Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters

Jerry Jones was front and center Thursday -- and that's bad news for Cowboys fans.

Phillips arrived with self-deprecating humor and confidence.

“Surprise, I’m here,” he told a packed new conference at Valley Ranch. “It’s great to have these cowboy boots back in Texas. I’m a Cowboy now, and proud of it.

“You’ve heard about the frog who dreamed of becoming a king? I was a high school coach in Texas ...”

A frog who became head coach of the Dallas Cowboys

“I think I’m the right fit here,” Phillips continued. “They’re built for the 3-4 defense, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I think I can make an immediate impact on this football team.”

What exactly happened with Turner still isn’t known. He has privately disputed published reports that he was opposed to Garrett calling plays or that he had insisted on the release of controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens. Neither of those issues, he has told friends, had anything to do with Jones’ decision.

Instead, Jerry simply reverted to his long-held philosophy of going defense, defense, defense. He’s hired six coaches in 18 years since becoming the Cowboys’ owner in 1989, and all but Chan Gailey have been known as defensive coaches. What Jones may not have noticed is that Gailey has the best record of all them.

Maybe Phillips will change that. In five years as a head coach in the NFL, he took his team to the playoffs three times. All six times after his arrival as either a head coach (three times) or defensive coordinator (three times), his new team immediately went to the playoffs.

That he has never won a playoff game as a head coach gives him something in common with Jones, who hasn’t won one as owner/GM in 11 years and counting.

It was easy to see that that drought has worn on Jones, who became emotional just before introducing Phillips as the seventh head coach in Cowboys’ history.

“I want our fans to know that you couldn’t have anyone that has more appreciation, that has more respect for, that has more hope for our success than I have in trying to make this decision about the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys,” he said, voice quivering. “We needed to get this right. We got it right.”

Maybe he did. Time will tell.

What seems certain is that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Jerry Jones now that Parcells is gone. More Jones on television. More Jones on the Cowboys’ sideline. More Jones in the draft room. More Jones making key football decisions.

A very, very scary prospect.

Coach Jerry is back in charge.

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