Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff says he and his teammates are saddened by the firing of head coach Wade Phillips, and he claims that the team worked hard to save Phillips’ job.
“We fought like hell for him,” Ratliff said. “Things just didn’t go our way.”
Ratliff would be hard-pressed to find anyone who watched Sunday night’s loss to the Packers who would agree with that assessment. If that was what the Cowboys looked like when they were fighting like hell for their coach, I shudder to think what they might look like if they pack it in and stop caring over the second half of the season.
It’s easy to understand why Ratliff likes Phillips: Ratliff, a backup before Phillips arrived, has been a great fit in Phillips’ defense and has become a two-time Pro Bowler under Phillips. Ratliff said “it hurts a lot” to see Phillips go.
Asked whether Jason Garrett taking over as interim head coach will make a difference, Ratliff said, “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.”