After a disastrous start to what many thought likely to be a Super Bowl season, the Dallas Cowboys found the team falling into complete disarray and decided today to fire head coach Wade Phillips. Owner Jerry Jones had said he was reluctant to change coaches in mid-season, but a 45-7 loss by the Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers on national television Sunday night caused the meddlesome owner to act.
Many sports betting sites had the Cowboys as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl, whbich is played in Dallas last year. Players and Cowboy fans had talked openly of being the first team to play a Super Bowl on its home field.
But gamblers who loaded up on Dallas are now all but writing their wagers off, as a 1-7 beginning to the season has made the playoffs most unlikely.
Phillips had received a new contract for two more years following last season, in which the Cowboys won a playoff game for the first time since Aikman and Irvin moved on. But the team never gelled this year, and early offensive problems were exacerbated by a general defensive collapse over the past several weeks. No longer could the blame be heaped on quarterback Tony Romo, who is out for the year with a broken collarbone.
Phillips will be replaced on an interim basis by longtime assistant Jason Garrett, who has been considered a coach-in-waiting.






