Kind Tuna? Parcells goes easy on Dallas Cowboys in preparation for the Carolina Panthers game
By JENNA FRYERAP Sports Writer
12/22/2005 7:22 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - On the heels of one of the worst losses of his coaching career, Bill Parcells has been bizarrely calm around the Dallas Cowboys.
There's been no yelling, no screaming, no finger pointing at his team. Despite Dallas' playoff hopes being in serious danger, Parcells is not panicking.
Surprised? The Cowboys aren't.
``From my experience with him over the years, sometimes when things are the worst is when he is at his best or most positive,'' quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. ``There are times if you win a few games he can be tough to be around because he's trying to keep everybody focused. When things go bad is when he turns it around and kind of lifts the spirits of the team a little bit.
``He's very focused about this week, not dwelling on what happened.''
The Cowboys (8-6) are coming off a 35-7 humiliation in Washington that marked their third loss in four games. They'll have to recover in time to play Saturday in Carolina (10-4) in a game both teams consider must-win.
The Panthers need to win it to stay in control of the NFC South, where they hold a one-game lead over Tampa Bay. A win and a Buccaneers loss could wrap up the league title for Carolina.
The Cowboys have to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Dallas needs to win its final two regular-season games to have any shot at earning one of the NFC's wild-card spots.
Carolina knows Parcells will have the Cowboys ready.
``They are a salty bunch,'' Panthers coach John Fox said. ``They are fighting for their playoff lives as well as we are. They had kind of a clunker last week. All of these players in this league are prideful and want to get rid of that bitter taste.
``We've got what I'm sure is going to be a very physical and aggressive football team coming to town.''
To make sure of it, Parcells didn't berate his team following the loss to the Redskins. He figured that approach would only make things worse for a team already feeling bad enough.
``When everybody else is killing them, it would be nice if somebody tried to lift them up,'' Parcells said. ``The week before last they were saying that it was one of the greatest wins we'd had here against Kansas City. Now, and I don't know if this type of thing happens in Charlotte, but West of the Mississippi it's either outhouse or castle.''
Dallas has indeed plummeted that quickly. In the span of one month, the Cowboys have gone from the division lead to leaving themselves zero room for error if they want to continue into the playoffs.
Bledsoe, a free-agent addition in Dallas, is finding the slide hard to believe.
``From the time I signed with the Cowboys, my mind-set has been that this is a playoff-caliber team,'' he said. ``Even though we suffered a really disheartening loss last week, the challenge is then to answer the bell and play as well as you possibly can this week to try and still give your team a chance to get in.''
Carolina has yet to lock up its postseason berth, but once again finds itself in control of its destiny. The Panthers were in the same spot three weeks ago, but lost at home to Tampa Bay to drop into a tie for the division lead.
A win this week would ensure they keep at least a one-game lead and put them in good position heading into the finale at Atlanta.
``We have an opportunity to control our own destiny again, and that's a good position to be in,'' linebacker Brandon Short said. ``We haven't even clinched a playoff spot yet. We have to stay focused and understand that there is a bigger picture. It starts with the first play against the Cowboys.
``They're going to come in here ready to play and on an emotional high, but so are we. That high lasts for a couple of plays, and then it all comes down to focus and execution.''
The last time Dallas came to Carolina was two seasons ago - Parcells' first as coach of the Cowboys - when the Panthers hosted their first playoff game in seven years. In front of a raucous crowd, the Panthers won 29-10 en route to the Super Bowl.
The Panthers are hoping for a similar atmosphere Saturday because they fully expect to see a fired-up Dallas team.
``Sometimes in this league you just get spanked, and you usually come back the next week looking to atone for it,'' said defensive end Mike Rucker. ``Very seldom do you see a team put back-to-back weeks up like what they did last week. We expect their best this week.''
12/22/2005 7:22 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - On the heels of one of the worst losses of his coaching career, Bill Parcells has been bizarrely calm around the Dallas Cowboys.
There's been no yelling, no screaming, no finger pointing at his team. Despite Dallas' playoff hopes being in serious danger, Parcells is not panicking.
Surprised? The Cowboys aren't.
``From my experience with him over the years, sometimes when things are the worst is when he is at his best or most positive,'' quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. ``There are times if you win a few games he can be tough to be around because he's trying to keep everybody focused. When things go bad is when he turns it around and kind of lifts the spirits of the team a little bit.
``He's very focused about this week, not dwelling on what happened.''
The Cowboys (8-6) are coming off a 35-7 humiliation in Washington that marked their third loss in four games. They'll have to recover in time to play Saturday in Carolina (10-4) in a game both teams consider must-win.
The Panthers need to win it to stay in control of the NFC South, where they hold a one-game lead over Tampa Bay. A win and a Buccaneers loss could wrap up the league title for Carolina.
The Cowboys have to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Dallas needs to win its final two regular-season games to have any shot at earning one of the NFC's wild-card spots.
Carolina knows Parcells will have the Cowboys ready.
``They are a salty bunch,'' Panthers coach John Fox said. ``They are fighting for their playoff lives as well as we are. They had kind of a clunker last week. All of these players in this league are prideful and want to get rid of that bitter taste.
``We've got what I'm sure is going to be a very physical and aggressive football team coming to town.''
To make sure of it, Parcells didn't berate his team following the loss to the Redskins. He figured that approach would only make things worse for a team already feeling bad enough.
``When everybody else is killing them, it would be nice if somebody tried to lift them up,'' Parcells said. ``The week before last they were saying that it was one of the greatest wins we'd had here against Kansas City. Now, and I don't know if this type of thing happens in Charlotte, but West of the Mississippi it's either outhouse or castle.''
Dallas has indeed plummeted that quickly. In the span of one month, the Cowboys have gone from the division lead to leaving themselves zero room for error if they want to continue into the playoffs.
Bledsoe, a free-agent addition in Dallas, is finding the slide hard to believe.
``From the time I signed with the Cowboys, my mind-set has been that this is a playoff-caliber team,'' he said. ``Even though we suffered a really disheartening loss last week, the challenge is then to answer the bell and play as well as you possibly can this week to try and still give your team a chance to get in.''
Carolina has yet to lock up its postseason berth, but once again finds itself in control of its destiny. The Panthers were in the same spot three weeks ago, but lost at home to Tampa Bay to drop into a tie for the division lead.
A win this week would ensure they keep at least a one-game lead and put them in good position heading into the finale at Atlanta.
``We have an opportunity to control our own destiny again, and that's a good position to be in,'' linebacker Brandon Short said. ``We haven't even clinched a playoff spot yet. We have to stay focused and understand that there is a bigger picture. It starts with the first play against the Cowboys.
``They're going to come in here ready to play and on an emotional high, but so are we. That high lasts for a couple of plays, and then it all comes down to focus and execution.''
The last time Dallas came to Carolina was two seasons ago - Parcells' first as coach of the Cowboys - when the Panthers hosted their first playoff game in seven years. In front of a raucous crowd, the Panthers won 29-10 en route to the Super Bowl.
The Panthers are hoping for a similar atmosphere Saturday because they fully expect to see a fired-up Dallas team.
``Sometimes in this league you just get spanked, and you usually come back the next week looking to atone for it,'' said defensive end Mike Rucker. ``Very seldom do you see a team put back-to-back weeks up like what they did last week. We expect their best this week.''
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