As ESPN.com framed it when the news first broke: "Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcells ... Cowboys fans have been waiting for the next big name to lead a storied franchise.

"They might be surprised by the answer."

This after the Cowboys named Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to replace Parcells as their head coach on Thursday.

Now Phillips joins Landry and Johnson as the only Texas natives to be in charge of "America's Team." Landry and Johnson both won two Super Bowls in Dallas.

"Surprise, I'm here," Phillips said upon being introduced during his introductory press conference this afternoon.

"It's great to have these cowboy boots back in Texas," Phillips said, showing his boots from the podium, where his father -- longtime NFL coach Bum Phillips -- sat to his right. "I'm a Cowboy now. I'm excited about it."

ESPN insider John Clayton reported the two sides reached an agreement, believed to be for three years and an option, upon Phillips arrival in Dallas earlier today. Financial terms were not available.

Although owner Jerry Jones appeared to be most interested in former Cowboys and current San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Phillips emerged as the top choice for a variety of reasons.

"We needed to get it right. In my mind we got it right," Jones said, getting emotional as he introduced Phillips.

In choosing Phillips over Turner, Jones decided between coaches with extensive experience in the Cowboys' two areas of focus: Quarterback and defense.

As Yahoo! Sports correspondent Jason Cole first suggested Wednesday night, the most prominent reason is that Jones might have taken a more logical approach to the process after already hiring former Dolphins quarterback coach Jason Garrett to be the offensive coordinator.

Garrett has been coaching only two years -- as quarterbacks coach of the Dolphins. But he spent 12 years in the league as a backup, including seven behind Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman in Dallas.

The widely held belief is that Jones eventually wants the 40-year-old Garrett to be the team's head coach. When Dallas asked Miami for permission to interview Garrett, the request was for Garrett to either be the head coach or offensive coordinator.

Hiring Turner, who is a close friend of Garrett, could have been messy. Turner obviously would have wanted to run the offense and might not want to leave as coach when Garrett is ready to take over.

"Garrett can just install the offense that Norv is going to put in anyway, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to have both of those guys," the source told Cole.

Adding to that argument, sources told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley one of the holdups to Turner's candidacy was the fact he doesn't think Garrett is ready to be an offensive coordinator.

Jones clearly wants Garrett to take on some of the play-calling responsibilities, but sources told Mosley, who previously worked for the Dallas Morning News, that Turner doesn't think Garrett is ready.

It should be noted that Phillips declined to discuss Garrett's role on the staff until after the two men had a chance to speak directly. That said, it would be a major surprise if Garrett isn't named offensive coordinator.

Getting back to the top spot. ... Jones had reportedly been torn between hiring a defensive- or offensive-minded coach.

Choosing Phillips answers that question and addresses issues with Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera -- the man Turner hoped to hire as his defensive coordinator in Dallas.

The Cowboys have been running a 3-4 defense while Rivera is the architect of Chicago's successful 4-3 scheme. Phillips has had great success with the 3-4 defense throughout his career and helped the Chargers to a 14-2 regular-season record in 2006.

According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Turner's defensive plan may have ultimately done him in. That certainly makes sense, given the fact that Dallas has invested considerable resources -- in terms f both cash and draft picks -- on their defense.

Over the last two seasons, the Cowboys drafted and signed players for the 3-4, like nose tackle Jason Ferguson and bigger linebackers, like DeMarcus Ware and Bobby Carpenter.

In fact, Werder noted that Jones committed $67 million to seven defensive players during Parcells' tenure and the owner admitted that investment was a factor in his decision to go with Phillips.

The good news?

As Morning News staffer Calvin Watkins noted this morning, Phillips' version of the 3-4 attacks more than the one the Cowboys have used. Linebacker Shawne Merriman led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2006 and has been named to the Pro Bowl the last two years. In 2005, San Diego had the top-ranked run defense, and in 2006 the Chargers led the NFL with 61 sacks.

"I feel, defensively, he was one of the things we needed to come in," Ware told Watkins from Hawaii, the site of Saturday's Pro Bowl. "We have so many guys that can do good things. And Wade just has an aura about him of what to do with those guys. I feel he can come in here and teach us something."

Ware also said he talked with Merriman about how Phillips gets a defense going. Ware said he was impressed with how Wade used his personnel, especially on blitzes.

Also, according to Mosley, after four years of walking on eggshells around Parcells, Jones also was looking for someone he felt comfortable with. He could've accomplished that by hiring either Phillips or Turner.

But Phillips in particular is a laid-back Texan who Mosley believes will create a more relaxed and open atmosphere at Valley Ranch.

While all those things made the 59-year-old a logical choice, Phillips NFL bona fides shouldn't be overlooked.

His head coaching record is 48-42 over three years with Buffalo, two with Denver and season-ending interim stints with New Orleans and Atlanta. That includes 3-4 as a fill-in and 0-3 in the playoffs, most notably the "Music City Miracle," when Tennessee used a trick kick return for the winning touchdown in the closing seconds.

In three years with the Bills, Phillips, who has spent 30 of the last 31 years in the NFL, had a 29-19 record and made the playoffs twice but did not win a playoff game.

Buffalo has had just one winning record and has not made the playoffs since Phillips was fired following the 2000 season. He was 16-16 from 1993-94 with Denver, making the playoffs once.

Under Parcells, the Cowboys were 34-30 in the regular season and failed to win a playoff game. ...

For the record, the Cowboys interviewed 10 prospects before making their decision.

In addition to Phillips and Turner, the Cowboys interviewed Garrett, New Orleans defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs, San Francisco assistant head coach/defense Mike Singletary, Rivera, Indianapolis assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who met with the Cowboys on Wednesday, and three members of Parcells' staff: Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles and Todd Haley. ...

In a few semi-related items of interest. ... Many are wondering how Terrell Owens will get along with Phillips. As ESPN The Magazine writer Tom Friend suggested this afternoon, he might get along with the new coach a little too well.

The inference being Phillips is a "players' coach" who gives his charges the kind off-field and locker-room latitude that Owens will certainly enjoy -- and most likely take advantage of.

Asked specifically about how he might handle Owens this afternoon, Phillips shot back: "I don't handle players; I work with them."

The new coach added; "Terrell Owens -- I did say his name, Terrell Owens -- is a part of the Cowboys' family so he's part of my family."

That remark drew considerable laughter from the assembled reporters. Parcells most often referred to Owens as "the player" and rarely if ever called him by name.

For what it's worth, Parcells recently claimed coaching Owens wasn't all that bad.

During a 30-minute interview with New York radio station WFAN on Jan. 25 -- his first public appearance following his retirement, Owens was the hottest topic. Despite what seemed like a yearlong soap opera, Parcells said things weren't as they appeared.

He said Owens' problem-filled season wasn't as bad inside the organization as it was portrayed outside. Parcells also said he did his best to utilize Owens' talents.

"I tried to make it work as best I could," said Parcells, who did not have a retirement news conference. "It wasn't without a few little things here and there. It was nothing I felt was insurmountable or we never had to draw a line in the sand. ... Now, it wasn't perfect. And it wasn't as problematic as it was portrayed."

In case you missed it, Owens took a few shots at his outgoing coach, saying the change was needed and that Parcells' old-school coaching style hurt the team. Parcells said he purposely avoided one-on-one blowups on the sideline during games.

"Maybe that was calculated," Parcells said. "I didn't want to give anybody more ammunition than they already had."

Parcells admitted this was the toughest coaching job he's ever had, partly because of the instability at quarterback.

He leaves behind what appears to be a sign of stability at the position in Tony Romo. Now it appears Romo's development will be in Garrett's hands -- as will the running back tandem of Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

Speaking with NFL Network insider Adam Schefter from the Pro Bowl in Hawaii shortly after the announcement was made, Romo expressed confidence in Jones' decision to go with Phillips. The young signal caller also said he was looking forward to working with Garrett.

Meanwhile, as the Sports Xchange noted, Jones and Barber worked to perfection last season as Jones rushed for over 1,000 yards and Barber rushed for 654 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Jones will be in the final year of his contract in 2007.

Now, the Cowboys must decide if he is the future at the running back position or if Barber can carry the load full-time.

What remains to be seen is how the change in coaching staffs will affect the dynamic backfield duo.

For now, I'll note that Phillips offered the following when asked specifically about his offensive philosophy this afternoon: "Put your best players in a position to make plays."

That'll work.