With Jones pledging to keep Wade Phillips around, despite his team's lackluster and sloppy performance down the stretch, you have to wonder whether getting along with Jones rather than being a great coach is the ultimate criteria for that job.

The Cowboys might well have won four Super Bowls in a row had Jones not let Jimmy Johnson go, and you have to think Bill Parcells would have given the team a better chance to beat the Giants in the playoffs last year and also to get more out of the talent this season. I'm not sure whether Jones can't handle sharing power with other type A personalities, or if his disagreement was just specific to those two, but either way, it's cost the Cowboys franchise.

Also, bringing in PacMan Jones and Tank Johnson was a bad idea with a soft coach like Phillips (it might not have been if you had Parcells around to relate to them and keep them in line). As for Terrell Owens, he's been virtually a model citizen on the Cowboys, and other than complaining that he wants the ball more (which is normal for No. 1 wideouts). I don't think much blame can be laid at his feet for Dallas' struggles.

The bottom line - maybe Phillips will have a miraculous change in personality and get the Cowboys back on track - you never know. But most people can't really change their personalities that thoroughly at his age, so Jerry Jones is betting on a long shot and potentially squandering the prime years of a Pro Bowl quarterback.