Phillips' gumption in this situation.
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Despite his lengthy résumé, this man not only violated the No. 1 rule for workplace long-term survival but was particularly negligent when it comes to his chosen profession.
Cover your own butt is the common-sense and popular approach to coaching football, although CYOB is certainly not limited to just that job.
With the regular-season opener mere days away, the Cowboys are suddenly faced with a cover question at cornerback, be it Terence Newman's ailing foot or in "package" coverage where backup corners log ample playing time in today's NFL.
The logical answer for Phillips was to ride it out with veteran Aaron Glenn, who even if he came up too old and slow for the position, it wouldn't have peeled any skin off Wade's job security.
Glenn was his inherited cornerback with a cap-friendly contract, plus a team leader and all-around good guy, highly respected by his mates.
Over the weekend, for no other sensible reason than Phillips thought Glenn could no longer help his team, the old Aggie was told his shelf-life at Valley Ranch had expired.
Yelps of displeasure were heard from within the Irving compound walls, threatening Phillips' locker-room love that had been so prevalent since he replaced Big Bill. Roy Williams was the most vocal Glenn-backer, but Roy certainly isn't alone in this disagreement with the head coach.
Phillips could have stuck with Glenn, and even if Aaron had failed to deliver, no one would have blamed Wade.
(OK, I hear you knocking. Jerry Jones ordered Glenn gone, you want to say, and it was over money. Sorry, but that doesn't add up, financially. The Cowboys saved only $1.2 million by cutting Glenn. Jerry isn't going to remove critical depth at a critical position over one-point-two mil. This man, you understand, is dreaming Super Bowl.)
Phillips made a bold move here. Bold should not be confused with smart, because with Newman's foot ailment, who knows how much playing time he will see in the immediate future. And even if Terence can handle the pain, and plays every snap, what about Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones?
When training camp opened in San Antonio, no one thought of Reeves or Jones as cornerbacks who might log front-line minutes. But a week before the season opener against the Giants, Phillips left his own butt exposed by putting Reeves in that position, while Jones also climbed a notch up the "secondary package" pecking order.
It was reported that eight teams immediately contacted Glenn, wanting to sign him, but that total is not confirmed, and at least one team on that list quietly said Tuesday it had not been interested. Regardless, Glenn landed quickly in Jacksonville.
Let there be no more wasted space explaining how adequate cornerback play is a necessity to the success of the "Phillips 3-4," due to the attack nature of what Wade brings.
Just as troubling is how the Cowboys, as an organization, now appear to have been totally unprepared in dealing with the importance of the position in regard to the success of the defensive scheme.
Four months ago, Aaron Glenn was still short, and still rather slow, which is normal for a cornerback who was about to turn 35 in July.
Did it take the Houston exhibition game, when Glenn struggled in coverage against the big and swift Andre Johnson, for the Cowboys to decide Glenn was not their man? The apparent answer: Yes.
But the draft was in late April, and the Cowboys did nothing to address cornerback outside of seventh-round picks. Forget the first round, with all that wheeling and dealing, but in the second and third rounds, a total of seven cornerbacks were taken.
The Cowboys, with no second-rounder after a busy first round, took an offensive lineman in the third, and he's a guy who wouldn't have made this final cut had it not been for his high draft status.
Then there was free agency throughout the spring and into the summer. Again, no move for a cornerback, although I didn't research what exactly was available.
It appears, however, that Glenn being short, slow and old snuck up on the Cowboys' braintrust. And even with all those Aaron negatives, are Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones an upgrade on Glenn? There is nothing to suggest they are. Nothing.
CYOB wisdom says Wade Phillips should have played a pat hand with his cornerbacks. But he got bold, which may not have been smart, although excuse me for kind of admiring Phillips' gumption in this situation.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:19 AM
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