Parcells Steps Down As Cowboys Coach
Publication Source Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)
Publication Date 2007-01-22
IRVING, Texas _ The familiar beige Lincoln Towne car still sits in the same parking spot at Valley Ranch.
And if you didn't know it, Bill Parcells was still working on the off-season plans for the Dallas Cowboys inside his office. But he obviously isn't. More likely, he's cleaning out some of the superstitious elephants in his office.
The 65-year-old coach is retiring.
In a move only a few predicted, Parcells' decision to leave the Cowboys and the NFL caught most people by surprise.
"Shocked," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "We talked two Fridays ago and I asked Bill, `Do you want my opinion?' He said, `Sure.' I told him, `Bill, you put all these guys together and I'm sure you're not going to let another guy come in here and be so successful with your guys.'
"He said, `You're right.' Then he said, `There are other things. I'm getting too old. I don't want to be a guy that the game past him by.' "
A coaching search has begun. Current Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner have already expressed interest in the job.
Parcells leaves with one year remaining on his contract worth an approximate $5.5 million. NFL sources said Parcells did not receive any of that money to leave.
He also leaves the Cowboys with an incomplete ending. In four seasons with the Cowboys, he compiled a 34-30 record during the regular season. Under Parcells, there were no division titles. No home playoff games. And they were 0-2 in the postseason.
But there was some thought that given the events over the past two weeks Parcells would return for a fifth season. He had been at work every day. There was a tentative plan to travel to the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. He was unhappy when the Seattle Seahawks were granted permission to talk to special teams coach Bruce DeHaven without his knowledge.
"I was (at Valley Ranch) every day getting treatment on my shoulder and I saw him every day. I figured his intentions were to come back," linebacker Ryan Fowler said. "I think that may have been the case but then at the last minute he changed his mind."
There was rampant speculation in the past two days that Parcells was working on a contract extension. But as recently as last month Parcells was telling friends that he had no interest in working beyond 2007.
He had made no secret that at age 65, he was feeling his age. That he desired to spend more time with his grandchildren. And although he rarely spoke of it, Parcells obviously didn't want to coach receiver Terrell Owens another day, let alone another season.
"I would say it made Bill think a little bit more. He struggled and going back and forth with it," James said. "I'll say this: I think it played a part. But to be honest, I don't know. Yeah, T.O. brought a lot of media attention, but he (played hard) on the field. Nobody was really surprised by some of the things that happened."
Said Panthers receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who played for Parcells both with the Jets and Cowboys, "Maybe if he stayed one more year they might get there. They were close. I'm sure it wasn't easy dealing with the other guy (Owens)."
Assuming the Dallas Cowboys are the final team Parcells coaches, he leaves behind a legacy of two Super Bowl wins, and having turned around four franchises. But his final seasons, and specifically with the Cowboys, never measured to the start. He hadn't won a playoff game since 1998.
He finishes with a 183-138-1 record in 19 NFL seasons.
"I think turning teams around and making them competitive _ that was his greatest impact on this game," Johnson said. "I don't think the Giants were that good when he went there. He took them to the Super Bowl. Same thing with the Patriots. He turned around the Jets. He turned around the Cowboys. He leaves a team that to me it seems like can compete next year. That's how I view it."
Publication Date 2007-01-22
IRVING, Texas _ The familiar beige Lincoln Towne car still sits in the same parking spot at Valley Ranch.
And if you didn't know it, Bill Parcells was still working on the off-season plans for the Dallas Cowboys inside his office. But he obviously isn't. More likely, he's cleaning out some of the superstitious elephants in his office.
The 65-year-old coach is retiring.
In a move only a few predicted, Parcells' decision to leave the Cowboys and the NFL caught most people by surprise.
"Shocked," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "We talked two Fridays ago and I asked Bill, `Do you want my opinion?' He said, `Sure.' I told him, `Bill, you put all these guys together and I'm sure you're not going to let another guy come in here and be so successful with your guys.'
"He said, `You're right.' Then he said, `There are other things. I'm getting too old. I don't want to be a guy that the game past him by.' "
A coaching search has begun. Current Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner have already expressed interest in the job.
Parcells leaves with one year remaining on his contract worth an approximate $5.5 million. NFL sources said Parcells did not receive any of that money to leave.
He also leaves the Cowboys with an incomplete ending. In four seasons with the Cowboys, he compiled a 34-30 record during the regular season. Under Parcells, there were no division titles. No home playoff games. And they were 0-2 in the postseason.
But there was some thought that given the events over the past two weeks Parcells would return for a fifth season. He had been at work every day. There was a tentative plan to travel to the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. He was unhappy when the Seattle Seahawks were granted permission to talk to special teams coach Bruce DeHaven without his knowledge.
"I was (at Valley Ranch) every day getting treatment on my shoulder and I saw him every day. I figured his intentions were to come back," linebacker Ryan Fowler said. "I think that may have been the case but then at the last minute he changed his mind."
There was rampant speculation in the past two days that Parcells was working on a contract extension. But as recently as last month Parcells was telling friends that he had no interest in working beyond 2007.
He had made no secret that at age 65, he was feeling his age. That he desired to spend more time with his grandchildren. And although he rarely spoke of it, Parcells obviously didn't want to coach receiver Terrell Owens another day, let alone another season.
"I would say it made Bill think a little bit more. He struggled and going back and forth with it," James said. "I'll say this: I think it played a part. But to be honest, I don't know. Yeah, T.O. brought a lot of media attention, but he (played hard) on the field. Nobody was really surprised by some of the things that happened."
Said Panthers receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who played for Parcells both with the Jets and Cowboys, "Maybe if he stayed one more year they might get there. They were close. I'm sure it wasn't easy dealing with the other guy (Owens)."
Assuming the Dallas Cowboys are the final team Parcells coaches, he leaves behind a legacy of two Super Bowl wins, and having turned around four franchises. But his final seasons, and specifically with the Cowboys, never measured to the start. He hadn't won a playoff game since 1998.
He finishes with a 183-138-1 record in 19 NFL seasons.
"I think turning teams around and making them competitive _ that was his greatest impact on this game," Johnson said. "I don't think the Giants were that good when he went there. He took them to the Super Bowl. Same thing with the Patriots. He turned around the Jets. He turned around the Cowboys. He leaves a team that to me it seems like can compete next year. That's how I view it."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:08 PM
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