Wade Phillips: Why the Cowboys' Demise Isn't All His Fault

Wade Phillips has been a large part of the problem in Dallas this season—enough of the problem that he should be fired, if not soon, then at the end of the season. Phillips has done a poor job at getting his players to gel this season and the Cowboys have been sorely lacking in the discipline department, which is a direct reflection of the coaching staff.

With that said, the disaster that is the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season is not solely the fault of Phillips. It is hard to completely blame a coach or their staff for the struggles of a team over the course of the season, and it's even harder when that team is as talented as the Cowboys.

The Cowboys offensive line has been less than stellar this season, and they set the tone in the first game of the season against the Redskins, when Alex Barron's holding penalty on the game's final play cost the Cowboys a victory. The first half ended with a Tashard Choice fumble that was picked up for a touchdown. Good teams don't let those kinds of things happen, and the Cowboys showed signs of things to come in that game.

Dallas played better in their second game of the season as Tony Romo threw for 374 yards, but he also had two costly interceptions, and the Cowboys ran for just 1.8 yards per carry in a loss to the Bears. 

Turnovers and the lack of a rushing game have been the main culprits in the Cowboys woes this season. they are the second worst rushing team in the NFL, and they have turned the ball over 15 times this year, including 11 interceptions.

Dallas hasn't done a great job stopping the run either this year as they are ranked 24th in the league against the run, giving up an average of 121.9 yards per game on the ground. The Cowboys secondary is ninth against the pass, giving up 209 yards per game, but that number does not tell the whole story because they have also given up 15 passing touchdowns, second-most in the league.

Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman have not played up to expectations this season, and the numbers confirm that as they have just nine passes defensed between the two of them.

The Cowboys pass rush has been virtually non-existent outside of DeMarcus Ware, who has eight sacks, and Anthony Spencer, who has three. The two linebackers have done their jobs in the Cowboys 3-4 scheme by getting after the opposing quarterbacks this season, but they have been in the minority when it comes to the Dallas defense.

Phillips is not the right personality for this Cowboys team, that is clear. But it's hard to win when you can't run the football. Denver is finding that out the hard way, and the Cowboys have been too. You can't rely solely on the passing game if you want to be successful on a consistent basis, especially a team that is lacking in discipline like the Cowboys are.

Phillips is not doing a good job as the Cowboys coach, and he deserves to be fired, but ultimately much of the blame should fall on the players, because in the end they have the ability to win or lose the game and they have not been getting it done either.