Keep Smiling, Wade Phillips

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair
with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips

Being a lifelong football fan, one part of the business (and it is a business, make no mistake) that brings me down is when good coaches get fired because the players are too stubborn and lazy to perform up to par. Yet, isn’t that part of a coaches job – to motivate the players into a conquering, tail kicking mindset?

During last year’s NFL season, when the Dallas Cowboys, under Wade Phillips, were playing the game like a bunch of drunk frat boys at the beach doing a keg stand for every touchdown,  the writing was on the wall. It was clearly going to be Wade Phillips’ final year, but Jerry Jones didn’t wait that long. He fired Wade Phillips after a dismal 1-7 start for a team that was practically a consensus to reach the Superbowl, which ultimately was won by the Packers who coincidentally were the final team the Cowboys faced under Phillips’ term, losing the game 45-7.

Thank you, Jerry Jones. That was the greatest thing you could have ever done for this football fan.

I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan my entire life. I was born and bred to be one, but when it came to watching fun games my taste always ventured more towards the grittier, flashier, yet low key Texas team – The Houston Oilers. Warren Moon was my main man, Bruce Matthews was a beast, Lorenzo White was unstoppable, and all of them continued the legacy of Bum Phillips (Wade’s father).

Dallas was Hollywood while Houston was projects, the blue collar guys that busted their butts day in and day out for little to no respect, unless you lived in Houston. Sadly, the team was moved to Tennessee and began their own history as the Titans. Years topped on to years and Houston was hungry for a football team. Finally, Bob McNair made the city’s dreams come true. Unfortunately, the Oilers name had been retired by Bud Adams when he moved the original team to Tennessee after changing the name to the Titans.

Eat my ass, Bud Adams.

Bob McNair and company eventually settled on the Texans, which used to be the name of the Dallas team in the original NFL before moving to Kansas City and becoming the Chiefs. Personally, I can’t stand the name, but reading the list of the ones that were available (Bobcats, Apollos, Stallions, and Toros), I can proudly live by the Texans.

Low and behold here we are now in the present day and Wade Phillips is the Houston Texans’ defensive coordinator. They are currently the number 1 ranked defense in the NFL while the Dallas Cowboys are still underachieving just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that, etc., etc. Yet, Wade Phillips is nowhere to be found in the Dallas locker room. They have Jason Garrett as their head coach who was Troy Aikman’s backup during those Superbowl glory days under Jimmy Johnson, and they have a hot commodity and supposed defensive genius in Rob Ryan, both of whom have fans and analysts scratching their heads wondering, if these guys are so good, why are the Cowboys still struggling?

What’s the problem with the Cowboys? Are they not performing up to their talent? Perhaps the problem is that they really are not that talented at all.

Whatever it is, again, thank you Jerry Jones for firing Wade Phillips. He took a last place defensive unit and took them to the upper echelon of the NFL, the Houston Texans are the 2010-2011 AFC South Champions, and have clinched their first playoff appearance. Wade is back home where he belongs and at least for this year, the stars are shining brighter in Houston.