Gailey Not Having Very Much Fun

He began his career with aspirations to one day become a head coach, and now that it has happened, it can be just hell.

“If you ask me if this job is fun, I’d say no,” said Chan Gailey, coach of the Dallas Cowboys, one win away from making the playoffs or one defeat away from an outcry that he be fired.

“Is it fulfilling? Yeah. You enjoy the challenges, meeting goals and succeeding when others expect you to fail.

“Sure, you get into it because it was fun, but somewhere down the line when it became big business, it ceased being fun and became something to meet challenges.”

The challenge for Gailey, a successful offensive assistant for Denver and Pittsburgh before becoming Barry Switzer’s replacement in Dallas, is to gain the confidence of Cowboy fans, who have become irritated with the team’s inability to score and win.

“You understand all the problems that are involved in being a head coach and all the fires that are going to come up, and if it’s too hot, then don’t get in it,” Gailey said. “I’ve understood everything that has happened, all the pitfalls and all the problems and all the opportunities for failure. Yet you still have one opportunity for greatness and that’s what you are shooting for.”

But when your team is 7-8 in Dallas, a loser to the Jets two weeks ago and a loser to the Saints last week, there are people insisting that you find employment elsewhere.

“It’s hurtful, and nobody likes to be called dumb and inept,” Gailey said. “But there’s only a certain low I will go because I have a solid faith. Every adversity that is handled in my life is handled through my faith. You can’t get me because I have a certain strength within me that will not allow that to happen.”

It’s hard to understand why anyone would aspire to become an NFL coach, given the fickle nature of the game and who wins and who loses and who pays the price for failure.

“It’s a game that definitely takes a toll on you,” Gailey said. “But I’ll tell you what will happen, and I know this is farfetched, but if we win this week and all of a sudden go somewhere else and win again, and again, all this pain and all these people hurting you and stuff like that, well, it’s all worth it. If it doesn’t hurt, you probably shouldn’t be in the game because you work to avoid hurt, and the feeling of banding together through all kinds of adversity and winning, well, you can’t get that feeling anywhere else.

“That’s why you’re willing to take on a job like this.”

Gailey’s Marks

Chan Gailey finished 10-6 and won the NFC East Division before losing in the first round of the playoffs in his first year as Dallas coach. The Cowboys are 7-8 this season, needing a victory over the New York Giants on Sunday to qualify for the postseason as a wild card. Gailey’s coaching record:

College assistant: 60-39-1

College head coach: 24-11

World League head:coach: 12-7-1

NFL assistant: 111-65-1

NFL head coach: 17-15

Total: 214-137-3