Houston — or Mike, for that matter — Dallas has a problem, and the Cowboys somewhat have addressed it.
Owner Jerry Jones has told coach Wade Phillips to get tougher, and Phillips has since shown a little sternness by firing special teams coach Bruce Read.
Maybe the Dallas media can make better decisions than Jones. He was bugged before and after the no-contest at Philadelphia with the same question: “Is Wade Phillips still in place?”
He must be stuck in the same place because the Cowboys haven’t progressed as a club.
Now that their season isn’t over, the team can do a little scouting, and Jones — considered in his home Arkansas by many as the true head coach of the Cowboys — can get himself involved.
He can get started by visiting his team’s first home and watching today’s Cotton Bowl between Mississippi and Texas Tech. Among the faces to watch for: Houston Nutt and Mike Leach.
After the turnaround season Ole Miss had under Nutt, the former Arkansas coach, it’s a surprise Jones isn’t calling this Hog (Nutt played in Fayetteville before transferring to Oklahoma State) to Dallas. Unlike the Cowboys, Nutt thrives on the big games; just ask Texas and LSU.
So does Tech’s Leach. He’s right there in Texas. Hey, Jerry, check him out.
If Phillips is so calm of a coach, even Tony Romo may be just a little more emphatic. For a moment at Philly, he auditioned for a coaching job, turning away the punt unit on a fourth-down play in the third period. He threw a lateral to Jason Witten, who found Terrell Owens down the field.
Not that the Cowboys benefited much from that, but they listened to someone giving directions.
Something was just wrong with the Cowboys when they couldn’t even close Texas Stadium with a win. After last Sunday’s waste of television time, there’s no need for Dallas to ever have a game of such importance, now is it?
Come on, who cares about the opening of Cowboys Stadium and making that day special? The Cowboys might lose that.
Jones is keeping Phillips in place for now, but he should be used to turning to Arkansans for help.
Nutt’s visit just might be Jones’ cue to change — if not Leach’s visit.
I.C. Murrell,
(580) 221-6527
ic.murrell@ardmoreite.com
