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I have decided that this is not the appropriate place to post my contantly running thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys. So, I now have a blog The Chronicles of America’s Team that is geared towards those thoughts. So, if you are every tempted to know what is going on in Cowboys country go check that site out.

In the recent turn of events Bill Parcells has once again retired from the game of football. There has been no conference, no statement from the Cowboys, and I much as I thought this should happen, it is definitely a surprise to everyone. Parcells worked from 8am to 5pm everyday for the last two weeks and he never indicated that retiring would be on his horizon. He also leaves the Cowboys without a head coach a week before the Senior Bowl, one of the biggest scouting weekends for professional football. There are many rumors behind this retirement already. It might have been because he couldn’t deal with TO, it might have been because Jerry Jones asked him to step down, but ultimately I think he came to his senses and realized that he has just plain lost it. At this juncture I feel it to be important to reflect back upon his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys and where I think the Cowboys should turn for their next head coach.

When Bill Parcells came to Dallas I was ecstatic. Having dealt with the Chan Gaily and Dave Campo the previous couple of years I would have been happy with any proven coach. Bill immediately retained Mike Zimmer from Campo’s staff as his defensive coordinator and did very little to shake up the offensive player personal. This proved to be his most successful season in Dallas winning ten games. The Cowboys had the number one ranked defense (a 4-3 I might add) and Quincy Carter of all people started all 16 games a quarterback. Over the next two seasons he cut Carter and turned to Vinnie Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, he switched the defensive scheme to a 3-4 and he temporarily plugged holes with players like Keyshawn Johnson and Richie Anderson while have consistently poor drafts and missing the playoffs twice. This past season it looked as if it was all going to unfold, but then Tony Romo (a player former assistant head coach Sean Peyton invited to try out three years earlier) stepped in and revamped an offense that Parcells seemed incapable of running. The end of the season was marked by defensive failures, Romo trying to be a hero and ultimately dropping a snap that cost the Cowboys their season. Now I don’t know how far the Cowboys could have gone in the playoffs this past season, but after four years in Dallas there was really no excuse that Parcells didn’t have at least one playoff victory under his belt with the Cowboys. Don’t get me wrong, the Cowboys are in better shape then they were before Parcells came in and there is a very good possibility that the next coach will lead this team to a Super Bowl.

So the burning question here is who is going to replace Bill. In a perfect world Jerry would confess his hidden love for Jimmy Johnson and beg the master to come back and lead America’s Team again. Jimmy would bring back Norv Turner, Dave Wannstedt, and Butch Davis on his staff. However, this is a silly dream and probably won’t happen. So, who are the real candidates? My first call would be to Urban Meyer. He just won a National Championship and he has turned around many a college program. I think he has a great football mind and that is really the kind of coach I would like to see in charge of the Cowboys. Aside from him other people I would interview would be Bob Stoops, Charlie Weiss, Mike Sherman, Steve Mariucci, Ron Rivera, Wade Phillips, Norv Turner, Tony Sparano, Rob Ryan, Jim Bates, and Dan Reeves. I know there are some defensive names there, but I think that the Cowboys should be turning to an offensive mind. I would also like to see a younger coach because that seems to working for a lot of other teams right now. Although my first pick was Meyer, I would also stay away from college coaches because they also have bad track records. Getting a players coach would be the biggest mistake the Cowboys could make, in fact no one should ever hire a players coach. So, if I had to pick one of those realistic candidates right now, I would pick Mariucci because he is offensive minded, young enough, and he has previous head coaching experience.

Update
Jason Garrett has been hired by the Dallas Cowboys. He is going to be the Offensive Coordinator, but he is still in contention for the Head Coach position. Personally I like this pick. Jason was the backup quarterback for Troy Aikman during the early 90s. I always remeber the sidelines during those days and seeing him with a head set on and constantly talking with Aikman. Jerry Jones tried to make Garrett a coach before, but Garrett went to the Giants to continue his playing career. Garrett spent the last two years in Miami coach the quarterbacks. This will be Garrett’s first time calling plays, but it seemed as if that was going to happen this year regarless of whether or not Parcells stayed. Jones had stated that he long wanted Garrett to be a part of the Cowboys staff and he believes that he is one of the better young offensive minds in football. While I don’t know much about his character, I like this pick because he is young, smart, and will bring back some of the early 90s flavor that the Cowboys have been missing.

Can anyone else feel Manning slowly moving into that “Marino in the mid-’90s” portion of his career? … We’re about 12 years away from Peyton working on one of the Sunday pregame shows and bristling every time some inferior ex-QB/co-host (like Pennington or Delhomme) busts his chops about never winning a Super Bowl. And frankly, I can’t wait.

The Jets are better than people think. The division race is not over.

(By the way, I’m serious. But the best part of the previous paragraph is telling it to a Jets fan, then having them pull the “Come on, stop pulling my chain” routine. The Jets could win the Super Bowl and their fans would still be conditioned to react by saying, “I’m not getting sucked in, I’m happy we’re winning but I’m not getting my hopes up, we’re not that good …”)

I’m not getting sucked in this year.

“You see, the worst thing that could happen is they throw an interception, and the best thing that could happen is they throw a touchdown. But a field goal, that’s the second best thing that could happen.”

“Well that’s what’s going to happen when you’re sweating in 31˚ weather. Steams going to be pouring out of your helmet.”

Genius. Pure genius.

“You know, winning is the best deoderant out there.”

“You know, losing is the worst feeling in the world. So I guess that means winning is the best feeling.”

“A-Rod looks in mirror after Yankees’ loss: ‘I sucked’”

The Mets scored nine runs in a game Steve Trachsel started. Nothing new there.

Willie and the quick hook. Will that work in a seven-game series?

Typical Mets win:

Reyes looks foolish on a K.
Delgado proves how little I know about baseball.
Willie makes puzzling moves.
Shawn Green can’t get to a ball.
Beltran walks.
Wright is clutch.
Lo Duca is anti-clutch.
Wagner almost blows it.

It’s the formula that has worked all season long.

“Wow, Herm Edwards is getting better. It took him years to turn the Jets into a franchise with no offense, bad defense and an injured quarterback. He did the same thing to the Chiefs in one game!”

Bill Simmons is great.

Who wants to buy me Herm’s book, You Play To Win The Game?