I disagree with those who say Wade is a puppet simply because the notion that Jerry Jones is this teams’ coach is a little absurd. Wade is given control over a lot of what happens, and Jones has veto power that he uses on the bigger things. To use an example mentioned on the forum stating that Bill Parcels wanted to start Romo over Bledsoe in 2006, benching your starting quarterback who has Super Bowl experience in favor of an undrafted free agent qualifies as one of those bigger things.
Wade did say he would have to talk with Jerry about things often, and while Wade tried to make it sound like it was more of a respect thing and a mutual decision to be made, there’s some credit to the idea that he was simply trying to make it sound that way.
On the same point though, how do we know that Wade isn’t playing a bigger role in Dallas than other coaches have under Jones? Do we just look at how visible it is in the media to determine? Parcels made a big splash about doing things his way, to the point that even Jerry Jones had to publicly state that he would let Bill work. Jimmy Johnson had his way as the head coach, but who was Jerry to argue after having just bought the team.
To look at this past month, we’ve never seen it before from Jerry Jones. He’s never zipped his mouth so well toward the media, and he’s never tried to go after a guy that is well known around the league for being set in his ways; ways that come from a guy Jerry Jones fired his first day on the job. He did get Parcels here, but even that came with a media frenzy attached, not like with Reeves where the best reports we have are from the San Francisco 49ers and staff writers at Valley Ranch who simply see him there. And Jerry Jones has never been so willing to admit that things need to change on a scope that includes his level as an Owner, a Team President, and a General Manager.
It’s also the first serious down note for the Cowboys with Wade Phillips on staff. To me, it all goes to show that maybe Wade is the cause of the changes in how Jones is doing things. Wade said in his final press conference of the season that he would turn to several coaches that he’s worked with over the years, which included Dan Reeves, and now we’ve got Reeves setting up shop this week in his own office at Valley Ranch.
To me, this looks like the beginning of a big upset for those that claim Wade Phillips is and will be the ultimate downfall of this team in 2009, and possibly beyond.