Gerry Fraley

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From the Cowboys' perspective, the NFL's free-agency season lacked a vital element as it opened Thursday night.

There were few apparent "Wade guys."

A "Wade guy" has played for head coach Wade Phillips, understands what he expects and has earned his seal of approval. Every coach has his "guys," from relationships forged along the way.

Bill Parcells did during his four-season run as Cowboys coach. Parcells stocked the roster with so many of his "guys" that the locker room took on the feel of a diner on Route 22 in New Jersey.

How did that work out?

The Cowboys' free-agent signings during the Parcells era were noteworthy for their failures. The misses, ranging from running backs Richie Anderson and Anthony Thomas to offensive tackle Ryan Young to kicker Mike Vanderjagt, overwhelmed the few hits.

Therein lies the difference between a "Bill guy" and a "Wade guy" for the Cowboys. They have fared much better in free agency with the "Wade guys."

End Igor Olshansky and inside linebacker Keith Brooking brought in the pedigree last season and significantly improved the defense. The same held for strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who qualified because assistants Dave Campo and Joe DeCamillis recommended him.

Parcells was never that successful with free agents. That leads to the suggestion that despite all the hype fanned by Parcells' fawning admirers, Phillips is a better judge of talent.

Owner-general manager Jerry Jones hinted at that when he gave Phillips a contract extension.

"Wade Phillips is one of the best talent evaluators I've been around, period," Jones said. "It must have something to do with the fact he grew up [with football] around the kitchen table and has been doing this for 31 years. Wade knows what a pro football player looks like."

Phillips' father, Bum, was a successful collegiate and NFL coach with an emphasis on defense. The son learned defense from his father but is not pigeonholed as a defense-only coach. Wade Phillips served his NFL apprenticeship at a time when assistants looked at schools rather than specific positions when helping prepare for the draft.

That forced Phillips to learn how to evaluate offensive players, too. He will always remember the smallish wide receiver who caught his eye when evaluating Tulsa's talent before the 1976 draft for Houston. The Oilers took the kid in the fourth round but traded him during training camp to Seattle, where Steve Largent went on to a Hall of Fame career.

"I've always enjoyed the process," Phillips said of judging talent at the collegiate and NFL levels.

This free-agent class is almost barren of "Wade guys." Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, a restricted free agent, is the most noteworthy name, but he does not fit with the Cowboys. Backup inside linebackers Tim Dobbins (restricted) and Chris Draft (unrestricted) and kicker Jay Feely (restricted) have the Phillips' bona fides.

Some others could show up on the Cowboys' radar. As Phillips showed last year, he values the input of his staff.

Tie-ins alone do not guarantee a job, Phillips said last season when discussing the impact of Brooking, Olshansky and Sensabaugh. Unlike Parcells, Phillips is reluctant to flood a team with well-connected players.

"A lot of guys bring a bunch of guys in from where they were, and they're not as good as the guys there in some cases," Phillips said. "I think you send the wrong message sometimes [by doing that]. Everybody earns their way. See how they do. Then if we need to replace people, we will."

If a "Wade guy" can fix the problem, all the better.