Wade Phillips and the 25 Most Bumbling Head Coaches of the Last 25 Years
Wade Phillips has officially run out of time after the Dallas Cowboys looked flat, predictable and disorganized in Sunday night's 45-7 drubbing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
The lowlight came late in the second quarter when Green Bay returned a Dallas fumble on a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Replays showed Cowboys return man Bryan McCann was clearly down before Packers' defensive back Jarrett Bush forced the ball lose.
What should have been an automatic challenge by the Cowboys never came.
Since Phillips had used his final timeout of the half, he wasn't even able to challenge the fumble and help spare his team more misery.
Bum's son has bumbled away the Cowboys' season with plenty of help from his players, and now he finds himself out of a job.
He is the inspiration for this list of coaches who just didn't get it.
For the sake of clarity, we'll try to limit it to coaches who haven't won anything and done plenty of stupid things while piling up more failures than successes.
That means Les Miles is off the hook.
Here's a look at 25 of the most bumbling coaches in the last 25 years.
No. 25: Mike Locksley
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The streets of Albuquerque erupted Saturday after Mike Locksley won his second game in two seasons as New Mexico's head man.
His paltry head coaching record now stands at 2-18.
Locksley hasn't done much to steer the Lobos football program in the right direction during his tenure, which also featured a strange incident in 2009: The head coach was suspended for 10 days after striking wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald during a coaches meeting.
Maybe it's not such a great idea for athletic directors to pluck assistants off Ron Zook's coaching tree...
No. 24: Trevor Graham
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This selection takes us a little bit outside the box.
What do Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery all have in common?
There are all very fast, and got even faster after being coached by Trevor Graham.
Oh, that and they all were caught doping.
Coaching doesn't always pay off.
No. 23: Mike Dunleavy
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Mike Dunleavy has coached some very talented players during his time in the NBA and even managed to win a Coach of the Year award.
That doesn't mean he was a great coach.
Dunleavy was on the bench when the Lakers dynasty fell to Michael Jordan's Bulls in 1991, then moved onto the Bucks after the 1992 season.
Despite having an abundance of talent in Milwaukee, Dunleavy never led the Bucks to playoff success.
He then took over in Portland, where he coached the volatile "Jail Blazers" to regular-season prosperity and numerous postseason implosions.
Somehow, he just keeps getting jobs in the NBA.
The Clippers are glad to be rid of his warped basketball mind.
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No. 22: Tyrone Willingham
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In all fairness to Willingham, how Irish fans expected a player like Matt Lovecchio to lead the Return to Glory is difficult to figure out.
At the same time, Willingham did a poor job recruiting and an equally poor job of coaching and surrounding himself with capable assistants.
After being canned by Notre Dame, he returned to the Pac-10 and drove another once-storied program further into the ground.
Washington won just 11 games during his four seasons at the helm.
Keep holding that figure in the air, Ty.
No. 21: Dusty Baker
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Numbers don't tell the whole story.
His managerial record is respectable, but don't forget Baker got some help from BALCO as Barry Bonds and the Giants made it all the way to the 2002 World Series, losing to the Angels.
Baker had considerable success with the Cubs, only to be bit by Steve Bartman and leave the franchise in a mess after overworking his starting staff.
"Dustiny" struck again, this time in Cincinnati where the Reds ran away with the National League Central.
Don't be surprised if Cincinnati's young arms break down in a couple years and Dusty takes his toothpick elsewhere.
There's nothing like managerial retreads in MLB.
No. 20: Dennis Green
6 of 25Speaking of retreads, Dennis Green failed to get Minnesota's potent offensive teams to the Super Bowl but got another chance in Arizona.
Green was considered to be a brilliant offensive mind, which might explain why the Vikings hired him after he posted a 26-63 record as a college coach.
Denny had success in Minnesota, but never got the Vikings over the hump.
A lack of talent certainly wasn't the problem during his tenure in Minnesota as his Vikes lost two NFC Championship games in three years.
His return to coaching ended after three seasons of futility in Arizona, including one memorable outburst following a loss to the Bears.
That will never be forgotten.
No. 19: Cam Cameron
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Another brilliant offensive mind and horrible head coach.
Cameron spent four seasons at Indiana, where he had little to work with besides dynamic Antwaan Randle El.
He returned to the NFL and directed the Chargers' potent offensive teams and was considered an excellent head coaching candidate.
He finally got a job as a head coach in 2007, and Cameron's Miami Dolphins started 0-13 before finally pulling out a win.
Needless to say, he probably won't get another head coaching job in the NFL.
No. 18: Larry Eustachy
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This grainy photo is indeed Coach Eustachy partying with college coeds.
His antics led to his dismissal from Iowa State and a coaching career that has never rebounded since.
Once regarded as a brilliant young coach who was named AP Coach of the Year in 2000, he will be the butt of jokes for the rest of his career.
Eustachy is entering his seventh season on the bench for Southern Mississippi.
No. 17: Dave Wannstedt
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Despite his fantastic mustache, Wannstedt always seems to say the stupidest things.
His coaching achievements are few and far between and limited strictly to his role as an assistant coach with the Cowboys.
As a head coach, his teams have always seemed to disappoint.
The Bears made the playoffs only once in his six seasons and he was fired after losing 12 games two years in a row.
He drove Ricky Williams into the ground as his Dolphins teams never managed to find any postseason success.
Then, he sought refuge at Pittsburgh, where his teams have consistently underachieved in his tenure.
This year is certainly no exception.
No. 16: Norv Turner
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A great mind, but not a great head coach.
Turner's teams have an uncanny tendency to start slow, only to rebound before flaming out in the postseason.
After two straight impressive Chargers wins, Norv is off the hot seat for the moment.
That doesn't mean his chair won't heat up again.
No. 15: Bill Callahan
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Callahan coached the Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2002, but things went south in a hurry.
He was fired one year later after a 4-12 season and accusations from Charles Woodson that he might have even intentionally tanked the season.
After that, he brought his pass-happy style to the plains of Nebraska.
It didn't work out too well.
The results weren't awful, but he never managed to lure a big-time quarterback or enough receivers to turn Nebraska into a West Coast attack.
Callahan was fired after four seasons in Lincoln, finishing with a 27-22 record.
No. 14: Herm Edwards
12 of 25Edwards is a soundbite waiting to happen. Too bad there isn't more substance behind his style.
During his run in New York, Edwards enjoyed modest success early with Bill Parcells' leftovers before things began to crumble.
The Jets did make the playoffs in 2005, only to return to futility the following season.
Perhaps because of his speeches and that great character, the Chiefs actually traded a draft pick for him in 2006.
Edwards helped the Chiefs to a 9-7 record in his first season, but his teams won just six games over the next two years.
It's safe to say his motivational tactics don't work for too long.
No. 13: Ron Zook
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Zook is a fabulous recruiter and a horrible coach.
Just look at what happened after he walked away from Florida, leaving the cupboard full and turning things over to someone who could actually coach.
When given an ultimatum by Illinois administration following a 3-9 season in 2009, Zook decided to save his job by firing all of his assistants.
Classy.
The Zookster is certainly entertaining, working out with his players in the weight room and admitting to shaving and brushing his teeth while driving to the team's facility.
Can you blame him? He's got game film to watch.
No. 12: Lane Kiffin
14 of 25It's possible Kiffin could be higher, but the jury is still out on exactly what kind of coach he will be.
Still, the man who once literally talked his way into an NCAA violation has managed to make even the most impartial college football fan root against him.
It's only natural USC would take a chance on a controversial figure like Kiffin to help improve institutional control.
No. 11: Kelvin Sampson
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Kelvin Sampson isn't unlike most college coaches.
He really loves talking to recruits on the phone. Only, he doesn't know when to stop.
His actions landed Oklahoma on probation, but by then he had moved on to Indiana to help resurrect the Hoosiers' program.
His run in Bloomington came crashing down after the NCAA opened an investigating his phone use, and rumors later surfaced that multiple players were openly using drugs in his final season at Indiana.
After Sampson was forced to resign, the storied Hoosiers program dismissed several players.
Two years later, Indiana is still picking up the pieces.
No. 10: Tim Floyd
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Regarded as a great defensive mind, Floyd hasn't had much success anywhere besides Iowa State.
Somehow, he just keeps getting jobs.
Floyd's NBA record of 93-235 speaks for itself.
His latest bumbling act occurred when he allegedly paid a handler in hopes of landing top recruit O.J. Mayo. It worked, as Mayo opted to leave his native West Virginia and head all the way to USC.
But with Mayo and plenty of other solid players at his disposal, Floyd's half-court style of play prevented the Trojans from finding great success.
Floyd has landed on his feet again, taking over for Tony Barbee at UTEP.
No. 9: Steve Spurrier
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Spurrier's time in the NFL was nothing short of a disaster.
Instead of behaving like most pro coaches and spending 16 hours a day watching film, Spurrier thought he could continuing hitting the links and working less than his peers.
Not so much.
After his brief stint with the Redskins, he took over South Carolina's program in hopes of taking it to new heights.
It still hasn't happened.
Notoriously hard on quarterbacks, Spurrier's poor game-management and impulsive tendencies have held him back throughout his career.
No. 8: Brad Childress
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Brad Childress has to deal with arguably the most stubborn NFL quarterback to ever live, but he doesn't make things easier for himself.
Chilly's run in Minnesota has been filled with strange decisions and a boatload of lies.
He has repeatedly lied to the media, which isn't a big deal.
The same can't be said about making a move behind the owner's back.
That's kind of a stupid thing to do.
Sunday's stirring comeback thanks to that same stubborn quarterback was apparently enough to save Childress' job.
For the moment, at least.
No. 7: Wade Phillips
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The Cowboys are a mess, and Phillips is the fall guy for a much larger problem.
Dallas has a unique mix of overrated and aging stars, and Phillips simply didn't have the ability to motivate them or stop the bleeding.
As bad as this season has been, it was Dallas' inability to win the big game that sealed Phillips' fate.
Jason Garrett, one of the biggest reasons for the team's 1-7 record thanks to his refusal to run the ball, takes over as head coach.
Talk about ironic.
No. 6: Rich Kotite
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Kotite posted a horrific record with both the Eagles and the Jets.
After two good years in Philadelphia, things went downhill in a hurry. He was fired in 1994 after posting a 7-9 record, and promptly snatched up by the woeful New York Jets.
Kotite lasted two seasons in New York, winning a grand total of four games.
Any way you slice it, that's pretty bumbling.
No. 5: Charlie Weis
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No head coach has done less after getting more hype than Charlie Weis.
After two great seasons to begin his tenure at Notre Dame, Weis' inability to recruit and develop defensive players got the best of him.
He posted a 16-21 record during his final three seasons and didn't leave Brian Kelly much to work with.
No. 4: Isiah Thomas
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Thomas isn't exactly a horrible coach, but his basketball acumen leaves a lot to be desired.
Because of his ill-advised personnel moves, he finished with no more than 33 wins during his two seasons on the bench in New York.
Thomas' pursuit of Jerome James and Zach Randolph and numerous other malcontents will always be part of his tainted legacy.
Combine bad players with bad contracts and you get the downfall of a great franchise.
If you need more evidence, consider Zeke's sexual harassment case and his absolute refusal to admit he was wrong to break the bank to sign Eddy Curry.
No. 3: Rich Rodriguez
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Much like Charlie Weis in South Bend, great things were expected of Rich Rod upon his arrival to Ann Arbor.
Unlike Weis, he has never delivered.
Rodriguez has coached Michigan to several historic lows and landed the program on probation thanks to his carelessness.
There have been strange in-game coaching decisions, mostly centered around his quarterback rotation, and several players who either left the program or were never allowed to show up in the first place.
Don't be fooled by Saturday's win over Illinois.
Rich Rod's seat is still on fire.
No. 2: Dave Bliss
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What Bliss did in the wake of the murder of Patrick Dennehy was both bumbling and flat-out wrong.
Bliss was accused of funneling at least $7,000 to Dennehy and his assailant, fellow Baylor player Carlton Dotson.
In an effort to save face, Bliss ordered his players to tell Baylor officials and the NCAA that Dennehy generated the extra income by selling drugs.
His words were caught on tape by an assistant coach, who turned the tape over to investigators.
After Baylor fired him, the NCAA hit him with sanctions preventing him from coaching again until 2015.
It was later revealed Bliss was aware of and allowed drug use by his players.
No. 1: Marty Mornhinweg
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When an NFL team wins the toss in overtime, the smart thing to do—make that the only thing to do—is to elect to receive.
Marty Mornhinweg decided to go against conventional wisdom and make the Bears play against the wind in 2002.
The rest is history.
The Bears took the ball and drove down the field, kicking a 40-yard field goal into the wind to send the Lions home with a crushing loss.
Losing was Marty's mantra in his two years as head coach of the Lions.
He bumbled his way to a 5-27 record in two seasons before being run out of town.
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