UPDATING: Wade Phillips Is Still Fired

((HT: WFAA-TV))

Wade Phillips spoke, in paper form, after his dismissal Monday afternoon...

“I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the fans of the Cowboys and to the entire Jones family for all of the support that we received here in Dallas. I would also like to thank our coaches and players for their loyalty and dedication.

“I told the team today that I have been proud to be a part of their family, and that will never change. I have enjoyed the privilege and responsibility of representing this franchise as its head coach.

“I am disappointed in the results of this season to this point, but I am also very proud of what our team and our players accomplished in the previous three years. In good times and difficult times, our players stuck together and never lost hold of their belief in each other and the strong team bond that they have shared. Family and coaching football have always defined my life and I will always be grateful for my experiences here with the Dallas Cowboys.”

Jerry Jones held a 5:00 eastern time press conference on Monday afternoon at Valley Ranch...

"Obviously, this is a very difficult decision for me, our team and our organization," Jerry Jones said. "We're grateful to Wade and his contributions to the Cowboys leading us to two division titles in his first three seasons with the club. We're not where we want to be at this time, and that's an understatement."

"An in-season coaching change is something that I've not done before; it's something that I was reluctant to even consider as late as this past week," Jones added. "But at this time, I believe in what's the best interest of the organization and the fans is a coaching change."

Dale Hansen and Joe Trahan discuss...

BREAKING: Wade Phillips--Fired! Or It's not true unless ESPN says it is....

Wade Phillips/Courtesy: KTVT.com

Well, true to his word, Darth Jones has fired now former head coach Wade Phillips. Dallas TV station KTVT is reporting that happened this afternoon and that the Cowboys will hold a press conference at 5:00pm eastern to announce Jason Garrett as the interim coach.

Interestingly, 3 of the 4 major TV Stations and several radio stations in Dallas are reporting this. However ESPN's Adam Schefter and FOX Sports Jay Glazer are saying that "The local stations are jumping the gun".

Now reports are starting to circulate that it may not have happened....yet. Schefter re-tweeting from Todd Archer--Spoke to Wade Phillips agent and asked if true. Reply: I don't think its true.

3pm Eastern--Reports are now circulating that none of the coaches or players have been notified. Also, Wade has apparently walked out of the executive offices and not talking.

3:03pm--It's official now because ESPN says it is. Their people are now confirming it. So it must be true.  They seem to be refusing to admit the locals kicked their asses.

This is getting stranger by the minute...keep tuning in.

We will update this story as the day progresses

Jerry Jones making threats...finally realizes his team sucks...

We've been laughing all morning about the quote from Jones "I think there are a lot of people here that certainly are going to suffer and suffer the consequences". Why, because he sounds like the Emperor from Star Wars for one.

Yeah, the Cowboys looked pretty darn pathetic last night against the Packers and yeah, there needs to be changes made, but the question we have is..."Couldn't you have phrased it a little better?"


Needless to say, the scribes in Dallas are in a feeding frenzy right now.

Here is the Dallas Morning News with excerpts from the Jerry interview RIGHT HERE

Yeah, we know. We all get it. Wade Phillips is going to fired. It's just a matter of when. Wade is a really good person, everyone likes him. They should. But Wade has been patently unsuccessful everywhere that he's been as a head coach. Really. Look it up.

Not really being Cowboy fans, we find some humor in their current struggles. We find it funny as hell that Jerry spent a Gazillion dollars building Jerry World and now has a crappy team playing in it. We also are going to say "Told you so"...to all the various football writers who pre-ordained them the best team in the NFL before they played a game this year.

Here is an OSG Fave, Dale Hansen opining on Wade's future. Thanks WFAA:

Cowboys looking for answers to questions that nobody knows....

Cowboys fans//courtesy: sharon ellman/ap

This is why you have to take the football expert predictions with a grain of salt. To listen to most of the "NFL Pundits", guys who make a living predicting the NFL, you'd have thought it was pre-ordained that the Dallas Cowboys would be playing in there own Jerry World this year for the Super Bowl.

But, that's why nobody has ever won a title on paper.

The Cowboys are now 1-6 after losing 35-17 to Jacksonville on Sunday and the head scratching and looking for blame has officially gone over the top.

So much so that owner Jerry Jones has apologized to his fans.

Read that story from the Dallas Morning News RIGHT HERE

The local media...they are calling for Coach Wade Phillips' head. Phillips, a likable sort, who has coached for short periods of time for several teams, doesn't appear to be the guy to fix it. For his part, Jones says that Phillips is safe....for now.

NBCDFW.com has the list of people calling for Phillips's head RIGHT HERE

Here is the Jerry Jones post-game interview. Yes, he may be the only owner in the NFL who has his own post-game presser. Please don't mind the laugh track....it was the only place we could get this video from

Thanks mrdallassuxx/YouTube:

Sunday Update: Cowboys Facility Collapse

Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News collected his thoughts in black...

But the most interesting question comes from DMN investigative reporter Brooks Egerton...((the collapse pictured, thanks Ron Jenkins/Ft. Worth Star-Telegram))

"...So was this building just in the wrong place at the wrong time? It's an odd thought, given that the whole point of the steel-framed, fabric-covered building is to give the team a place to practice in bad weather.

The manufacturers, Summit Structures and Cover-All Building Systems, tout their work in building other sports facilities, including ones for the New England Patriots and Texas A&M. But I can't find any mention on the company Web sites of the Cowboys facility. Why?

Another issue we're looking at: A Summit-built warehouse in Pennsylvania partially collapsed during a 2003 snowstorm, less than two months after opening. A 2007 court order blamed Summit for design flaws.

"We design for snow load and wind load," an executive for the manufacturers told a Canadian newspaper in 2003, as I reported today in The News. "It's not a bubble."

Mac Engel of the Star-Telegram caught up with Wade Phillips in his article...

"I was out on the field. I ran for the door and didn’t make it to the door, and the door fell," he said. "I saw the guys go out the door, and the whole door fell."

"This was a unique weather situation," Irving Mayor Herbert Gears said. "Many teams use these types of structures for practice facilities. It’s something that we will be looking at to make sure that these types of structures aren’t inherently dangerous."

DMN's Todd Archer on the Collapse

((HT: NBC5-Dallas))

Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning news was trapped underneath one of the exit doors after the practice facility came crashing down. Two of the Cowboys players actually moved some of the debris so Archer could wiggle his way out from underneath it all.

Here's his account...

"We're lucky no one got electrocuted with all the water in the building," head coach Wade Phillips told NBC5. "A couple of players had minor injuries, but they were all right."
"I saw it coming down and didn't have time to react," secondary coach Dave Campo said. "I hit the ground and was able to get back up."

Fun Day At Valley Ranch

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James ((pictured, thanks Vernon Bryant/Dallas Morning News)) was none too happy over a sign a fan brought with him to the Cowboys complex today. It ended up as a confrontation, an in-house discussion, a new pair of shades for the fan, and no charges filed.

From Tim MacMahon's work from the Dallas Morning News...

"A fan wearing a Jason Witten jersey stood on the street in front of the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility today, wearing a sandwich board that read, "WADE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE STAR" and "OUR TEAM HAS NO HEART." The man ended up calling Irving police after a confrontation with LB Bradie James.

James said the fan was blocking his way out of the parking lot, leading him to tell the man he needed to get out of the way or get hit by the linebacker's luxury SUV.

"He said, 'Why you guys didn't show that fire last night? You should have showed that heart last night!'" James recalled to reporters. "So next thing you know, I'm just ripping his sign off him. So I ripped the sign off him. He said I broke his glasses, so I went and gift-wrapped some Oakleys. He got something out the deal."

And Wade Phillips, whose job is safe for now... vows to get "tougher..."
We defer to the words of Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News for starters...

"Wade Phillips presides over the most gutless team in franchise history.
That's his legacy.

Forever.

And it should be after Philadelphia stomped the Cowboys, 44-6, in a win-and-you're-in-the-playoffs game Sunday.

But he's keeping his job – even after the worst loss of the Jerry Jones era. Seriously.

Jerry wants to keep the coaching staff intact because he said the continuity provides Dallas with its best chance to win. Besides, he doesn't want to make the same mistake he did nearly a decade ago, when he fired Chan Gailey after only two seasons.

Can you say poppycock?"

There... we said it- "poppycock."
But we like to call "shenanigans" as well...

Doomsday In Dallas?

So much to talk about with the Dallas Cowboys just where do you start. Let's start with Adam "Pacman" Jones who has entered rehab today.

Cowboy owner Jerry Jones confirmed that he is being treated for alcohol addiction in another part of the country but didn't say where. Let's hope there a no strip bars within walking distance of Pacman's rehab.

The shield will be overlooking Jones' treatment. Pacman, big brother is watching you.

This comes after the Dallas Cowboys went to hell Sunday losing to the St. Louis Rams 34-14. The Rams crushed the Cowboys, unbelievable. The Rams were the keystone cops last month, now the Cowboys are on the brink.

Your first thought is Wade Phillips is out the door. His majesty says no. I wonder if Jerry Jones will sit in on the offensive and defensive meetings this week.

Check out Randy Galloway’s column in the Ft.Worth (TX) Star-Telegram. He calls the Cowboys a bunch of quitters.

It appears the Cowboys are in full crisis mode.

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News already wants Wade Phillips whacked .

Adam "Pacman" Jones Photo Courtesy: AP

Wade Phillips Photo Courtesy: FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/RON JENKINS