The Cowboys believe they are very, very good, as they should.
They are talking like contenders, which they deserve to.
But are they overconfident? Perhaps alarmingly so.
I read a few stories this morning that threw me off guard. First, there was Todd Archer's piece in which head coach Wade Phillips says, "The Giants were last year's champs, we're trying to be this year's champs." And then there is Mac Engel's story in which Phillips is bragging to high-school and youth football coaches, "Get the ring finger ready."
Now, some of you out there will point out that Phillips has little to lose by making these claims. After all, with Jason Garrett on the staff as the highest-paid assitant in the NFL, he's very likely to be the coach of this football team if the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl. And the way Phillips looks at it, no coach ever has been fired for thinking his team is the best in the NFL.
But isn't he setting his team up to fail? Or is he emboldening the Cowboys and making them believe they will be champs? It's a dangerous line to skirt.
Here's one scenario to ponder: What if the Cowboys make it to the Super Bowl and lose on a last-second field goal? Would Phillips be fired then? Would his preseason boldness matter at that point?
I guess my grand point is that it's not surprising that Phillips feels as if his team is going to win the Super Bowl. He should. But should be be broadcasting it? When was the last time a team won it all while acting so boldly this early? The even-keel Patriots are one of the quietest champions in NFL history in terms of talking about repeating. I know the Colts were not yapping the year they won it, at least not before training camp.
I know who it was -- it was probably ... yup ... the Cowboys of the early 1990s. But those teams had three future Hall of Famers on offense and a lot more in terms of accomplishment than the current Cowboys model.
All this talking just seems like a bit much to me at this point.
Comments (10)
Huh? A coach who says "we're trying to be this year's champs" is now being cocky? A quick Google search has Tony Dungy saying things like "Hopefully, when it's over we'll have been to a few more Super Bowls" and "Our mission is to win a Super Bowl." You can't possibly think that this is cocky, right?
You might object that these weren't in the pre-season, but what exactly is a coach supposed to say? "I'm just looking not to loose too badly"? "We'll be lucky to make .500"?
Posted by Lance | July 23, 2008 10:05 AM
Posted on July 23, 2008 10:05
I know what you're saying, but Phillips is not merely saying "I hope." He is saying "we will." There's a big difference. It's one thing to tell your team that in private; it's another to broadcast it to anyone and everyone. It's very risky.
Posted by Eric Edholm | July 23, 2008 10:39 AM
Posted on July 23, 2008 10:39
Eric, I don't really know if you actually read that comment by Wade Phillips, but he said "we're TRYING to be this year's champs". That doesn't sound like he's making any guarantee's. I've never read anything that quotes him saying "we will" be this years champs.
Did anyone else read that??
Posted by Irfan | July 23, 2008 4:39 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 16:39
I'm with you, Irfan. Unless English has undergone a radical change in the last few days, saying "I'm trying to be X" isn't even close to saying "I will be X." It's really simple.
Your link gives the "get the ring finger ready" comment out of context, so it's hard to say what's really meant. But it also quotes (in better context) Phillips as saying, "I think we’ve established ourselves, at least on paper, as a contender. It’s nice to be there rather than the other situation.
"We all know how hard it is to get to the Super Bowl, but those have to be the goals for this team."
Hardly sounds cocky. Sounds like a coach who has goals (you know what those are, right), and he's aiming high (he says that getting to the Super Bowl is "hard").
I think this is a typical non-story based around the tired meme that Dallas is too cocky and has too much of a swagger. *YAWN*
Posted by Lance | July 23, 2008 5:37 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 17:37
Might be good for the Cowboys (and Phillips) to actually win a playoff game before worrying about a championship ring.
Posted by erastus | July 23, 2008 6:29 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 18:29
All I am saying is, you don't see any of the other 31 teams' coaches saying, "get the ring finger ready." I admit the first quote isn't nearly as bad at all. And I am glad Phillips is confident and goal-driven -- he should be. But a lot of that stuff should be off-the-record, private stuff.
Posted by Eric Edholm | July 23, 2008 6:59 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 18:59
But the "get your ring finger ready" comment has no context. Indeed, all we know is that he's talking to high school coaches-- who obviously don't get Super Bowl rings. It seems illogical that he's telling them that the Cowboys are going to win a Super Bowl, so a bunch of high school coaches should get their ring fingers ready. Ready for what? Rings they won't get??
A more logical solution is that he was speaking of something besides certainty that the Cowboys were winning the Super Bowl.
As for the Cowboys and the tired playoff game comment-- I didn't hear too many people talk about Boston needing to get to the playoffs before anyone talk of an NBA Championship after getting Garnett. Yet there were routine predictions that Boston would at least represent the East in the finals.
So, yeah.
Posted by Lance | July 24, 2008 5:12 AM
Posted on July 24, 2008 05:12
Eric,
Doesn't every team go into the season saying that they are trying to become this years champs? That's not being over confident that's just stating the obvious. Every team goes into the season believing that they are working towards that goal. You are overreacting and trying to get people to hate the Cowboys. News flash.... they already do! By the way the Cowboys of the 90's "talked the talk and walked the walk"!
Posted by Derek Thomas | July 24, 2008 10:02 AM
Posted on July 24, 2008 10:02
the whole concept of being confident we're GONNA win the super bowl makes no sense. there are way too many variables that factor in. just look at vegas- any team who wins is going against the odds. the odds are always in favor of the field vs. the fav.
and i think the author isn't just referring to these statements by phillips. the whole theme it seems coming from the cboys is all about winning the sb or bust which reminds me of my favorite team the yankees. this was the very idea the last 7 years "I mean we HAVE to win it all this year or else" and i think it's a big reason why they constantly fail. Also, anyone who thinks that the best team talentwise has the the best chance of winning the sb, is obviously not paying att to what they're watching. there is so much to the game including coaching schemes, depth, and attitude. and so the very fact that they feel they MUST win it all or they WILL win it all, just shows they don't understand what it takes to win.
Posted by dick stein | July 24, 2008 10:01 PM
Posted on July 24, 2008 22:01
This is sows why "blogging" isn't considered real media.1stly- you provide no context whatsoever the way you reported this.
You didn't research it,nor reported correct info-.The audio/video clearly showthat wade was mockingly recting to all the rah rah going on before his introduction.Wade was obviously, sacrastically,making light of all the hype when he said that- his face, the tone and body language was clear- as was his explanation after the fact.Also-cowboys players merely answer all the super bowl question posed to them-not 1 player has just brought it up on their own- you idiots keep asking,so they answer-then you act as if they are cocky?
Posted by ROBB | July 25, 2008 3:44 PM
Posted on July 25, 2008 15:44