January 2007 - Posts
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 So Cowboys owner Jerry Jones basically called a timeout in his search for a head coach, ostensibly to allow everyone to enjoy the final days of Super Bowl week, leading up to Sunday’s game here in Miami. Sounds also like Jones has some unfinished business, maybe wanting to interview Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera before making up his mind. Now reports would not be far-fetched that leading candidate Norv Turner is pushing for Jones to hire Rivera as the team’s defensive coordinator. Remember, Norv would know a lot about Rivera, who apparently is in the final year of his contract with the Bears. His brother Ron is the Bears’ offensive coordinator, right? Now that right there would be a coup.
And I would say you should applaud Jones for this: “I feel very comfortable with where we are. But if I can, I don’t want to leave a stone unturned here.” What’s the rush? No one else is looking for a head coach, so it’s not like Jones waiting to decide next week will lose any of these candidates he’s already interviewed. Plus, this is a highly delicate decision, and just remember when formulating your opinion on who the guy should be, remember, he needs to hire a guy who can sustain what the Cowboys have going, not turn it around. So still to me, that means someone with experience, not a head coach in training.
To experience the local culture down here, we ventured into Little Havana last night for a meal at Versailles, one of the city’s more renowned Cuban restaurants. (Think Paella and Sangria.) The place is the noted hangout for the older Cuban gentlemen in town who can been seen in the daytime on the corner of the parking lot playing dominos and such. Well they were out in force last night, since three local TV stations were doing live shots for the 11 p.m. news on reaction to if Fidel Castro, apparently gravely ill, should die. Get the feeling out with so many Cuban refugees in the city, there would be a wild celebration.
Chicago running back Thomas Jones, brother of Julius, spoke at length on Wednesday about his mom, Betty, who worked for 20 years in a coal mine in his hometown of Big Stone Gap, Va. Talked about how she worked the “hoot-owl shift,” which means toiling down under from midnight to 8 a.m. The irony, he pointed out, is that they make a living going into a hole. “We go into holes,” he said of he and his mom. “She goes into a hole that is dangerous and I go into a hole that is dangerous.” Good news is, though, once Thomas Jones became the first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals back in 2000, he made Betty Jones quit working in the coal mine, also relieving himself of that constant fear of one day your mom going in but never coming out.
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Evidently the Cowboys must really value Tony Sparano, because this is the second straight off-season they have stepped in his way to prevent him from going elsewhere. Remember, last year the Cowboys denied Sean Payton permission to bring him to New Orleans as offensive coordinator. And they have denied him permission in a couple of instances just recently, including going to Cleveland as offensive line coach.
Cowboys passing-game coordinator/wide receivers coach Todd Haley might be the most relieved person in this whole ordeal, heading to Arizona as offensive coordinator and not having to deal with the headache known as Terrell Owens.
Funny scene in the hallway at The Ranch today when a couple of us were shooting the breeze with Bill Parcells – you know, he has time for that these days, being retired and all. Someone walked by and said, “Good morning, coach.” And Bill, with a big, playful smile, said, “That’s an obsolete term.” Too bad he couldn’t have been this relaxed when he had the job.
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There has been much speculation that if San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is hired as the head coach then Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will lure Jason Garrett back to Dallas as the offensive coordinator. Well, after standing in Garrett’s way from interviewing for other jobs since he has one year left on his contract as the Miami quarterbacks coach, the Dolphins just gave him permission to interview with the Cowboys, and the team’s former backup quarterback was expected to be on his way to Dallas on Wednesday to talk with Jones. The Dolphins, who just received permission to talk with Cincinnati’s Ken Zampese about their offensive coordinator’s job, have given the Cowboys a 24-hour window to make a decision on Garrett. Garrett’s hat in the ring strongly suggests Jones will go with either Phillips or possibly Norv Turner as head coach.
Early reports suggesting Phillips just might be at the top of Jones’ list of potential head coaching candidates just might be accurate. Sources tell me Phillips will be interviewed, and it’s being reported that the Cowboys already have called the Chargers asking permission. Wouldn’t that be something if seventh head coach in club history also was a Texas native, following in the footsteps of Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson.
Just so you know, Bill Parcells, the day after submitting his resignation, put in yet another eight-hour day, arriving here at The Ranch at least before 9 a.m., and staying to around 5 p.m.
Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley is in line to follow Ken Whisenhunt to Arizona for a similar position. But he’s still under contract with the Cowboys, and until a head coach is hired and his fate is decided here, he’s unlikely to have to freedom to leave.
Boy, I’m guessing it’s a good thing Chicago’s Tank Johnson, arrested now three times in the past 18 months, was awaiting trial on gun possession charges in Chicago, and not, say, Indianapolis. Think the judge there would have granted him permission to leave the state to work at the Super Bowl as the judge did in Chicago on Tuesday?
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Yeah, yeah, I know what you all want. You want to know who the next head coach is going to be. Well, if you have listened to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, then you can probably rule out any college head coach lacking NFL experience. That probably means no Bob Stoops, no Tommy Tuberville, no Houston Nutt, no Les Myles, no Mack Brown. Jones thinks the learning curve is not conducive to picking up where Parcells has left off.
Here is an intriguing name to keep in mind: Dan Reeves. Yes, the former Cowboys running back, assistant coach and head coach in Denver, New York and Atlanta is genuinely interested in the job, and has expressed that interest to those close to him. OK, he just turned 63, but Reeves has a successful track record working with young quarterbacks, and only ran into problems in his last gig, Atlanta, when Michael Vick missed the first 11 games of the season with a broken leg. The year before, in just Vick’s second season (2002), he had the Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, losing at Philly 20-6.
As for some former NFL head coaches out there who might be possibilities, consider Mike Sherman, recently named the offensive coordinator in Houston; Steve Mariucci, working at NFL Network; Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator in San Diego; former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner; and maybe even former Cowboys assistant Jim Bates, a one-time interim head coach in Miami (2004) recently hired by Denver as assistant head coach. As for some of the guys considered top assistants in waiting of head coach jobs, that would include Rex and Rob Ryan – Buddy’s boys – Indy quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, former Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis recently hired in Carolina, Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith, Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Chew on those for a while.
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All signs are pointing toward Bill Parcells returning for at least the 2007 season as the Dallas Cowboys head coach.
Parcells put in a full day of work on Friday, not leaving until 5:15 p.m., though telling me “I’ve got nothing to say,” as he was walking out the door.
Parcells came to work on Wednesday, the day The Ranch was basically closed down in the morning thanks to an ice storm.
Parcells came to work on Monday, which technically was a holiday at The Ranch, celebrating Martin Luther King Day.
In fact, Parcells has been to work every week day since the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs by Seattle, 21-20, back on Jan. 6.
And guess what, not only did Parcells spend part of the day on Saturday at The Ranch, presumably in his office working, he is also scheduled to head to Mobile, Ala., on Monday for the start of the Senior Bowl week of practices.
Does this sound like a guy who doesn’t want to work anymore?
Does this sound like a guy who is holding owner Jerry Jones hostage, taking his ever-lovin’ time to make a decision on if he will return?
Does this sound like a guy who is wondering if he has enough energy to coach another year?
Please.
If you made me bet my paycheck, then I’m putting my money on Parcells returning for at least the 2007 season. And notice, I said at least the 2007 season. Who knows, maybe more.
Here is what I think is going on. First, there’s probably some sort of business decision taking place between Parcells and Jones – adding years to his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the 2007 season. No one wants a lame-duck coach, someone working in the final year of his contract.
Secondly, I’m guessing Parcells is secretly working on repairing his staff, and likely could continue doing so this coming week at the Senior Bowl, which for out-of-work coaches is basically an NFL job fair.
And as for why he would not have stopped defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, special teams coach Bruce DeHaven and offensive quality control coach David Lee from taking other jobs, it’s not beyond Parcells to allow attrition to run its course so he can shake up his staff. Sometimes a new voice is a good thing.
That’s my guess, but may I point out, it’s a pretty educated one, wouldn’t you say?
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OK, Friday was my day, my best guess-timation for Bill Parcells to tell us if he’s staying or if he’s going. Well, Friday is here. We’ll see. But from the sounds of things, sure seems as if we’re in the same boat we were in last year, waiting for Parcells and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to come together on a one-year extension, which would give Parcells a two-year deal. As I’ve been saying, it’s just hard from a perception standpoint to have a lame-duck coach.
In the interim, the Cowboys have lost another good hand, David Lee heading back to Arkansas to become the offensive coordinator. Do not let his title of offensive quality control minimize his value to the team. Lee worked extensively with the team’s young quarterbacks, and especially with Tony Romo, who must think the long-time college quarterback coach and offensive coordinator knows something. Romo is thanking Lee for all his work by taking him to the Pro Bowl as his guest.
See where the Seahawks thought enough of what Pete Hunter did in the two playoffs games to offer him a contract for next season. This after the guy hadn’t played all year. He’s got one more shot to prolong his career, and I’m guessing those border patrol guys for the Immigrations services don’t make like $500,000 a year.
OK, the Saints have reeled me in: Saints 27, Bears 20, becoming the third road team in the last eight years to win the NFC title on the road. The other two? Why, Carolina in 2003 and Tampa Bay in 2002, both winning at Philadelphia. And, while this might be a no-no, picking against the Patriots and Tom Brady, give me the Colts, 26-17. And if I’m right, what a Super Bowl, Peyton Manning playing his hometown Saints, whom his daddy spent his best years with in the NFL. Come on, who wants a Bears-Patriots sequel (Super Bowl XX)?
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My, how time flies. You think there has been a playoff drought around here, the Cowboys not having won a playoff game since 1996, the 10 years the longest drought in club history. How ‘bout da Bears? Sunday’s 27-24 overtime victory over Seattle was their first playoff win since the 1994 season, and they will be playing in their first NFC title game since following the 1988 season.
Now wouldn’t this be something, a Miami-Alabama swap? And I mean Miami Dolphins, not University of Miami, since sources are claiming the Dolphins have interviewed deposed Crimson Tide head coach Mike Shula for the head coaching job vacated by Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins to replace Shula at Alabama. Go figure.
Sure thought former Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey had found his Shangri-la at Georgia Tech. In other words, coaching in college. But here we find out he’s a finalist for the Dolphins head coaching job.
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This might be the jinx of all jinxes, but this just has to be the year for Michael Irvin to get selected for Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Doesn’t it? I mean, other than former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, is there another slam-dunk candidate among the other 15 finalist candidates? There are none of those first-time eligible quarterbacks nor any other Cowboys to dilute the voting.
Here is a good one from Elias, those stats people. No NFL quarterback, in his first season as a starter, has won his first postseason start while playing on the road since 1979, when the Rams’ Vince Ferragamo and Houston Oilers’ Gifford Nielsen did so on consecutive days. Boy, Tony Romo really was fighting some long odds in Seattle.
Or how ‘bout this one from the same folks: Walt Anderson, the referee in the Cowboys-Seahawks game whose replay review turned a touchdown into a safety and a first down into a fourth down, had overturned the on-field call on nine of 14 challenges by coaches this season. That 64-percent rate was the highest of any of the NFL referees on 2006.
Hear former Cowboys backup quarterback Jason Garrett is a leading candidate to become the offensive coordinator at Alabama, where his Miami head coach Nick Saban just landed, but also at LSU, where former Cowboys assistant Les Miles is the head coach. . . . The Cowboys no longer have a shot at hiring former assistant Jim Bates as defensive coordinator since Mike Shanahan has already hired him as assistant head coach/defense in Denver . . . The Saints once again have signed former Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff for kickoffs Saturday night.
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While Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is heading to Atlanta to handle the same duties for newly-hired head coach Bobby Petrino, a former Cowboys assistant is heading out of town. As was the case with the majority of Jim Mora Jr.’s Falcons staff, assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman, after just one season there, is looking for work again.
Cowboys punter Mat McBriar was voted to the AP All-Pro second team. Second? Yeah, behind Buffalo’s Brian Moorman, even though McBriar averaged 5 yards more a punt. Maybe voters just figured Moorman worked harder than McBriar. You realize Moorman (92) had 36 more punts than McBriar (56)? Moorman’s net was only .6 better than McBriar, and when you are punting for the 30th-ranked offense, chances are you have more chances from further away to pin the ball inside the 20.
Sure don’t like the looks of things, Cowboys guard Marco Rivera undergoing his second back surgery in as many years to repair a ruptured disk. He was pretty stiff as it was following the first in 2005, and while his flexibility improved this season, another such surgery just might do in the soon-to-be 35-year-old guard. Cowboys might better hope Cory Procter is as good as Bill Parcells has touted.
One more quick note on the apparent slickness of those kicking balls in Seattle. Evidently, several of the allotted number of kicking balls were lost, since a couple kicks cleared the retaining net. Possibly further proof that was a brand-spanking new ball slipping through Tony Romo’s grasp. Ahhhhh.
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There seems to be a lot of questions about a lot of things today, along with a lot of second guessing, but one of the biggest questions marks seems to be the play from the Dallas 2-yard line that ended up a safety, and then a Seattle touchdown on the ensuing possession for an eight-point turnaround. Just like that, the Seahawks wiped out a 20-13 deficit to take a 21-20 lead in just more than two minutes.
As you probably bitterly remember, Terry Glenn caught basically a quick out, was inadvertently stripped by Seattle’s Kelly Jennings who was just trying to make a tackle on the off-balanced Dallas receiver and the ball bounded backward like a hot potato. The ruling on the field was a Seattle touchdown, the officials saying Michael Boulware recovered the ball in the end zone.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells challenged the call, insisting the ball went out of bounds in the end zone without Seattle ever gaining possession, which would have meant a safety. That’s exactly what referee Walt Anderson ruled upon further review.
But many of you have contended Glenn never really had possession of the ball, that the ball really hit the ground while in his grasp and was dislodged, meaning it should have been incompletion. So the question has been: Did Parcells challenge the wrong part of the play or does Anderson review the entire play for any discrepancies from what was ruled on the field?
So I put the question to Greg Aiello, the NFL’s vice president of public relations, and in an e-mail he said the answer is this:
“Yes, the referee can look at the entire play during a replay review, and in fact that is what Walt Anderson did, and determined that it was a catch because Glenn maintained possession when the ball touched the ground. By rule, that is possession and a legal catch.”
So just know all angles of the play were at least reviewed, regardless if you agree with the assessment.
Now some food for thought: The Cowboys in the end would have been better off if they had never challenged the ruling or if Anderson had decided “the ruling on the field stands.” That way Seattle would only have scored seven points to tie the game, not the eventual eight following the missed two-point conversion to take a one-point lead . . . .
That proved to be the difference in the game.
Sometimes you just can’t win.
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So I’m guessing everyone wants to know why the Cowboys weren’t able to exploit the Seahawks’ two backup corners having to start for the injured Marcus Trufant and Kelly Herndon. Well, the Seahawks played their safeties over the top, doubling both Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, forcing Tony Romo to look elsewhere on his reads. But doing that left the middle of the field open, and why the Cowboys were getting the ball to Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton. Also why there was running room for Julius Jones (112) yards. But, their gamble paid off, holding the Cowboys to just 20 points – Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn to six combined catches – and other than the kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half, just three points the final two quarters.
I’m thinking after this game, a whole bunch of you just might be rethinking your opinions of first-round draft choice Bobby Carpenter. Making his second start of the season, Carpenter, playing outside linebacker, and even at times switching sides with DeMarcus Ware so the team’s sack leader could get away from Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones, finished with five tackles, one quarterback hurry and three huge passes broken up. The kid really is athletic.
Romo started slowly, having problems with low throws, and until the 76-yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead, he had completed just 4 of 12 passes for 49 yards in the first 24 minutes, 46 seconds of the game. But on that touchdown drive, Romo went 5-for-6 for 78 yards, including the 13-yard scoring strike to Patrick Crayton. In the second half, Romo completed 8 of 11 passes for 72 yards. Too bad the 73rd was taken away from him. But darn, if it wasn’t another low throw on that out to Glenn which caused his wide receiver to catch the ball off balance, leaving him susceptible to getting stripped, fumbling the ball out of the end zone for at safety.
Romo was hard on himself, not offering an excuse for the dropped snap on the field-goal attempt. But those K-balls (kicking balls) are brand new, extremely hard punter Mat McBriar pointed out, and can be slick, especially since they rotate four of them just for kicks. I know, excuses, excuses.
Think those Seahawks weren’t watching tape of the Cowboys’ previous problems covering running backs out in the flats? On the first play of the game, the lined up the speedy Seneca Wallace, the team’s backup quarterback, in the backfield, and threw him a swing pass Carpenter stopped for a 6-yard gain. Then on second down, Matt Hasselbeck threw an out in the flat intended for Shaun Alexander, who had caught just 12 passes all season. Carpenter took care of that, too, batting the pass away in coverage. Guess ol’ Jon Kitna must have given the Seahawks a call or they listened to his radio interview last week with a Seattle station.
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The eight previous Cowboys quarterbacks to make their first NFL playoff starts went 4-3 – Roger Staubach, Danny White, Steve Beuerlein, Troy Aikman winning, with Don Meredith, Craig Morton and Quincy Carter losing. At least Meredith’s game was the 1966 NFL Championship game, the Cowboys losing the first playoff game in franchise history, this one to Green Bay, 34-27, but not until Meredith was intercepted in the end zone by Tom Brown with only 28 seconds remaining on the Cotton Bowl clock.
Many of you have asked about this: Tony Romo is one of just seven quarterbacks to get elected to the Pro Bowl in the same year making his first NFL start.
Now there seems to be this mystery hovering over why the Cowboys have allowed teams to convert 55 percent of their third downs over the past five games, and at a 43.9-percent rate for the entire season, ranking them tied for 27th in the league. This will clear that up: Only two teams are giving more than an average of 5.95 yards on first down. That would be Cincinnati (6.06) and, yep, Seattle (6.24). When opponents are gaining nearly six yards every first down, how hard is it to pick up the last few on third down.
Speaking of third downs, in the past two games with the Cowboys in their nickel defense, opponents have completed 22 of 28 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Ye-ouch.
And the playoff score . . . you guys will think I’ve totally lost my mind, and maybe I have, with the Cowboys on the road, in a loud environment, having lost three of the past four games and playing gosh-awful on defense. But I just got this feeling – and no, no one has a gun to my head, so if I’m wrong, I’m the big dummy – it’s going to be Cowboys 31, Seahawks 24, the numbers just kind of coming over me when I awoke on Thursday. We’ll see.
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So what do you think are the chances the Seahawks, even though they have Shaun Alexander and tight end Jerramy Stevens, play a predominately three-receiver offense Saturday against the Cowboys? Like, why wouldn’t you? I’d make the Cowboys prove they can cover and/or get pressure on my quarterback before I played a conventional offense against them.
On the Cowboys’ final offensive play of Sunday’s game, fourth-and-goal from the Detroit 6 with 16 seconds remaining, Tony Romo says his first two options were Jason Witten and Terry Glenn, both lined up wide left, along with tight end Anthony Fasano. Terrell Owens was lined up in the slot right, with Marion Barber outside him. So when Romo looked left, he said the linebackers covered up Witten and he didn’t feel like he had a shot at Glenn. And instead of looking right, Romo took off, figuring he had held the ball long enough on a do-or-die play. Ah, but had he looked right initially, which would have been against his reads, Owens appeared open on the goal line, simply hooking in, and then was open later after Romo decided to scramble. Last thing he could let happen there was get sacked.
I’m thinking Bobby Carpenter played well enough in his first start of the season to get a second on Saturday, regardless if the Cowboys play their base 3-4 or decide to blend in a little more 4-3. He seemed pretty active out there.
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