Every time the Cowboys lose, we’ll profile potential replacements for Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, should he be fired by the end of the season. Today, it’s Brian Billick!
Name: Brian Harold Billick
Career Record: 80-64
Credentials: Super Bowl winner. Great hair. In nine seasons as a head coach with the Ravens, Billick had only three losing seasons. And man, does he know how to pick defensive coordinators. Rex Ryan, Jack Del Rio, Mike Nolan, and Marvin Lewis all served under Billick. Say what you will about the man, but he can do a nice job assembling a staff of assistants. That’s one of the more important and undervalued skills a head coach needs. You saw what happened this year when Raheem Morris and Todd Haley both hired offensive coordinators and then fired them before the season even began. Putting together a staff is crucial, and Billick is rather adept at such things.
Also, depending on how you look at it, Billick never got a chance in Baltimore to work with a top quarterback (You can also argue he failed to develop one, but we’ll save that for the next section). Perhaps, in Billick’s hands, Tony Romo can finally get over the hump. Billick is also not the type, despite his ego, to demand personnel control over an organization, so he could probably co-exist with the Double J far easier than the big name hotshots we’ve profiled in this space before.
Also, Billick is “good with the media,” if you care about that kind of thing. You do not, I assure you.
Weaknesses: Blowhard. Media whore. Despite his reputation as an offensive coach, his Baltimore teams were always reliant on their defense to win, especially the 2000 champs. One also got the feeling that Ray Lewis was more the head coach of those Ravens teams than Billick ever was. Listen to him broadcast any FOX game and he suddenly morphs into Tim McCarver. Also, never trust a man in a straw hat.
Odds Of Being Named The Next Cowboys Coach: 15/1. Billick is the most logical candidate to serve under someone like Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder. He has some pedigree, but not enough to cede control entirely. I could see him replacing Wade. Than again, right now, I can see an ASIMO robot replacing Wade. Wade is toast.
Do You Want Him?: Only you know for sure. Let us know in the comments.
