After a rough end to the 2006 season which saw the Cowboys lose a heart breaker to the Seattle Seahawks in the last minute of the first round of the play-offs, following a botched field goal hold by quarterback Tony Romo, fans are looking for a brighter, uneventful year ahead. The end of the 2006 season also marked the end for Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells.
As the new season of football begins the Dallas Cowboys will take to the field with a quarterback, who has something to prove, and with a new head coach at the helm. On February 8, 2007, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that Wade Phillips would be taking over as the Dallas Cowboys head coach.
A native of Texas, Phillips attended the University of Houston where he spent three years as a starter at linebacker. His coaching career began with the Houston Oilers where he held the position of defensive line coach under head coach O.A. “Bum” Phillips, his father. The father and son coaching duo then moved on to the New Orleans Saints where Bum Phillips stepped down in 1985 as coach of the struggling team. Wade Phillips was named interim coach. From there Wade Phillips moved to defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, followed by the Denver Broncos.
In 1993 Phillips replaced out going Coach Dan Reeves as head coach of the Broncos. By the 1995 season he had moved on to coach the Buffalo Bills, his most successful coaching stint to date, followed by the Atlanta Falcons. For the past three seasons Phillips has held the position of defensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers. His move to the position of Dallas Cowboys head coach comes at a time when he is considered one of the best defensive minds in football. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is said to have interviewed 10 potential head coaches before determining that Phillips was the man to lead his team.
There is a sense of optimism as teams get ready to begin their season and the road to Super Bowl XLII - fans all across the NFL are hopeful that this could be the year for their team. The season ahead for the Dallas Cowboys is bright. When the team kicks off against the NY Giants on September 9, there’s little doubt that all eyes will be on Tony Romo and the new man at the helm, Wade Phillips.