Jason Garrett holds Wade Phillips in high regard 9 years after taking over Dallas Cowboys
Jason Garrett became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys when he took over for Wade Phillips who was fired after a 1-7 start in 2010.
Garrett was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator at the time.
Phillips is now the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, who the Cowboys host at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Phillips is 82-64 as a head coach, including 34-22 (.607 winning percentage) with Dallas. Garrett is 83-66 as a head coach for the Cowboys.
“I just have tremendous respect for Wade,” Garrett said on a conference call with Rams media this week. “I’ve had the opportunity to work for him here in Dallas when he was our head coach. I learned so much from him as a guy in life, as a coach, and I learned a ton of football from him. His track record of success speaks for itself during his time in the National Football League. The success he’s had with the Rams is not a surprise, he’s just a hell of a coach.”
Garrett has been under fire during the Cowboys’ three-game losing streak. They’re still tied atop the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles at 6-7.
Garrett’s status as head coach appears to be teetering on whether Dallas can make the playoffs and then win a couple of playoff games. A Garrett team has never won more than one playoff game in a season. As a head coach, Phillips has never done it either. But as a coordinator he has been to three Super Bowls and won it with the Broncos in 2015.
“He does a great job bringing the best out in his players and the years he’s been doing it, he’s certainly doing that with the Rams,” Garrett said. “We’ve gone against each other a few times, obviously, we went against each other in practice all the time when we were working together. But, I just hold him in the highest regard as a person, as a football coach. Will be a great challenge for our team.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 10:36 AM.
