Parcells knew 'it was time' to let emotions loose
By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -Bill Parcells' friends saw the warning signs last week. The way he looked during and after the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the New York Giants left them worried about his health and happiness.
Some called. Others sent e-mails.
Jim Burt showed up.
Burt, the nose tackle on Parcells' 1986 Super Bowl champion team with the Giants and still a close friend, flew to Carolina for the Cowboys' game against the Panthers on Sunday night and delivered a message on behalf of everyone who cares about the coach.
``He said, `It was time,''' Parcells said. ``We all know what that means in that group of guys that were together. You've got to show you're going to be there for somebody and that's a nice thing.''
With Burt on the sideline and his team under orders to have fun, the Cowboys not only beat the Panthers 35-14, they did so in a way that gives Parcells hope for the rest of this season.
Dallas (4-3) trailed 14-0 at halftime, but quarterback Tony Romo led a comeback that included a 25-point fourth quarter. That was the most fourth-quarter points in team history, quite a feat for Romo in his debut as the starter. The defense had a solid game, too, limiting Carolina to 204 yards and none of the big plays that had been dooming the Cowboys.
``We went into the season with a lot of high expectations and we really weren't living up to them. We're still not there yet, but we hope that tonight will (help),'' said Romo, who completed 24 of 36 passes for 270 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Once victory seemed certain, Parcells let loose on the sideline. He kissed several players and patted Terrell Owens on the cheek.
``I'd take all the crap I took in this business twice a day for about two years to feel just like I did last night once,'' Parcells said. ``It's a great feeling to see your team go like that.''
The thrill continued afterward, too.
Parcells had a 15-minute phone call with Tony LaRussa while on the team plane, and on Monday morning he heard from New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, a Dallas assistant the previous three years. Parcells received more e-mails from friends, and was especially appreciative of a ``nice, long'' one from a former player he hadn't heard from in more than a year.
``It's one of the gratifying things you have about this profession,'' Parcells said.
The outpouring of emotion might seem a bit much for an October game, but - to Parcells, at least - the season might have been riding on it. The win doesn't help as much as a loss would've been a huge setback for their playoff hopes.
The Cowboys went to Carolina having lost to three good teams and beaten three bad ones. The one that drained Parcells was the loss to the Giants, at home in front of a national television audience.
With a chance to take over first place in the division, Dallas got behind early and never fully recovered. Every time the Cowboys started to make a move, they followed it with a huge mistake. As the failed rallies built up, so did Parcells' blood pressure.
``I was ashamed of the product,'' he said Monday.
Earlier in his career, Parcells might have vented his anger by ranting and raving. Experience taught him to hold back.
``You just don't want to do damage when you know the sensitivity level is the highest,'' he said. ``I kind of have to be careful with my mouth because I can be a little sarcastic. I'm working on trying to improve that, though. And I think I am making progress, I really do, after a few years.''
He finally let the team know how he felt Saturday night. He told them he wasn't having any fun, adding, ``this job is not worth doing if you are not having at least a little bit of fun.''
Asked Monday whether he considered giving up the job because it was no fun, Parcells described such thoughts as a hazard of the profession, saying all 16 coaches who lose each week wonder ``What am I doing this for?''
``This can be a very tedious, tedious endeavor,'' he later said.
Now Parcells is waiting to see whether the performance against Carolina was just one great game or the start of something big. He used metaphors from two other sports to convey that message.
``You know, anyone can land a lucky punch,'' Parcells said. ``Or, every once in a while, you're standing up there at the plate and they hit your bat. You're swinging, but they hit your bat. You didn't really hit the ball.
``I don't know. I won't call it a lucky punch and I don't think they hit the bat. If they did, so be it.''
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -Bill Parcells' friends saw the warning signs last week. The way he looked during and after the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the New York Giants left them worried about his health and happiness.
Some called. Others sent e-mails.
Jim Burt showed up.
Burt, the nose tackle on Parcells' 1986 Super Bowl champion team with the Giants and still a close friend, flew to Carolina for the Cowboys' game against the Panthers on Sunday night and delivered a message on behalf of everyone who cares about the coach.
``He said, `It was time,''' Parcells said. ``We all know what that means in that group of guys that were together. You've got to show you're going to be there for somebody and that's a nice thing.''
With Burt on the sideline and his team under orders to have fun, the Cowboys not only beat the Panthers 35-14, they did so in a way that gives Parcells hope for the rest of this season.
Dallas (4-3) trailed 14-0 at halftime, but quarterback Tony Romo led a comeback that included a 25-point fourth quarter. That was the most fourth-quarter points in team history, quite a feat for Romo in his debut as the starter. The defense had a solid game, too, limiting Carolina to 204 yards and none of the big plays that had been dooming the Cowboys.
``We went into the season with a lot of high expectations and we really weren't living up to them. We're still not there yet, but we hope that tonight will (help),'' said Romo, who completed 24 of 36 passes for 270 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Once victory seemed certain, Parcells let loose on the sideline. He kissed several players and patted Terrell Owens on the cheek.
``I'd take all the crap I took in this business twice a day for about two years to feel just like I did last night once,'' Parcells said. ``It's a great feeling to see your team go like that.''
The thrill continued afterward, too.
Parcells had a 15-minute phone call with Tony LaRussa while on the team plane, and on Monday morning he heard from New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, a Dallas assistant the previous three years. Parcells received more e-mails from friends, and was especially appreciative of a ``nice, long'' one from a former player he hadn't heard from in more than a year.
``It's one of the gratifying things you have about this profession,'' Parcells said.
The outpouring of emotion might seem a bit much for an October game, but - to Parcells, at least - the season might have been riding on it. The win doesn't help as much as a loss would've been a huge setback for their playoff hopes.
The Cowboys went to Carolina having lost to three good teams and beaten three bad ones. The one that drained Parcells was the loss to the Giants, at home in front of a national television audience.
With a chance to take over first place in the division, Dallas got behind early and never fully recovered. Every time the Cowboys started to make a move, they followed it with a huge mistake. As the failed rallies built up, so did Parcells' blood pressure.
``I was ashamed of the product,'' he said Monday.
Earlier in his career, Parcells might have vented his anger by ranting and raving. Experience taught him to hold back.
``You just don't want to do damage when you know the sensitivity level is the highest,'' he said. ``I kind of have to be careful with my mouth because I can be a little sarcastic. I'm working on trying to improve that, though. And I think I am making progress, I really do, after a few years.''
He finally let the team know how he felt Saturday night. He told them he wasn't having any fun, adding, ``this job is not worth doing if you are not having at least a little bit of fun.''
Asked Monday whether he considered giving up the job because it was no fun, Parcells described such thoughts as a hazard of the profession, saying all 16 coaches who lose each week wonder ``What am I doing this for?''
``This can be a very tedious, tedious endeavor,'' he later said.
Now Parcells is waiting to see whether the performance against Carolina was just one great game or the start of something big. He used metaphors from two other sports to convey that message.
``You know, anyone can land a lucky punch,'' Parcells said. ``Or, every once in a while, you're standing up there at the plate and they hit your bat. You're swinging, but they hit your bat. You didn't really hit the ball.
``I don't know. I won't call it a lucky punch and I don't think they hit the bat. If they did, so be it.''
posted by The Gryphon at 9:17 PM
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