Wade Phillips Out in Dallas. Reading Between the Lines.

Friends, this is a lesson about sports, business and reading between the lines.

Here's what you have to chat up:

> Today, the Dallas Cowboys fired its head coach, Wade Phillips. The Cowboys are 1 - 7. That's unacceptable for "America's Team".

> His dismissal comes about a week after the owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, said that Phillips would have the job for the remainder of the year. (You really can't say publicly, "Well, if Wade loses the next game, he's gone!"

> Then came the Cowboys' horrific loss to the Green Bay Packers yesterday, 45 - 7. Jones had had enough.

> Ask why Jones would express support for Phillips and then change his mind?

> What factors contributed to Phillips being shown the door? (Here's the answer: injuries to their starting QB Tony Romo, a ridiculous number of penalties, a porous defense and an inability to get the 'boys out of a terrible rut.)

> BTW, some thought the Cowboys could contend for the Super Bowl since they won their division last year. Adding insult to injury, the Super Bowl is being held in Dallas this year, which would be an owner's dream to have his team play that game in their own stadium.

Dream deferred.

Talk it up and enjoy!

Monday Morning Watercooler - NFL

Hello friends,

Here's what you can chat up tomorrow morning around the office coffee pot:

> Ben Roethlisberger returned to play for the Steelers and had a good game, beating the Cleveland Browns. Ask if you think he showed any signs of rust, nervousness, etc. Do you think he's earning back the respect of his teammates?

> The Dallas Cowboys, often known as America's Team, are now 1-5 losing to the lowly Minnesota Vikings, who are 2-4. Something that you can have people mull over: whether Cowboy Coach Wade Phillips will last the remainder of the season.

> It took overtime (OT) for the NE Patriots to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Are the Ravens that good to push NE to OT or are the Patriots really living up to their 4 -1 record? Reminder: this was the Patriots first game without wide-receiver Randy Moss. They did, however, re-acquire Deion Branch, who spent 4 years with the Seattle Seahawks before returning to NE and he MORE than held his own today.

That's it! Chat it up and Enjoy!