Phillips' time may be running out in Cowboys country.


Since there's not a whole lot going on with the Eagles right now, I figured I'd comment on what the rest of the division is up to here and there. We're in the dark days of the year right after the season ends and the offseason stuff hasn't started yet, so we need something to keep us entertained.

Anyway, by now I'm assuming everyone has heard about Wade Phillips' contract extension through the 2011 season. It was originally supposed to extend him through the 2013 season, but the last two years were lopped off at the last minute, so he's now only locked up for the next two years.

Well, I suppose it's technically two years, but it's really only a one-year extension as it's understood that coaches typically do not ever make it into the final season of their contract.

Teams do that because they fear that a coach in a contract season will not have the same type of respect from the players. They fear that players may start making plans for the next season if things aren't going well and that it may cause dissension in the locker room.

So with that in mind, it's fair to say that the second-to-last season on a coach's contract is actually the final season.

With that understanding, Jerry Jones is basically telling Phillips, the team, the Dallas fans, and the rest of the country that if Phillips can't win a Super Bowl in 2010 he will be shown the door.

Jones said in the press conference he held to announce he was extending Phillips that he was "encouraged" by the Cowboys' 2009 season, but not "satisfied." Jones is basically saying that he feels Phillips is his best option at this point with Mike Shanahan going to Washington, Bill Cowher staying at CBS, and Jon Gruden staying at ESPN.

So what does this mean for the Eagles? Well, from where I'm sitting it means that we have at least one more season of not worrying about the Cowboys as a legitimate Super Bowl threat. I don't believe that Phillips has what it takes to lead his team to the ultimate prize, or to even duplicate the season that the Cowboys had in '09.

The 2010 Cowboys will once again be good in the regular season (if they can avoid locker room squabbles two years in a row and, really, who thinks that's possible?), but will fall short again come December and January.