Mad Martz Mayhem
Will Wade Phillips make it to October? The Cowboys' Bears debacle demands action
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Jason Garrett proved (again) that he's no Mike Martz in the Dallas Cowboys'27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. -
But Wade Phillips will still likely be the one who pays for the Dallas Cowboys'anything but Super start. -
Martz has turned Jay Cutler into an under control, efficient quarterback.
If Mike Martz was employed by Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys would be 2-0 and talk of a hometown Super Bowl would be approaching Betty White-hype levels.
Instead, of course, Jones' team is 0-2 after a 27-20 home loss to Martz's superiorly-schooled Chicago Bears (and yes, this is already as much Martz's team as head coach Lovie Smith's, just like the '85 Bears were as much Buddy Ryan's bunch as Mike Ditka's). Instead, a certain sportswriter's' prediction of an 8-8 season for the Boys suddenly looks awfully realistic, and maybe even, overly optimistic.
OK, Dallas isn't going to finish 5-11. But it's now doubtful Wade Phillips will even finish.
Even Jones cannot ignore the warning lights flashing over his handpicked puppet head coach and his long-drooled-over offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. In truth, Garrett is more of the problem than Phillips, but it's going to hard for Jones to sever that tie. No, Phillips is the one who will probably pay for an offense that cannot finish at the goal line.
Tony Romo doesn't look overmatched as much as unsure. The Cowboys quarterback is playing as tentative as Garrett is calling the plays. When Romo throws the ball 22 more times than a Martz-coached quarterback and is still half as effective, something's gone wrong in the offensive meeting rooms all week.
How does Felix Jones — one of the supposed new focus points of Dallas attack — get only nine touches in an up-and-down game, the week after being similarly, lamentedly ignored in week one? Who thinks that rushing the ball only 19 times overall is a good plan?
Did somebody convince Garrett and Phillips that they were actually playing against the '85 Bears defense.
"It's frustrating," Romo said of the game in general. "We've got to find a way to get better."
Phillips might only have one more chance to prove he's the man to lead the search for solutions. Fall to 0-3 with a loss to the Texans in Houston next Sunday — a very doable proposition — and Jones will have little chance of winning a fight against his inner George Steinbrenner. Someone will pay.
Coaching changes in season are rare in the NFL, but this isn't your usual situation. By jettisoning Phillips, Jones could give Garrett a three-quarters-season tryout as head coach, providing his protege one last chance to prove that Jerry knew what he was doing all along. If it doesn't work? Jones just clears house at season's end, like he would have to do anyways.
Getting rid of Garrett — whenever it happens — will be a blow to Jones' ego and credibility much greater than any Phillips' pink slip. So expect the puppet to be pushed out first.
What must Jones have thought watching Martz's offense slice through his team with Jay Culter shockingly playing the role of the sure, steady, in-control quarterback? Jones and almost any other owner in the league could have had Martz, if only they could have put up with the ego.
Jerry probably wishes there was somebody stealing all the spotlight glory from him about now.
It's no shame for most teams to be outcoached by Mike Martz. He's one of the top five head coaches in the game today — even if no one will hire him as more than an offensive coordinator, and only his confident, ego-free former Rams' colleague Lovie will even (at least publicly) embrace that.
Unless you're thinking that a Super Bowl appearance is your space-aged stadium right. Then, there's plenty of problem with it, one that Jerry Jones can no longer ignore.
