How Wade Phillips beat the Cowboys, the team that fired him

How Wade Phillips beat the Cowboys, the team that fired him

By Rick Gosselin , Special Contributor

ARLINGTON -- Wade Phillips has returned to AT&T Stadium since the Cowboys fired him as their head coach midway through the 2010 season.
That was back in 2014, the year he spent out of football, when his good friend Jim Haslett, then the defensive coordinator at Washington, got him tickets in the nose-bleed section for a Redskins-Cowboys game.

His next trip back for a game afforded him a far better view and a far more memorable experience. Now the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, Phillips returned to AT&T Stadium Sunday to coach against the Cowboys for the first time since his abrupt November 2010 dismissal with the Cowboys 1-7 and reeling with a five-game losing streak.

Phillips was on the Los Angeles sideline watching his Rams execute a gameplan that stalked Dak Prescott and slowed Ezekiel Elliott, powering the Rams to a stunning 35-30 upset of the Cowboys. Los Angeles entered the game an 8 1/2-point underdog.

Greg Zuerlein kicked seven field goals for the Rams. Todd Gurley rushed for 121 yards and scored a touchdown for his fourth consecutive game. Jared Goff passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over.

But it was Phillips who received the game ball in the post-game lockerroom.

"This was special for us to do this for Wade," said Rams outside linebacker Connor Barwin, "because we all love playing for Wade. Everybody likes playing for Wade. But Wade never wants anything to be about him. He always wants it to be about the players. I'm happy we were able to get the win for him."

Phillips was all smiles in the Rams lockerroom after the game. But don't think he took this any more personal than his games in September against Indianapolis, Washington or San Francisco. Or any less personal, for that matter.

"If you know me, that's not the way it works," Phillips said. "I love the people I'm with ... but I still love the sons of guns I was with before. I have great friends here and great feelings for some of the players I coached here...there are only five of them (left). Jason (Garrett), Wade (Wilson) and those guys were with me. It's still a football game. It's not a personal deal. It's great to win and I'm proud of our team."

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[sportsday.dallasnews.com]