D.C.com Mailbag: Does a slow start mean trouble for Wade?
May 13, 2009 5:25 PM
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag. "Click here" to email questions now.)
SHAWN CAIN SAN FRANCISCO, CA: There was a lot of grumbling about the coaches last year, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't all coming from T.O. I think a lot of the players didn't believe the coaching staff gave them the best chance to win with their game-planning, play-calling and efforts to correct the team's mistakes. Do you think that if the team gets off to a bad start next year, the players will "tune out" Wade Phillips and force Jerry Jones to make a coaching change?
Mickey: Well, think about what you are asking and insinuating: Normally, if a head coach is fired during the middle of a season he's not replaced with an outsider, but rather another person on the staff, and those changes rarely right a ship. Look at St. Louis last year. What happened after Scott Linehan was fired for losing the first four games of the year? The Rams won the first two games under Jim Haslett, who had been the defensive coordinator, and then lost the next 10 games. Firing head coaches in the NFL rarely saves a season. And by the way, be careful how much you listen to player grumblings. They will always grumble before taking responsibility for what's going on, and that's nothing new.
Josh: That's a tough question. Considering the way last season ended, if there was a carryover into the fall and the Cowboys started out poorly, yes you'd have to think Wade Phillips is in trouble. But there could be any number of reasons for a bad start, which may or may not be Phillips' fault. Like what do you do if the offense is the reason they stumble out of the gate? The players are very loyal to Wade. If they have a rough September, it won't be because they tuned him out.
Rob: Not sure what qualifies as a "bad start" for you, but I say no. Jerry Jones seems committed to this coaching staff and this roster. They feel like they've made some positive additions and subtractions this off-season and are headed in the right direction. To me, the early-season schedule seems pretty favorable. I do think a good start is imperative because if not, the players will have to answer endless questions about the team's psyche. Endless.
TERRY BORDEN LONDON, ENGLAND: Roger Goodell has just announced there could be two NFL games played in the United Kingdom in 2010. With the expansion in the UK, what are the chances of seeing the Dallas Cowboys over here?
Mickey: Doubtful. The Cowboys are just finishing completion of a $1.2 billion stadium, so the last thing they'd want is to forfeit a home game to play abroad in the second year of the stadium's existence. Just don't think Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would go for that one, despite how many Cowboys fans there are in England. Now if they were the visiting team, that might be a different story, but a lot of those decisions are made by the TV networks.
Josh: You can bet the NFL wants the Cowboys to play in one of these high-profile games to market the sport overseas. The real question is who has to forfeit a home game. You know the Cowboys wouldn't want to lose their payday after building Cowboys Stadium. Maybe the NFL will be sympathetic to that, and maybe they won't. But either way, I bet you the Cowboys are playing in one of these games in the next few years.
Rob: I'm sure the NFL would love to feature the league's most visible franchise on an international scale. Having just opened a brand new stadium, however, I could see the Cowboys asking for that game to be a "road" contest so they could take advantage of all eight home games.
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag. "Click here" to email questions now.)
SHAWN CAIN SAN FRANCISCO, CA: There was a lot of grumbling about the coaches last year, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't all coming from T.O. I think a lot of the players didn't believe the coaching staff gave them the best chance to win with their game-planning, play-calling and efforts to correct the team's mistakes. Do you think that if the team gets off to a bad start next year, the players will "tune out" Wade Phillips and force Jerry Jones to make a coaching change?
Mickey: Well, think about what you are asking and insinuating: Normally, if a head coach is fired during the middle of a season he's not replaced with an outsider, but rather another person on the staff, and those changes rarely right a ship. Look at St. Louis last year. What happened after Scott Linehan was fired for losing the first four games of the year? The Rams won the first two games under Jim Haslett, who had been the defensive coordinator, and then lost the next 10 games. Firing head coaches in the NFL rarely saves a season. And by the way, be careful how much you listen to player grumblings. They will always grumble before taking responsibility for what's going on, and that's nothing new.
Josh: That's a tough question. Considering the way last season ended, if there was a carryover into the fall and the Cowboys started out poorly, yes you'd have to think Wade Phillips is in trouble. But there could be any number of reasons for a bad start, which may or may not be Phillips' fault. Like what do you do if the offense is the reason they stumble out of the gate? The players are very loyal to Wade. If they have a rough September, it won't be because they tuned him out.
Rob: Not sure what qualifies as a "bad start" for you, but I say no. Jerry Jones seems committed to this coaching staff and this roster. They feel like they've made some positive additions and subtractions this off-season and are headed in the right direction. To me, the early-season schedule seems pretty favorable. I do think a good start is imperative because if not, the players will have to answer endless questions about the team's psyche. Endless.
TERRY BORDEN LONDON, ENGLAND: Roger Goodell has just announced there could be two NFL games played in the United Kingdom in 2010. With the expansion in the UK, what are the chances of seeing the Dallas Cowboys over here?
Mickey: Doubtful. The Cowboys are just finishing completion of a $1.2 billion stadium, so the last thing they'd want is to forfeit a home game to play abroad in the second year of the stadium's existence. Just don't think Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would go for that one, despite how many Cowboys fans there are in England. Now if they were the visiting team, that might be a different story, but a lot of those decisions are made by the TV networks.
Josh: You can bet the NFL wants the Cowboys to play in one of these high-profile games to market the sport overseas. The real question is who has to forfeit a home game. You know the Cowboys wouldn't want to lose their payday after building Cowboys Stadium. Maybe the NFL will be sympathetic to that, and maybe they won't. But either way, I bet you the Cowboys are playing in one of these games in the next few years.
Rob: I'm sure the NFL would love to feature the league's most visible franchise on an international scale. Having just opened a brand new stadium, however, I could see the Cowboys asking for that game to be a "road" contest so they could take advantage of all eight home games.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:11 PM
<< Home