Parcells Obviously Content With Decision
Mickey Spagnola
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
January 24, 2007 7:43 PM
IRVING, Texas - Bill Parcells has checked out of coaching, but he hasn't left the building.
He's still here at The Ranch. Arrives first thing in the morning - "6 in the morning" the other day, he said, and stays until 5, and sometimes later. Says he might be here until next Friday, unless a new head coach is ready to move into his office sooner, but that he won't pull out any later than that.
And when he stuck his head in the doorway to our office late Wednesday afternoon, the 65-year-old former Dallas Cowboys head coach looked like a man who just had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders. Totally revitalized from a grueling 9-7 season that ended about as harshly as a season can end, with the snap for the potential game-winning field goal in the final minutes of the Cowboys' first-round playoff game slipping out of holder Tony Romo's hands to solidify Seattle's 21-20 victory.
Big smile. Chatty. Funny. Shooting the boxing breeze. All the signs of a happy camper heading into retirement after grinding away for two weeks trying to make that decision to step away from coaching one more time, although this time considering his age, seemingly for good.
"It's mental, it's just mentally," Parcells said when asked why he decided to end his four-year stay in Dallas with still another year on his contract and owner Jerry Jones very much in favor of him returning. "It's not physical."
Basically, what Parcells is saying - I'm burned out.
"When you know you don't want to invest the time again (to do the job), then you know you know it's time," he said.
Parcells purposely gave himself ample opportunity to convince himself he had at least one more year left in him. In fact, he gave himself 16 days to talk himself into taking on a 20th season as an NFL head coach.
But when it came time to start that 12-month process, to jump in a plane with Jones and head to Mobile, Ala., for the start of the Senior Bowl practices on Monday, he said he just couldn't come to grips with going through the entire process again.
"That's right," he said when the scenario was laid out for him. "Just couldn't do it."
So he spends his days here at The Ranch, tying up loose ends, networking around the league to find his assistant coaches job opportunities, making moving plans and Wednesday even helping Jones with the Jason Garrett interview process - the former Cowboys backup quarterback here interviewing for at least the offensive coordinator's job.
Parcells said he is managing three houses at the moment, trying to move out of his high-rise condo here, sending all his stuff and reopening the home he built in Saratoga, N.Y., and also preparing to head to his home in Florida, where he plans on spending spring training with his buddy Tony LaRussa at the St. Louis Cardinals camp.
"I told him I want the job of picking up the phone in the dugout and calling down to the bullpen to get the lefty ready," he said with a huge smile, almost with kid-like giddy anticipation of doing something he's always wanted to do but couldn't for an extended period of time because of a head coaching job hovering overhead.
Parcells spent a good part of Wednesday talking with Garrett, who arrived here at The Ranch early in the morning. Garrett talked with Jerry and Stephen Jones, then spent a few hours talking with Parcells, broke for lunch and returned late in the afternoon to continue the interview process into the night. The 40-year-old Garrett has until the end of the day Thursday to let the Dolphins know if he will accept a contract extension being added to the one year remaining as quarterbacks coach.
Parcells also said his office phone has been ringing off the hook, and that several of his players have stopped by his office to chat, which appeared to really make him feel good about his four-year experience with the Cowboys.
Funny thing this unemployment, er, in his case, retirement: You suddenly have time for small talk.
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
January 24, 2007 7:43 PM
IRVING, Texas - Bill Parcells has checked out of coaching, but he hasn't left the building.
He's still here at The Ranch. Arrives first thing in the morning - "6 in the morning" the other day, he said, and stays until 5, and sometimes later. Says he might be here until next Friday, unless a new head coach is ready to move into his office sooner, but that he won't pull out any later than that.
And when he stuck his head in the doorway to our office late Wednesday afternoon, the 65-year-old former Dallas Cowboys head coach looked like a man who just had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders. Totally revitalized from a grueling 9-7 season that ended about as harshly as a season can end, with the snap for the potential game-winning field goal in the final minutes of the Cowboys' first-round playoff game slipping out of holder Tony Romo's hands to solidify Seattle's 21-20 victory.
Big smile. Chatty. Funny. Shooting the boxing breeze. All the signs of a happy camper heading into retirement after grinding away for two weeks trying to make that decision to step away from coaching one more time, although this time considering his age, seemingly for good.
"It's mental, it's just mentally," Parcells said when asked why he decided to end his four-year stay in Dallas with still another year on his contract and owner Jerry Jones very much in favor of him returning. "It's not physical."
Basically, what Parcells is saying - I'm burned out.
"When you know you don't want to invest the time again (to do the job), then you know you know it's time," he said.
Parcells purposely gave himself ample opportunity to convince himself he had at least one more year left in him. In fact, he gave himself 16 days to talk himself into taking on a 20th season as an NFL head coach.
But when it came time to start that 12-month process, to jump in a plane with Jones and head to Mobile, Ala., for the start of the Senior Bowl practices on Monday, he said he just couldn't come to grips with going through the entire process again.
"That's right," he said when the scenario was laid out for him. "Just couldn't do it."
So he spends his days here at The Ranch, tying up loose ends, networking around the league to find his assistant coaches job opportunities, making moving plans and Wednesday even helping Jones with the Jason Garrett interview process - the former Cowboys backup quarterback here interviewing for at least the offensive coordinator's job.
Parcells said he is managing three houses at the moment, trying to move out of his high-rise condo here, sending all his stuff and reopening the home he built in Saratoga, N.Y., and also preparing to head to his home in Florida, where he plans on spending spring training with his buddy Tony LaRussa at the St. Louis Cardinals camp.
"I told him I want the job of picking up the phone in the dugout and calling down to the bullpen to get the lefty ready," he said with a huge smile, almost with kid-like giddy anticipation of doing something he's always wanted to do but couldn't for an extended period of time because of a head coaching job hovering overhead.
Parcells spent a good part of Wednesday talking with Garrett, who arrived here at The Ranch early in the morning. Garrett talked with Jerry and Stephen Jones, then spent a few hours talking with Parcells, broke for lunch and returned late in the afternoon to continue the interview process into the night. The 40-year-old Garrett has until the end of the day Thursday to let the Dolphins know if he will accept a contract extension being added to the one year remaining as quarterbacks coach.
Parcells also said his office phone has been ringing off the hook, and that several of his players have stopped by his office to chat, which appeared to really make him feel good about his four-year experience with the Cowboys.
Funny thing this unemployment, er, in his case, retirement: You suddenly have time for small talk.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:33 PM
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