Bill gives Cowboys a Shock
Focuses on tight end's loose lips
BY OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
IRVING, Tex. - Jeremy Shockey's mouth has apparently fired up another old, grumpy head coach in Bill Parcells and added spice to Sunday's pivotal NFC East showdown between the Giants and Cowboys. Not that it needed any.
Shockey told ESPN's Ed Werder last week that if the Giants play their game, the Cowboys have no "chance in hell" of beating them at Giants Stadium.
According to Cowboys players, Parcells told them of Shockey's statement after they demolished Tampa Bay, 38-10, on Thanksgiving.
"We are not worried about anyone else," Shockey had said when asked if he was concerned about the Cowboys and Giants going in opposite directions last week following the Giants' 26-10 loss to the Jaguars. "No one's beat us. We only beat ourselves. And that is what we feel like in this locker room. No one is capable of hanging around when we play our game. People seen that when we played the Cowboys the first time. There is no way they have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football. And that is the truth. No other team in this league."
While Parcells downplayed Shockey's statement yesterday, saying he still doesn't know exactly what the Giants' controversial tight end said, a Dallas source said the Cowboys had a copy of Shockey's comments.
Parcells clearly will use any added motivation to fire up the Cowboys in a rematch that could decide the NFC East.
"Look it, these kids nowadays, you can't tell what they are going to say," Parcells said after Cowboys practice yesterday. "I heard about it second- and third-hand so I don't even know really what it is yet exactly. Actually, what would talk have to do with the outcome of this game? You don't know and neither does anyone else."
"I'm not that concerned," Parcells added of Shockey's statement. "Why would I think that is important?"
The Dallas media, however, have brought it up several times because Parcells said after the Cowboys' rout of Tampa Bay that he was "aware of it." And Cowboys players said Parcells brought it to their attention, too. The comments were broadcasted on ESPN radio (KESN) in Dallas repeatedly last week.
"Oh," linebacker Bradie James told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. "That is what Bill was talking about."
This is not the first time Shockey and Parcells have been linked over something the tight end said. Three years ago, Shockey was quoted in a magazine calling Parcells a "homo." Shockey insisted he was misquoted.
Parcells said he has bigger things than Shockey's mouth to worry about. Even though the slumping Giants are in the midst of a three-game tailspin, Parcells said he remembers only the more confident and healthier Giants team that spanked the Cowboys, 36-22, in Dallas on Oct. 23.
"They beat us 36-22 down here," Parcells said. "That is all I need to know. Unless we play a lot better than we played down here, we wouldn't have any reason to expect to beat them up there. We got to play a lot better than we did down here.
"They still got a reasonably good record and they are a threat and our most immediate competition," he added. "We are going to have to be ready to play well or we won't win."
The Cowboys (7-4) are looking for revenge after their Monday night debacle against the Giants (6-5) and to create separation in the standings between the two division rivals. Meanwhile, the Giants are just desperately trying to get their act together after pointing fingers at one another and suffering injury after injury.
"I don't know what is going on there," Parcells said when asked about Tom Coughlin being criticized by his own players Tiki Barber and Shockey. "I don't really have any idea. I do know him but I haven't been talking to him recently so I don't really know what is going on there."
Parcells says he doesn't know all about the turmoil that surrounds Big Blue and his old Giants assistant coach. But he seems to know just enough about Shockey.
KICKED OUT: Parcells said he cut Mike Vanderjagt on Monday because the kicker's struggles were affecting the way he was coaching games. Vanderjagt, who signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal with $2.5 million signing bonus last summer, went 13-for-18 this season. "The last four or five weeks, he was hitting the ball to the point where it was making us play the game a little differently," said Parcells, who signed Martin Gramatica.
BY OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
IRVING, Tex. - Jeremy Shockey's mouth has apparently fired up another old, grumpy head coach in Bill Parcells and added spice to Sunday's pivotal NFC East showdown between the Giants and Cowboys. Not that it needed any.
Shockey told ESPN's Ed Werder last week that if the Giants play their game, the Cowboys have no "chance in hell" of beating them at Giants Stadium.
According to Cowboys players, Parcells told them of Shockey's statement after they demolished Tampa Bay, 38-10, on Thanksgiving.
"We are not worried about anyone else," Shockey had said when asked if he was concerned about the Cowboys and Giants going in opposite directions last week following the Giants' 26-10 loss to the Jaguars. "No one's beat us. We only beat ourselves. And that is what we feel like in this locker room. No one is capable of hanging around when we play our game. People seen that when we played the Cowboys the first time. There is no way they have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football. And that is the truth. No other team in this league."
While Parcells downplayed Shockey's statement yesterday, saying he still doesn't know exactly what the Giants' controversial tight end said, a Dallas source said the Cowboys had a copy of Shockey's comments.
Parcells clearly will use any added motivation to fire up the Cowboys in a rematch that could decide the NFC East.
"Look it, these kids nowadays, you can't tell what they are going to say," Parcells said after Cowboys practice yesterday. "I heard about it second- and third-hand so I don't even know really what it is yet exactly. Actually, what would talk have to do with the outcome of this game? You don't know and neither does anyone else."
"I'm not that concerned," Parcells added of Shockey's statement. "Why would I think that is important?"
The Dallas media, however, have brought it up several times because Parcells said after the Cowboys' rout of Tampa Bay that he was "aware of it." And Cowboys players said Parcells brought it to their attention, too. The comments were broadcasted on ESPN radio (KESN) in Dallas repeatedly last week.
"Oh," linebacker Bradie James told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. "That is what Bill was talking about."
This is not the first time Shockey and Parcells have been linked over something the tight end said. Three years ago, Shockey was quoted in a magazine calling Parcells a "homo." Shockey insisted he was misquoted.
Parcells said he has bigger things than Shockey's mouth to worry about. Even though the slumping Giants are in the midst of a three-game tailspin, Parcells said he remembers only the more confident and healthier Giants team that spanked the Cowboys, 36-22, in Dallas on Oct. 23.
"They beat us 36-22 down here," Parcells said. "That is all I need to know. Unless we play a lot better than we played down here, we wouldn't have any reason to expect to beat them up there. We got to play a lot better than we did down here.
"They still got a reasonably good record and they are a threat and our most immediate competition," he added. "We are going to have to be ready to play well or we won't win."
The Cowboys (7-4) are looking for revenge after their Monday night debacle against the Giants (6-5) and to create separation in the standings between the two division rivals. Meanwhile, the Giants are just desperately trying to get their act together after pointing fingers at one another and suffering injury after injury.
"I don't know what is going on there," Parcells said when asked about Tom Coughlin being criticized by his own players Tiki Barber and Shockey. "I don't really have any idea. I do know him but I haven't been talking to him recently so I don't really know what is going on there."
Parcells says he doesn't know all about the turmoil that surrounds Big Blue and his old Giants assistant coach. But he seems to know just enough about Shockey.
KICKED OUT: Parcells said he cut Mike Vanderjagt on Monday because the kicker's struggles were affecting the way he was coaching games. Vanderjagt, who signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal with $2.5 million signing bonus last summer, went 13-for-18 this season. "The last four or five weeks, he was hitting the ball to the point where it was making us play the game a little differently," said Parcells, who signed Martin Gramatica.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:59 PM
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