IRVING, Texas - Live and learn.

That's what folks tell you when life leaves a bruise, a bruise on your heart, your ego, perhaps even your confidence in the direction you have chosen is the one you should be taking.

But in the 12 or so years since Wade Phillips was fired by the Broncos after a 9-7 finish in 1993 to go with a 7-9 finish in '94, Phillips says he has lived "a great" football life and learned "maybe the most important lesson of all about this business."

A lesson he carries with him as the seventh, and newest, head coach in Dallas Cowboys history. His Cowboys will face his former team in a preseason game tonight at Texas Stadium (6 MDT, CBS 4).

"I thought I was a good coach in Denver and I thought that coaches who got fired weren't good coaches," Phillips said. "I think I've found out they fire good coaches, too. That was a tough thing to realize.

"But I'm not that kind of person that looks back and 'what if.' It's like games; if you sit back and do 'what if,' you'll be doing that so much, you won't get anything else done, you just sit and do 'what if' all the time. I have nothing but good memories of Denver, and we still have many friends there."

Phillips' Cowboys and the Broncos spent the past week working against each other. Across from Phillips on the field each day was Mike Shanahan, the man who formally was introduced as Phillips' successor on a January day in 1995 and is still on the Broncos sideline, having put two Super Bowl trophies in the team's lobby.

Shanahan, now entering his 13th season and recently having signed a contract extension, is the second-longest-tenured head coach in the league in his current job, six games behind Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

"No surprise there," Phillips said. "Look at the success he'd had, that's all you need to see."

Phillips took a long road back to another high-profile job in a football-mad city.

In between then and now were three years as the Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator, three years as Bills head coach, two years as the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator and three games as their interim head coach, and three years as the San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator.

"I did the best I could do in Denver," Phillips said. "And that's how I look at it now in coaching. I did the best I could do as an assistant coach in Houston. We went to the AFC championship two years in a row, went 10-6, 10-6, 11-5, and they fired us all anyway.

"That got me thinking. And put that with what happened in Denver, that's when I learned that in coaching, you do the best you can do. Somebody else is going to decide if that's good enough. If you're not what they want, then you go do the best you can somewhere else."

When Pat Bowlen fired Phillips and his staff after a two- year, 16-16 run, Bowlen said he had lost confidence in the direction of the team and didn't believe Phillips' staff could get the Broncos to the championship level.

Now, Phillips finds himself working for one of the most out- front owners in the league in Jerry Jones. An owner who has replaced a two-time Super Bowl- winning coach in Jimmy Johnson as well as another head coach who won one Super Bowl in Barry Switzer.

Jones is an owner building a $1 billion football palace and who keeps Super Bowl trophies in his office.

"I think this is a great opportunity for me, a good fit," Phillips said. "Texas is home, and they've got a 3-4 (defense). I can't ask for much more than that. Everywhere I've gone they've needed help on defense, that's why I went there, and I've been able to change it around.

"I think we can do that here."

The Cowboys players already have said several times this week they enjoy Phillips' more laid-back demeanor than Bill Parcells' heavy-handed approach. But Phillips only needed to be on the sideline Thursday to fully know what he has gotten himself into.

Mercurial wide receiver Terrell Owens was 20 minutes late for the morning practice. A few players, including Owens, also were late for practices earlier in training camp when the team was in San Antonio, with tight end Andy Thorn having been released for missing a curfew. Owens' absence quickly became the topic du jour on the airwaves throughout the Metro- plex.

Jones then was swarmed by those with cameras and notebooks during the Thursday afternoon practice, offering, "it was handled between coach Phillips and (Owens) . . . it's no problem at all."

"I understand what's expected here and I'm excited about what we can do here," Phillips said. "But a lot of people from Denver see me somewhere now and say, 'Aw, we remember you from Denver' and they always kind of lean over and say, 'You know, we loved you in Denver.'

"Now I don't know if they all

really loved me or not, but it is a nice thing to say now."

Broncos at Cowboys

• When: 6 MDT tonight.

• Where: Texas Stadium (capacity 65,595), Irving, Texas.

• TV/radio: CBS 4; KOA-AM (850).

• Broncos injuries: Among the starters, G Ben Hamilton (concussion) did not make the trip to Texas this week; T Matt Lepsis (groin), WR Javon Walker (right knee), defensive tackle Demetrin Veal (right calf) and running back Andre Hall (right hamstring) are questionable. Defensive end Tim Crowder (left ankle) and tackle Adam Meadows (right calf) are expected to be held out. Wide receiver Brandon Stokley (left thigh) did not practice in joint practices with the Cowboys on Wednesday and Thursday.

Phillips as head coach

• Denver Year W-L Postseason

1993 9-7 Lost 42-24 to L.A. Raiders*

1994 7-9 None

• Buffalo Year W-L Postseason

1998 10-6 Lost 24-17 to Miami*

1999 11-5 Lost 22-16 to Tennessee*

2000 8-8 None

Phillips as interim coach

• New Orleans Year W-L Postseason

1985 1-3 None

• Atlanta Year W-L Postseason

2003 2-1 None

*Wild-Card Game

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

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