FanHouse Wadephillips

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

---

Wade Phillips isn't much to look at, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't hire the Son of Bum to model puffy jackets. He hired him for his football acumen. The bloodlines and several successful stints as a defensive coordinator suggested he was up for it, even if Phillips doesn't exactly exude confidence.

I often think owners and general managers fall in love with potential head coaching candidates because of their assistant coaching track record, even though the biggest part of the job usually has more to do with, in Mike Tomlin's words, "leading men," than it does with Xs and Os.

Which goes a long way in explaining why some fans aren't sold on Phillips as the long-term answer in Dallas. And some media types, too. Like, say the Dallas Observer's Richie Whitt, who uses a recent Phillips radio appearance to illustrate the point.

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

---

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

Consider this hypothetical: what if two coaches met in a dark alley and threw down in a no-holds-barred brawl? Who would emerge victorious?

First, some background: back when I was in high school, when my friends and I were pretty creative in finding ways to avoid actually paying attention in class, we'd create brackets (think NCAA Tournament) where we'd pit our teachers against each other**. Whoever we thought would win in a fight advanced to the next round. It always ended with our offensive line coach against our wrestling coach in the finals and a huge argument as to who would come out on top.

Anyway, last week, the Back Porch staff somehow ended up discussing whether Rex Ryan or Tom Cable would win in a old school playground scrap. I passed along the above information, and shortly after that, an idea was born -- NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament.

Summer is heating up and so is NFL football, so FanHouse is at Cowboys training camp to get you the rundown on the 'Boys as they get ready for the '09 season.

SAN ANTONIO --The head coach's job is on the line. That's just the way it is in Dallas.

Losing 44-6 to the Eagles to end the 2008 season, with a playoff berth on the line, put Wade Phillips in this situation.

But a funny thing happened to Phillips on Tuesday afternoon -- Jerry Jones supported him.

Send your NFL questions (along with your name and location) to NFLFanHouse@gmail.com. Each Thursday, we'll answer the best -- or, if nothing else, most entertaining -- in our NFL Mailbag.

Excluding Brett Favre, which remaining free agent can play the biggest role in 2009?

The easy answer (INCLUDING Brett Favre!!) is Plaxico Burress. He's a high-ceiling, high-impact wide receiver. You saw the way the Giants' offense missed him at the end of 2008, and we've seen a handful of teams express interest in him -- even though nobody knows if he's going to play in 2009. If he is allowed to play, he's your answer. But it looks increasingly likely that he'll be suspended for at least part of the season, if not all. So in the non-Burress division, I have three veterans who could make an interesting impact in the right situation:

Wade Phillips isn't much to look at, but neither is Bill Belichick. The difference: one comes off as a grandfatherly Gomer Pyle, the other dresses like a hobo -- but has three Super Bowl rings. The point: people don't care how you clean up when you're winning.

So while the "Aw, shucks" persona is perfectly acceptable if you're running a roadside vegetable stand, it's less so as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, an outfit that last won a playoff game in 1996. Fans used to winning are fickle that way.

But according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Mac Engel, don't let Wade's cuddly exterior fool you. Despite appearances, he really does know what he's doing.

CARROLLTON, Texas -- DeMarcus Ware led the NFL in sacks last season with a career-high 20. The Cowboys outside linebacker didn't receive the league Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts, though -- that went to James Harrison of the Steelers.

But Ware is not too concerned about awards. He wants more pressures, more victories, and of course, more money.

Former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart has joined the Eagles coaching staff, according to various reports. Stewart spent the last two seasons in Dallas before he was fired following the 2008 season. with one year remaining on his contract.

Stewart did not return a call seeking comment.

In Dallas, Stewart had his play-calling duties taken away from him at midseason and fell out of favor with coach Wade Phillips, whom he considered a close friend. Several players were split about how they felt about Stewart.

The Eagles made this move because of the uncertainty of current defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Johnson has taken a leave of absence while he undergoes treatment for a cancerous tumor on his spine.

The first day of minicamps are over for the day and we recap some highlights.

Vikings coach Brad Childress could have taken the easy way out Friday when asked about retired quarterback Brett Favre.

Instead he said, "We haven't (talked about Favre); it doesn't mean we won't ... We talk about everything, from what's going on in the United States today. We talk about everything, so yeah, I'm sure we'll talk about that."

Earlier in the day, Bus Cook, Favre's agent said his client was done playing. Also, top draft choice Percy Harvin missed the first day of rookie camp but he seems OK.