Source: Phillips to return for '10 season

[mix]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/news/story?id=4835981

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has decided that head coach Wade Phillips will return next season despite the team's 34-3 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings, a high-ranking team source said Monday.

Tough loss yesterday, but the Vikings were the superior team.

Dallas is young talent-wise and will own the NFC East for awhile, plus the Giants and Eagles are in decline.

It was a great year for Dallas fans, too bad it ended too soon.

Glad Wade is coming back.

GEAUX SAINTS!

[JonLP24]

1. I may be in the minority

but I think it's a good move.

Dallas does many things well such as passing, running, and defense. Romo 8.15 YPA which is very good. 7+ is good imo. They run the ball very well, top 10 in rush offense. Defense they are in the top half in pass defense, and #4 in rush defense.

He also has a winning record in Dallas. The playoff losses hurt but they played very well and it's something they can build on rather than changing things up and bringing in new staff.

[mix]

2. This team reminds me of the '91 Cowboys...

...just a few of the puzzle pieces are missing, namely the O-Line.

This is a good team and will be around for awhile, which should bring joy to haters and fans alike.

[joeybee12]

5. I agree...a good move for all the other teams in the NFC East...n/t

[mix]

6. Phillips' record over 3 years, since 2007:

2 NFC East championships
33-15
.681 winning percentage

1st playoff win since '96...Dallas owns the NFC East and will only get better.

:)

[joeybee12]

7. Yeah, but when it matters, he can't deliver...

and the NFC East ain't what it used to be. I raelly think he's the weak link in Dallas finally getting back to the SB.

[mix]

8. The OC Garrett is the weak link.

Phillips delivered, no-one had Dallas winning the NFC East or making it to the divisional round.

He is also defensive mastermind. He deserves another year.

[TZ]

9. Thats exactly what the Giants said after they won the SB

a couple years ago. I think that this was Dallas best chance. No way everyone is gonna be as weak next year.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

10. Marty Schottenheimer much?

Chuck Knox? Phillips appears to have inherited the same monkey.

Romo isn't even in the same GALAXY as Aikman, much less ballpark. Dallas had a great year, but you have more holes than you think, O-line being #1.

I agree, they're probably good enough to hold the NFC (L)East for a year or two, but not much else, IMHO.

[JonLP24]

11. Romo has potential

In his fourth full season as a starter he went for 4,483 yards, 63%, for an 8.2 YPA. 29 TD's to 9 INT's as well.

Aikman's 4th full season went for 3,445 yards, 63%, for a 7.3 YPA(much lower than Romo). Also 23 TD's to 14 INT's.

Also while Aikman has had good seasons he has never had over 8 YPA in a season, something Romo has accomplished 3 times.

Aikman does have the rings but I look at that as a team accomplishment. He couldn't of done it without the other key players AND they wouldn't of done it without Aikman. It's a team accomplishment and I'm just comparing Romo to Aikman which indicates that not only is Romo at least in the same galaxy, he is on pace to having a better career.

[TZ]

12. He doesn't have Emmitt Smith

Those numbers are gaudy but Romo really haven't accomplished that much, really. Like Elway (whom is MUCH better than Romo) he will never win anything by himself. The last three years have proven that.

[JonLP24]

13. If Romo had Elway's production in his first four seasons he would be long gone

Elway's first four seasons he completed less than 60%, below 7 YPA, and more INT's then TD's. Elway didn't start playing consistent, great football until his 7th season though he had a good year in '87 when he posted a 7.8 YPA.

I would seriously take a QB with a career 8.1 YPA for my team any time. If Dallas wants to give up on him I'll gladly encourage Warner to retire so AZ can pick him up.

[fishwax]

22. Elway took Denver to a Super Bowl in his fourth season

And another in his fifth. And another in his seventh, which is significant since he didn't have the benefit of being developed slowly as Romo has. This is, after all, actually Romo's seventh year in the league.

And Elway did all that without the quality running backs, receivers, tight ends, and especially offensive lineman that Tony Romo has had. In each of his first four years as a starter, Romo has had at least two pro-bowlers blocking for him. His lineman have combined for 10 pro-bowls in those four years. Elway's linemen combined for 8 pro bowls -- in his *entire* career. (Keith Bishop made the pro bowl in Elway's 4th and 5th seasons, and then that was it until the Shanahan era.)

I'm a believer in YPA, but for Elway it just doesn't tell the whole story.

As for Romo, time will tell whether it tells the whole story or not, but as you've pointed out his production has been strong. I know that Shanahan was interested in Romo in the '03 draft--maybe if he'd spent a 7th round pick on him that year Shanahan would still be in Denver.

[JonLP24]

23. I'm aware of the years he went to the Super Bowl

His 4th year was actually good. 6.9 YPA (I consider 7+ to be good but a 6.9 will due) and more TD's to INT's. I was combining the years and comparing them to Romo's and only used 4 full seasons as a starter rather then first 4 years as a Pro because many of the numbers wouldn't be there.

That 5th year was a very good year as I stated before, 1987-7.8. He wasn't consistent until his 7th season where that and every single season after he posted a 7 YPA or higher in every single season until he retired.

At this point Elway has the better career. If Romo continues like this who knows but I wasn't trying to say he is better than Elway. Just compared first 4 seasons as a starter Romo was more productive.

edit-I overlooked the fact years 7-11 of his career he had trouble throwing more TD's than INT's but he was pretty good at moving the ball down field.

[fishwax]

25. Romo is only more productive if you don't figure the results on the scoreboard

That's what I meant by referencing the super bowls. You said if Romo had Elway's production he'd be gone by now--but Elway produced a Super Bowl trip in his first four seasons. Romo hasn't.

Like I said, YPA doesn't tell the whole story with Elway--this is particularly true in the early years, but even when his YPA got better in the 90s it didn't tell the whole story. His career Y/A Index (which compares the Y/A against an average value of 100) is only 104. His best year for y/a was still lower than Romo's career average. There were only two years that he was in the top 5 in the league in YPA, and he's not even in the top 50 for his career.

"At this point Elway has the better career. If Romo continues like this who knows but I wasn't trying to say he is better than Elway. Just compared first 4 seasons as a starter Romo was more productive."

I know you weren't trying to say that Romo was better. :) I just wanted to defend Elway's early career, which was--whatever his y/a, his passing TDs/year, or his QB rating--outstanding. Taking those Broncos to three Super Bowls was a tremendous feat. There was actually a column floating around before the season claiming that Elway was the most overrated QB of all time and that his first ten seasons were so mediocre that it's amazing that he even kept his job. Their analysis, of course, was built around stats like QB rating and TD/game, and totally ignored the fact that Elway took his team to the Super Bowl in 30 percent of those "mediocre" seasons :rofl:.

And those teams got hammered in each of those super bowls precisely because Elway was doing so much with so little, and with two weeks to prepare it's not that hard to stop a one-man team. How much of a one-man offense was Elway in those first seven years?
** He was backed by only one running back who finished in the top 10 in rushing yards. (Bobby Humphrey, who was 8th in the league in '89.)

** He had zero pro bowl receivers and zero pro bowl tight ends to throw to.

** He had one pro bowler blocking for him (Keith Bishop, who made the pro bowl twice).

** The leading rusher for the Broncos in that seven years was Sammy Winder, who never averaged 4 yards per rush and only twice averaged more than 60 yards per game. The #2 rusher during that time was Elway himself.

[JonLP24]

26. I look at Super Bowls and stuff like that as a team stat

Obviously QB is a key position and without the starter the teams that win probably don't make it but to win they can't do it on their own. Elway doesn't win two Super Bowls without Terrell Davis, Rod Smith, Sharpe, Atwater, etc. And Denver doesn't win without Elway.

Also you never know how the 2009 or 2007 Cowboys would have done in the AFC in 1987. You also never know if the 1987 Broncos would have made the Super Bowl this year or the year the Cowboys lost to the Super Bowl winning NY Giants.

I'm just focusing on the individuals. You can have great players for bad teams and that is even true for quarterbacks.

[JonLP24]

27. I didn't mean to open a can of worms like this

I agree with 95% of what you say and I feel silly debating this because it may appear that I'm saying Romo is better than Elway.

Denver is my favorite AFC team so I was a big Elway fan. Turned me off when I found out he was a republican but that doesn't take away that he is one of the greatest QBs ever.

I recall my mom telling me who lived in Colorado in the 80's the Denver media was hard on Elway. This I know and remember very well for sure after they lost to Jacksonville in the Divisional in 1996 the media in Denver was suggesting he should retire. The reason I remember that so well was the fact he went on to win two Super Bowls after they said that. :rofl:

[fishwax]

28. it's cool -- I know what you were saying

I didn't take it as a big debate or anything, I just wanted to make the point that Elway was better early in his career than a simple analysis of the stats might show. I know what you mean about Super Bowls as a team stat, and I *totally* agree with you that Elway never would have won a super bowl without support, but the fact is that he got there without support--at least on the offensive side of the ball. Even Dan Reeves has said he made a mistake in never acquiring a supporting cast that could have made Elway shine, but at the time he figured why bother drafting running backs and receivers when Elway can do so well with what they've got, and why bother drafting lineman when Elway was so good at improvising.

Another way to look at it: both Elway and Romo won 38 games in their first four seasons, but Romo has done so with a stellar y/a (he's got one of the best career averages ever), and Elway did it with a y/a that is below average. Are we to surmise from those figures that the Cowboys have won *because* of Romo and the Broncos won *in spite* of Elway? Certainly not--fact is, y/a is a team stat too, because you don't average 8+ y/a without (a) time to throw, (b) talent to throw to, and (c) a running game to provide some balance.

Anyway, I didn't mean to be argumentative or anything, I just like giving the spiel, because those Broncos teams are close to my heart. :hi:

Yeah, it's sad that Elway is a republican :puke: But at least recent Broncos QBs have been better in that regard. I don't know about Cutler, but Plummer expressed some liberal views, and Orton is a solid Dem :)

And the Denver media was definitely brutal on Elway back then--the Denver Post apparently ran a front page story ripping him for the treats he gave out on Halloween :rofl:

[mix]

29. Felix Jones & Tashard Choice, btw

are blossoming into dominating runners, so Romo does have all the offensive weapons, except a pass protecting/run blocking O-Line. Romo, btw, has shattered or is shattering almost every Cowboys passing record.

Your Dallas haterness blinds you to the facts.

:hi:

[hughee99]

30. He doesn't have an O-line full of pro-bowlers. n/t

[TZ]

3. Fine by me

I'll go with my new coach who has two SB rings over a guy who FINALLY won his first playoff game. I'm not sure Dallas is going anywhere...Two years ago they were the number one seed and got kicked out in the divisional round. I think they've maxxed out under Phillips...

[Goblinmonger]

4. Good. He's a turd.

He's worse than Childress, and I really don't like Childress (I thought Frazier should have been made head coach when dumbass left).

[Upton]

14. I'm glad Phillips is coming back too..

he's a loser..Cowgirls will never win a SB with him, which suits most folks just fine.

[mix]

15. He's no Mike Singletary, that's for sure.

You're in good company with your 13-12 coach (.52 winning percentage):

TEAM POSTSEASON YEARS
Buffalo Bills 1999 AFC Wild Card Playoffs 10
Detroit Lions 1999 NFC Wild Card Playoffs 10
Houston Texans never (franchise started in 2002) 8
Cleveland Browns 2002 AFC Wild Card Playoffs 7
San Francisco 49ers 2002 NFC Divisional Playoffs 7
Oakland Raiders 2002 Super Bowl XXXVII 7

[TZ]

17. Zing!!!

:rofl:

[JonLP24]

18. Easy there

Phillips was 11-14 in his first 25 games so give Singletary time.

49ers will probably win the NFC West next year. Seahawks are going backwards and they have an aging QB. Rams have nowhere to go but up but they likely won't be there yet.

For the Cardinals Warner will likely retire and I don't trust management to make the right decisions in keeping key players because they're cheap. Darnell Dockett is still playing on a lousy 3rd round pick contract and he will likely parlay this season for more $$. Rodgers-Cromartie is very good but I don't have faith they will get a solid CB to cover the other side of the field. I can go on but depending on what happens in free agency and the draft I expect the Niners to win the division.

[TZ]

19. But the Seahawks have Pete Carroll!!

I mean that means they are gonna win the division easy right? :eyes: Signed, Steve Spurrier....

[JonLP24]

20. Oh I forgot about that

Unlike Spurrier he does have a winning record in the Pros and I think he has a great defensive mind.

It is waaaaay too early to make next season predictions, especially before the draft and free agency but I don't think they have the personnel to win the division next year but I kind of retract the going backwards statement.

[Upton]

21. Phillips sure is a winner all right..

he's been a head coach on and off since 1985 with 5 different teams....and he's won 1 (that's o-n-e) lousy playoff game.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

16. He's earned the right to another year. nt

[Onceuponalife]

24. Bad decision. They could have hired coach Eric Taylor

late of the Dillon Panthers.