The Dallas Cowboys head coach, Wade Phillips was fired Monday. He was then replaced by the new interim head coach, Jason Garrett. But the question still remains, whose fault is it anyway?
The Cowboys record dropped to an embarrassing 1-7 after losing 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers on Monday afternoon. The owner Jerry Jones stated on ESPN News that he had never had to make a decision about firing an in-season coach, yet he did so reluctantly for the betterment of the team.
Phillips had just been given a two-year contract extension in 2010 for leading the Cowboys to their first playoff in over a decade. So could the Cowboys losing record solely be placed in his hands?
Miles Austin, the starting wide receiver, stated that it was not Coach Phillips fault, but the players’ fault since they are the ones that are on the field. This is arguably correct because although the coach makes the executive decisions he also is supported by others such as the offensive coordinator as well as assistant coach(es), whom also have a voice and are capable of making decisions.
Next, you have to take a look at the players, whose job is to execute the plays that the coach(es) present to them. Say for instance if the quarterback cannot complete a pass on a perfectly drawn-out play, that then is not the coach’s fault, but the quarterback’s fault and perhaps the other players’ fault because they could not get open to receive the ball.
They then must take it upon themselves to correct this problem, sure the coach will put his input in, but actually being on the field is one thing. The players must communicate and get open and complete the plays.
In the end it could have been a number of reasons as to why the Cowboys were losing terribly, but the question is will they continue this losing streak or will they prevail to victory? This will ultimately determine ‘whose fault is it anyway’?
Jaketa Humphrey is a sophomore marketing major from Little Rock, Ark.