Dallas Cowboys' Phillips still learning after 32 seasons
by Rick Gosselin
PALM BEACH, Fla. – Wade Phillips has spent more than three decades in the NFL with eight teams in a variety of coaching capacities. He has served as head coach of five of those teams.
Like each of his first 31 NFL seasons, the 32nd year – his first with the Dallas Cowboys – was a learning experience. Also an eye-opening experience.
Phillips learned first-hand the aura of the Cowboys.
"There's more media involvement than I thought there'd be," Phillips said Wednesday at the NFC coaches' breakfast at the NFL spring meeting. "There's more fan involvement than I thought there'd be.
Cowboys/NFL
"You go on the road and you have a lot of people in the stands every week for the Dallas Cowboys wearing your jerseys. When you go to hotels, the people are lined up and clapping for you when you arrive. It was a little different than I anticipated. But that was a good thing."
Phillips also learned the might of the NFC East.
"This is the toughest division in the NFL," Phillips said. "Three teams made the playoffs and one of them won it all. The worst team was Philadelphia, which was really coming on at the end of the year. They finished 8-8. It's going to be tough in this division every year."
Phillips learned about swagger from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
"In both games they lost to us during the regular season, after they played us they still said they had a better team than we did," Phillips said. "We laughed at them. We had just beaten them by 10-11 points. But they had great confidence in themselves. Everyone can learn from that."
Phillips learned he had an ally in owner Jerry Jones.
"He's very supportive and very good under pressure," Phillips said. "During the draft he'd analyze things. If we targeted a guy, he'd look to trade up or trade back. He's always thinking ahead. Some things never come to fruition, but he's always asking, 'Will this help you? Will that help you?' "
Phillips learned he has a competitor at quarterback in Tony Romo.
"Practice every play is like a game to him," Phillips said. "He tries to get rid of the ball on time and is disappointed if we don't complete the pass every single play. I didn't realize what a great competitor he is.
"I also saw leadership and talent from him. He's on his way to becoming a great, great quarterback."
Phillips learned not to trust reputations – especially the bad reputation of a player such as Terrell Owens.
"That guy was exemplary last year," Phillips said. "I heard a lot of things, people said a lot of things. Certainly there's been controversy in his career. But we didn't see any of that. That wasn't the guy I saw.
"It's hard for me to say we did this or we did that with him. It was him doing all the right things. But most players will do what you ask them. The team is important to them, and they'll try to do what's best for everybody."
But the No. 1 lesson Phillips learned in 2007? Don't lose that playoff opener.
"There isn't any more pressure to win in the NFL than there is being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys," Phillips said. "It's the same as it was last year, the same this year."
PALM BEACH, Fla. – Wade Phillips has spent more than three decades in the NFL with eight teams in a variety of coaching capacities. He has served as head coach of five of those teams.
Like each of his first 31 NFL seasons, the 32nd year – his first with the Dallas Cowboys – was a learning experience. Also an eye-opening experience.
Phillips learned first-hand the aura of the Cowboys.
"There's more media involvement than I thought there'd be," Phillips said Wednesday at the NFC coaches' breakfast at the NFL spring meeting. "There's more fan involvement than I thought there'd be.
Cowboys/NFL
"You go on the road and you have a lot of people in the stands every week for the Dallas Cowboys wearing your jerseys. When you go to hotels, the people are lined up and clapping for you when you arrive. It was a little different than I anticipated. But that was a good thing."
Phillips also learned the might of the NFC East.
"This is the toughest division in the NFL," Phillips said. "Three teams made the playoffs and one of them won it all. The worst team was Philadelphia, which was really coming on at the end of the year. They finished 8-8. It's going to be tough in this division every year."
Phillips learned about swagger from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
"In both games they lost to us during the regular season, after they played us they still said they had a better team than we did," Phillips said. "We laughed at them. We had just beaten them by 10-11 points. But they had great confidence in themselves. Everyone can learn from that."
Phillips learned he had an ally in owner Jerry Jones.
"He's very supportive and very good under pressure," Phillips said. "During the draft he'd analyze things. If we targeted a guy, he'd look to trade up or trade back. He's always thinking ahead. Some things never come to fruition, but he's always asking, 'Will this help you? Will that help you?' "
Phillips learned he has a competitor at quarterback in Tony Romo.
"Practice every play is like a game to him," Phillips said. "He tries to get rid of the ball on time and is disappointed if we don't complete the pass every single play. I didn't realize what a great competitor he is.
"I also saw leadership and talent from him. He's on his way to becoming a great, great quarterback."
Phillips learned not to trust reputations – especially the bad reputation of a player such as Terrell Owens.
"That guy was exemplary last year," Phillips said. "I heard a lot of things, people said a lot of things. Certainly there's been controversy in his career. But we didn't see any of that. That wasn't the guy I saw.
"It's hard for me to say we did this or we did that with him. It was him doing all the right things. But most players will do what you ask them. The team is important to them, and they'll try to do what's best for everybody."
But the No. 1 lesson Phillips learned in 2007? Don't lose that playoff opener.
"There isn't any more pressure to win in the NFL than there is being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys," Phillips said. "It's the same as it was last year, the same this year."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:04 PM
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