In Jake's excellent interview with Wes Bunting yesterday, he asked about the amount of influence Wade Phillips had in the Dallas drafts when he was the head coach. Wes responded that "Jerry Jones is the guy who makes final decisions," but was unsure exactly how much actual say Wade had in the process.
Dogged seeker of knowledge that he is, Jake posed a similar query to Dave Halprin, editor of SB Nation's site for all things Southern Oklahoma--Blogging The Boys. Jake's question, and Dave's answer, await your perusal after the jump.
Jake:
Hey Dave, I did an interview this weekend with Wes Bunting of National Football Post, and I asked him what light he could shed on Wade Phillips' involvement in the Cowboys drafts while he was there and he had no idea. It dawned on me that you guys would probably be able to give me better insight.
The Texans owner and general manager have both said in not so many words that Wade can pick his own guys. I was wondering if you or anyone else at Blogging the Boys could tell me what you guys know about Wade's influence on anything draft related. Thanks for any help you might be able to give.
Dave:
In Dallas, it's pretty much understood that Jerry Jones, as owner and GM, has the final say on all draft picks. Wade probably had some amount of influence on the picks, especially on the defensive side, but no one thinks Wade was the last word, or first word, in the drafts. I'm sure he had his input but I think it was just another voice in Jerry's ear, along with Jerry's son Stephen. Wade appeared to have more influence in free agency, where we brought in some guys he had worked with before.
Thus, it appears that Wade will go from not having final word--or even first word--in the draft to the man everyone will be looking to as the Texans make their transition to a 3-4. He may well have more authority as the defensive coordinator in Houston when it comes to drafting than he did as the head coach in Dallas. I'm not sure whether that's more of an indictment of the Texans or the Cowboys.