The Wade Phillips era will be remembered for winning two NFC East titles in three seasons, ending the Cowboys’ longest drought without a playoff victory (4,760 days), and moving into the state-of-the-art, $1.5 billion stadium.
Yeah, right.
The 63-year-old defensive guru will more likely be remembered for coaching the most disastrous season in Jerry Jones‘ drama-filled 21 years as the Cowboys owner.
There couldn’t have been higher expectations, as Dallas entered the season with dreams of becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. And there couldn’t be lower production, as the Cowboys have stumbled to an NFC-worst 1-7 record.
There are high-profile jobs in sports, and then there’s being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Phillips never seemed like the kind of person that would be able to embrace the high-pressure position. His previous head coaching jobs were in small markets — Buffalo and Denver. He was never charismatic in front of the media. And he had never won the big game.
No matter how successful the Cowboys were, Phillips’ job security was always questioned. The young upcoming offensive genius Jason Garrett or big-name Super Bowl winning coach, like Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden, never seemed that far away from ripping the reigns from Phillips.
So it took a humiliating 45-7 loss to the Packers on Sunday night for Jones to finally axe Phillips — a guy who, despite his southern drawl, never seemed to fit the mold of being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
