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Phillips' job as coach is safe

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-20 16:42

ST. LOUIS -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Sunday's loss to the Rams that coach Wade Phillips' job is not in danger.

"No, it is not," Jones said after Dallas' 34-14 loss. "Emphatically, no."

The Cowboys (4-3) lost for the third time in four games after a week of turmoil, with cornerback Adam Jones suspended and quarterback Tony Romo (broken pinkie) deciding he wasn't ready to play after going through pregame warmups. Jones said it was a good time to assess the state of the franchise, but not to make sweeping changes.

"It's pretty obvious that we need to sit down and look at everything we're doing," Jones said. "That's not to be in any way interpreted as a change of any coaching or dramatic change.

"It really isn't about making a lot of changes people-wise, as much as it's about the change within the people."

Phillips led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record last season. He said the only positive is the Cowboys have nine games to go.

"I'm angry, disappointed and embarrassed," Phillips said. "We shouldn't get beat like that. We didn't want to get beat at all, but we shouldn't get beat like that, for sure."

Phillips held a lengthy team meeting after the game, reminding players last year's 13-win season is history.

"Part of it is, this is not last year's team," Phillips said. "This is this year's team. We came from behind last year and did a lot of good things, and we seem to think we can do those things, and we haven't done them, especially lately."

Jones said the Cowboys should be good enough to win without Romo. Brad Johnson, the 40-year-old backup, threw three interceptions.

He added that he was guilty of looking past the Rams.

"I didn't expect this," Jones said. "No one expected this. I actually had a bad case of taking it for granted that we were going to do better than this.

"And you can't do that."