Parcells' legacy needs this lone ranger
Aug. 22, 2006
By Mike Freeman
CBS SportsLine.com National Columnist
OXNARD, Calif. -- The shy and submissive Deion Sanders, who has never met a microphone he could not swap spit with, recently stated loudly and bluntly what many players on the Dallas Cowboys and beyond have likely been thinking.
Dallas coach Bill Parcells, at least recently, hasn't won jack. Nothing. Zippo. Not a poker game, not a free set of steak knives, not even a holiday card from the lawn manicurist. And definitely not a Super Bowl.
Sanders recently turned a normally soft and chirpy radio morning talk show into hardcore when he used the situation with the power struggle between Parcells and Terrell Owens -- oops, broke the rule of never mentioning his name -- to publicly support Owens and subsequently connect to Parcells' groin with his right foot.
"First of all, Bill Parcells needs T.O. more than T.O. needs Bill Parcells," said Sanders, now an analyst for the NFL Network. "When was the last time Bill Parcells won? When?
"This league is what have you done lately."
Sanders reiterated his feelings during a conference call with reporters this week. Sanders stated he now lives in Dallas and reads and listens to the media there and believes Parcells is mishandling the situation with Owens and that infamous hamstring.
"Just rushing the guy back on the field," Sanders said. "This is your horse. You don't rush your horse back on the field."
He has received a great deal of publicity in recent days, but Romo nevertheless has emerged as a serious quarterback prospect after once being anonymous. Romo signed as a rookie free agent out of Eastern Illinois, and has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game despite being in his fourth year.
Five things you should know
In the past, it would have been unthinkable to even hint that Parcells may no longer be a winner. Parcells has cursed, screamed and intimidated his way to the top of the coaching food chain -- not to mention Hall of Fame -- with the kind of finger-popping panache and swashbuckling cockiness rarely matched in coaching history. Few players have ever publicly chastised him.
No player has had the guts or the platform to do so.
Yet the words of Sanders indicate how far the aura and approval ratings of Parcells have fallen. Parcells is being challenged from within and without. People are questioning if he is still the great coach that took the New York Giants and the New England Patriots to Super Bowls, doing so almost on pure will and the force of his nature alone.
Though Sanders can be a mirror-loving blowhard, his knowledge of football cannot be questioned and his words cannot be ignored. He is close to some current and former Cowboys players -- he of course was once a star in Dallas -- and it is probable that he is expressing the opinion of at least some of those players as well.
Publicly no Cowboy player would ever second Sanders' notion.
"We all believe this team has the talent to win a championship," said defensive end Greg Ellis. "(Parcells) is a proven winner and a great coach."
With Dallas, Parcells is a mediocre 25-23. In the past, Parcells, who recently turned 65, has transformed teams for the better faster than foul language leaves his lips. This turnaround, by Parcells standards, is moving in slow-mo.
Clearly, he is pushing this Cowboys team harder than past ones.
"In mini-camp he told us that it's never taken him this long to win in his life. We all took that personal," linebacker Bradie James told reporters this month. "He's been killing us in training camp. He's always saying it."
This could be the year that Parcells lives up to a sterling reputation. The division might be the toughest in football, but it is completely up for grabs. Can Parcells and the Cowboys take advantage of that and make a run?
"I can't say if people are overlooking us," said Ellis. "I think we have to prove that we can do it. If you prove it then people can't say anything."
The same could be said about the recent career of Parcells.
By Mike Freeman
CBS SportsLine.com National Columnist
OXNARD, Calif. -- The shy and submissive Deion Sanders, who has never met a microphone he could not swap spit with, recently stated loudly and bluntly what many players on the Dallas Cowboys and beyond have likely been thinking.
Dallas coach Bill Parcells, at least recently, hasn't won jack. Nothing. Zippo. Not a poker game, not a free set of steak knives, not even a holiday card from the lawn manicurist. And definitely not a Super Bowl.
Sanders recently turned a normally soft and chirpy radio morning talk show into hardcore when he used the situation with the power struggle between Parcells and Terrell Owens -- oops, broke the rule of never mentioning his name -- to publicly support Owens and subsequently connect to Parcells' groin with his right foot.
"First of all, Bill Parcells needs T.O. more than T.O. needs Bill Parcells," said Sanders, now an analyst for the NFL Network. "When was the last time Bill Parcells won? When?
"This league is what have you done lately."
Sanders reiterated his feelings during a conference call with reporters this week. Sanders stated he now lives in Dallas and reads and listens to the media there and believes Parcells is mishandling the situation with Owens and that infamous hamstring.
"Just rushing the guy back on the field," Sanders said. "This is your horse. You don't rush your horse back on the field."
He has received a great deal of publicity in recent days, but Romo nevertheless has emerged as a serious quarterback prospect after once being anonymous. Romo signed as a rookie free agent out of Eastern Illinois, and has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game despite being in his fourth year.
Five things you should know
In the past, it would have been unthinkable to even hint that Parcells may no longer be a winner. Parcells has cursed, screamed and intimidated his way to the top of the coaching food chain -- not to mention Hall of Fame -- with the kind of finger-popping panache and swashbuckling cockiness rarely matched in coaching history. Few players have ever publicly chastised him.
No player has had the guts or the platform to do so.
Yet the words of Sanders indicate how far the aura and approval ratings of Parcells have fallen. Parcells is being challenged from within and without. People are questioning if he is still the great coach that took the New York Giants and the New England Patriots to Super Bowls, doing so almost on pure will and the force of his nature alone.
Though Sanders can be a mirror-loving blowhard, his knowledge of football cannot be questioned and his words cannot be ignored. He is close to some current and former Cowboys players -- he of course was once a star in Dallas -- and it is probable that he is expressing the opinion of at least some of those players as well.
Publicly no Cowboy player would ever second Sanders' notion.
"We all believe this team has the talent to win a championship," said defensive end Greg Ellis. "(Parcells) is a proven winner and a great coach."
With Dallas, Parcells is a mediocre 25-23. In the past, Parcells, who recently turned 65, has transformed teams for the better faster than foul language leaves his lips. This turnaround, by Parcells standards, is moving in slow-mo.
Clearly, he is pushing this Cowboys team harder than past ones.
"In mini-camp he told us that it's never taken him this long to win in his life. We all took that personal," linebacker Bradie James told reporters this month. "He's been killing us in training camp. He's always saying it."
This could be the year that Parcells lives up to a sterling reputation. The division might be the toughest in football, but it is completely up for grabs. Can Parcells and the Cowboys take advantage of that and make a run?
"I can't say if people are overlooking us," said Ellis. "I think we have to prove that we can do it. If you prove it then people can't say anything."
The same could be said about the recent career of Parcells.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:44 PM
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