Today, Bill Parcells retired from coaching pro football for the third time. This time, it was from the Dallas Cowboys. As could be expected, it sent shockwaves through the world of the NFL.
Big Bill did not work the same magic in Dallas that he did in New York and New England. He had two playoff appearances in four years, both resulting in first-round losses. However, he took the team from sucky to mediocre. The last two seasons ended in late-season collapses, ending in 9-7 finishes. This year happened to be one in which the Cowboys backed into the playoffs. The team is in better shape than when Parcells found it, but Super Bowls are the standard in Dallas.
Jerry Jones finds himself in an improved position. He has a new stadium under construction in Arlington. The Cowboys are still a huge draw on TV. Only four Cowboy games this season were played in the early Sunday time slot at 12 PM. This means that networks wanted to show them in the late game or in prime time, when ratings are higher. Ratings went up when the Cowboys were on. Also, Jerry finds himself with a young quarterback with potential in Tony Romo. Finally, Jerry has shed some of the reputation as a meddling owner, thanks to relinquishing some control to Parcells. It remains to be seen if Jerry will allow another coach the same amount of freedom in personnel decisions. My guess is no.
Overall, the Big Bill era has been a disappointment. But, he returned expectations and a bit of excitement to Valley Ranch.
2 comments:
"Finally, Jerry has shed some of the reputation as a meddling owner, thanks to relinquishing some control to Parcells. It remains to be seen if Jerry will allow another coach the same amount of freedom in personnel decisions. My guess is no."
The answer is hell no! Jerry would only give up control for a coach like Parcells ... especially after the greatness of Jimmy rolled through here. He's going back to being the medling/controlling owner that we all know and love/hate.
You know you love that used car salesman from Arkansas. :-)
On the business side, Jerry is the best owner in football. He knows how to make money like it's nobody's business, and they're still the second-most valuable franchise in the NFL, even though the team has stunk for a decade, and the stadium is a dump. Once the new stadium is finished, Jerry will be printing money. He's not afraid to spend money to make money, and he wants to win like it's nobody's business. He's just not an NFL GM.
On the football side, he needs to go get another football guy. He was on the right track with Parcells, but Big Bill was too old and too tired. There's no one out there worthy of that kind of power, except for Cowher and Fisher, and they would require compensation. Jerry's not going to hire both a GM and a coach.
Of course, the last two coaches that cost their teams draft picks won Super Bowls: Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden.
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