Phillips, Cowboys come undone in 2010

The Cowboys, coming off a successful 2009 campaign, began the 2010 season with high hopes. They began with Wade Phillips as head coach and Tony Romo as the starting quarterback.

It ended with Jason Garrett as the head coach, Jon Kitna as the starting quarterback, and a dismal 6-10 season.

The Cowboys had a solid draft, getting receiver Dez Bryant in the first round and linebacker Sean Lee in the second.

Dez Bryant

By all accounts, as the season got underway, the Cowboys were expected to make a run at the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLV was going to be played at Cowboys Stadium in 2010.

Ugly Start

Romo had a solid season-opener in D.C. He would throw for 282 yards and a touchdown. Miles Austin would have 146 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches.

But a Tashard Choice fumble was recovered and returned for a touchdown in a 13-7 Redskins victory.

Romo would throw for 374 yards and a score, Austin would again catch 10 passes for 142 yards, and Bryant would have a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown.

But Jay Cutler would toss three touchdowns as the Bears stunned Dallas 27-20 in Arlington, dropping the Cowboys to 0-2.

Dallas seemed to have righted the ship with a 27-13 win over the Texans in Houston before taking an early bye week. As it turned out, it was just the calm before the storm.

The End Of The Phillips Era

Dallas would drop their next five games. Losses to the Titans (34-27) and Vikings (24-21) put Phillips on the hot seat as Dallas fell to 1-4.

In a 41-35 loss at home to the Giants, Romo had Dallas up 10-7 early in the second quarter. After hitting Miles Austin for 14 yards, Romo was knocked to the ground and suffered a broken left clavicle.

Romo would not take another snap in 2010. Kitna came in but could not rally the team to a win.

Dallas would fall to Jacksonville 35-17 and then traveled to Green Bay. A 45-7 blowout win by the Packers turned out to be Phillips’ last stand.

Wade Phillips walked off the field as the Cowboys’ Head Coach for the final time after losing to Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers midway through the 2010 season. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)

A First In Dallas

For the first time in Cowboys history their head coach did not survive the entire season. After the blowout loss to Green Bay, Jerry Jones fired Phillips.

The son of Bum Phillips departed with a record of 34-22 (.607) and a 1-2 mark in the playoffs. But he had at least won a playoff game for Dallas.

It is a claim Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, and Bill Parcells – Phillips’ three immediate predecessors – could not make.

He had also won a division title, something neither Campo nor Parcells had accomplished for the Cowboys.

Jason Garrett was elevated to head coach, becoming the eighth man to hold the title.

Garrett Era Gets Solid Start

The move seemed to wake up the team and they would go 5-3 over the second half of the season. The Cowboys got back-to-back wins over the Giants (33-20) and Lions (35-19).

Head Coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys looks on against the New York Giants on November 14, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The Cowboys defeated the Giants 33 to 20. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)

A Drew Brees’ 12 yard-pass to Lance Moore with 1:55 remaining ended the streak as the Saints got a 30-27 win on Thanksgiving Day.

Dallas intercepted Peyton Manning four times – two returned for touchdowns – for a 38-35 win over the Colts in overtime.

The back-and-forth wins and losses by less than a field goal trend continued over the final month of the year. Dallas lost 30-27 to the Eagles at home then beat the Redskins 33-30.

On the road to end the season, the Cowboys fell to the Cardinals 27-26 before edging the Eagles 14-13.

Garrett had done enough to secure the head coaching position going forward. But what would follow would be three years of frustration.