Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo & Wade Phillips Get Their Swagger Back with Playoff Victory

Wade Phillips, Tony Romo, and the Dallas Cowboys have their swagger back, freed from the monkey's they've carried on their backs. The Cowboys victory over the Eagles marks the first playoff win, for team Phillips and Romo. The victory is especially rewarding for Phillips, a coach who's endured yearly talks of his impending firing. While his headset is connected to a short leash, Phillips continues to coach through distractions and criticism.

In 2007, Phillips first year as head coach of the Cowboys, Dallas finished with a 13-3 record, and the NFC East title. After failing to win their home playoff game that year, talks of Phillips firing began. Things didn't improve for Wade or the Cowboys in 2008, when Dallas finished with a 9-7 record. This year, Phillips began the season knowing anything short of a playoff appearance would result in the end of his coaching career in Dallas.

While other coaches have compiled worse records then Wade Phillips during his tenure in Dallas, none have been as heavily criticized. For some reason, Phillips has failed to get respect, or credit for his accomplishments. Maybe if the Cowboys coach was more like his boisterous father, Bum Phillips, he'd command more respect, but the younger Phillips has his own, quiet style.

In his three years in Dallas, Phillips and the Cowboys have won their division and appeared in the playoffs twice. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their seasons always ended in disappointment. This year, the Cowboys overcame their past failings, and finished the season with three straight victories. Then, in their third match-up against the Eagles this season, the Cowboys easily defeated their division rivals in the first round of the playoffs.

The future of Wade Phillips in Big D is still uncertain, but for now he has his team playing their best football, especially starting quarterback, Tony Romo. Like his head coach, Tony Romo also has plenty of critics. When Romo burst on the scene in Dallas, he replaced an aging, ineffective Drew Bledsoe. The youthful quarterback injected hope and excitement into the Cowboys. Though Romo would post good numbers as the Cowboys QB, his failure in the playoffs in 2007, is what people remembered. Earning the first playoff win of his career, a mature, focused Romo now seems capable of leading the Cowboys.

Regardless of their success to date, anything short of a Super Bowl title, will once again bring into question, the future of Wade Phillips in Dallas. The Cowboys are similar to the New York Yankees. Both teams have critical owners, who expect to field a competitive team every year. Coaching and managing these teams come with huge expectations, and little patience. Jerry Jones has built his dream stadium, and expects it to be home to a championship team.

Sources:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/2008.htm
http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/team_biosCoachExec.cfm?newName=Wade_Phillips