Parcells Ready to Take the Cowboy Challenge

PHOENIX -- Bill Parcells is desperately afraid of failure, has mellowed a bit over the years and considers his task with the Dallas Cowboys fitting punctuation for his two-decade NFL career.

“Hey, I know the window was closing for me,” said Parcells, 61, who Wednesday spoke publicly for only the third time since Jan. 2, when he signed a four-year, $17.1-million contract to coach the Cowboys. “I wasn’t really out there. I didn’t expect this to happen. I really didn’t. Then, when it came, I just can’t tell you. It just hit me. I just thought this might be the right thing.”

Parcells, a rare coach in that he usually doesn’t attend NFL owners’ meetings, did so in this case at the behest of his boss, Jerry Jones. NFC coaches ate breakfast with reporters Wednesday, and Parcells’ table was standing-room only, leaving Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, Steve Spurrier and other coaches with ample elbow room at their tables.

Famous for his temper, Parcells was asked if he gets the feeling people are waiting for his first blow-up argument with Jones, who is known to pace the sidelines during games and had high-profile falling outs with former coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.

“It’s not going to happen,” the coach said. “I mean, I wouldn’t foresee any of that. Do I think people are waiting for it? Certain journalistic people? I told you I’m going to be a good partner. I’m going to work hard. I’m going to give it my best shot. We both understand that this needs to work. I certainly understand it.”

Clearly, Jones is of like mind. In case there was any misunderstanding about where the power lies, however, the owner identified the pecking order in Wednesday’s edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I don’t want to act defensive and have to say I still own the club. I still make all the decisions,” Jones said. “I don’t want to have to sound like, ‘... I am the boss.’ I also don’t want to understate what Bill brings and the influence he has on the organization. But it seems like for him to have influence, it’s implied that I have to step back. That is not the case.”

Parcells says he’s fine with that. He wants to concentrate on coaching, something that brought him to the doorstep of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has a 138-100-1 record with the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants, took the Patriots there once and led the Jets to the AFC championship game two years after they went 1-15.

“In some ways, this situation is a lot easier for me in the respect that this organization I’m working for now is a facilitating organization,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about if I’m bringing a prospect in, who’s picking him up or where he’s going to stay or how that’s going to be handled logistically. When I was with the Jets, I was responsible for all of that. I had to delegate all of that. I don’t have to do that now. I just really basically have to try to coach and develop the team in the off-season and try to contribute in the personnel area.”

Parcells takes over for Dave Campo, who went 5-11 in each of his three seasons and is the first of six Dallas coaches with any prior head-coaching experience. The first five, including Tom Landry, made their coaching debut with the franchise.

Already, Parcells is putting his stamp on the Cowboys. He talked to the players recently and some emerged wide-eyed and essentially speechless, completely aware the days of mild-mannered Campo were long gone. There were reports Parcells put the kibosh on playing dominoes in the locker room, but he said he can’t remember that decision.

“Everybody says, ‘He took the dominoes out,’ ” he said. “I didn’t know we had dominoes.... All I know is the way I like to do things. I didn’t really ask anybody. I had a meeting with the operations people and sat down there and said, ‘This is kind of the way I like to run it.’ ”

The locker room atmosphere has definitely changed, Jones said, and it’s for the better.

“The stature and respect the players have for him is different,” Jones told the Star-Telegram. “He has a great talent in terms of communicating with players and creating incentive. If you do your work, you will have a job. But it’s not a bully thing. The players respect him because they know what he says works. His way has been successful.”

Parcells discussed the letting go of Emmitt Smith (“I think now is probably as good a time as any to try to move on.”); how in another coaching lifetime he referred to new Cowboy receiver Terry Glenn as “she” (“It was in jest the comment that was made. He knew it, I knew it, and everybody on the team knew it.”); and he openly addressed his fear of failure.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “But you know it’s always been the same for me and I’m sure some other guys sitting around. You’re afraid that it’s not going to work, so that’s what drives you. You’re afraid you’re going to fail. That’s what drives a lot of us in this business. You do everything to keep that eventuality from happening. I’ll do my best.”