Decade of Futility - Seven Years After Retirement, Parcells' Body of Work Seems Better Than Ever

It's been seven years since Bill Parcells hung up his play-sheet and whistle for the last time.  He has been sorely missed.

The past few seasons for the Cowboys have testified to the solid body of work that Parcells did during his four years in Dallas.  While it goes without saying that the current state of affairs at Valley Ranch seems to be tilting downward, Parcells had the Cowboys poised for a strong run when he retired.
I sometimes wonder how much longer Bill would have stayed in Dallas had he been, say, ten years younger. I'd like to say he would have been there till he got the Cowboys over the hump and at least within shouting distance of the Super Bowl, but the presence of Terrell Owens is a strong vote against that supposition.
These days there’s almost a nostalgic feeling that comes over the room when the name of Bill Parcells is brought up.  Parcells, you see, is the most recent link from the past that represents hope and prosperity.  While fans realize that the past is gone forever, they also realize the strong sense of comfort that memories of Parcells evoke.  For with Parcells the Cowboys had a future, and that’s more than can be said for the Cowboys seven years hence.
You can read about Bill Parcells' rebuilding project, his relationship with receiver Terrell Owens, and the complex circumstances surrounding his retirement in my new book "Decade of Futility."  You can order your copy today by using this link:https: https://www.createspace.com/4161551

Decade of Futility - Dallas Cowboys' Worst Losses of Century: No. 25 Brady, Patriots Bring Reality Back To Dallas

Whenever the Cowboys start thinking and talking big, it’s been proven that fans would do themselves a favor by expecting the not-so-big. After all, Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News had it correct when he observed, “The best are held to a higher standard. The Patriots live up to it week after week. The Cowboys? Still a work in progress.”
A game pitting two 5-0 teams against each other, this 48-27 New England victory was not only an indication of just how good Tom Brady and the Patriots were, but a stark reminder that Wade Phillips’ Cowboys may not have been all they were cracked up to be.
Brady, on the way to NFL MVP honors, had a field day against a helpless Dallas defense, connecting on 31 passes for 388 yards, while becoming only the sixth quarterback to pass for five touchdowns against the Cowboys. And he made it appear all too easy, compelling Sherrington to declare that “Brady continues to play at a level with which most of us observers are not familiar.”

The New England defense, on the other hand, provided the rest of the league with the memo on how to slow down Dallas’ vaunted offense: put pressure on Tony Romo. The Cowboys entered the game with the league’s No. 1 ranked offense, but posted season-lows in yards (283), first downs (13), plays (46) and points (20). They had the ball for only 21 minutes, 45 seconds.
The Cowboys fell behind 14-0 early but actually took the lead in the second quarter thanks to a Romo-to-Terrell Owens touchdown and a Jason Hatcher fumble recovery that he returned for another score. Yet it was a barrage of fourth-quarter penalties (Dallas finished the game with 12 total) that allowed New England to end the game on a 27-3 run, score on their final five possessions, and win going away.
Even while scrambling for his life, Romo guided the Cowboys offense to the New England five-yard line with ten minutes remaining, attempting to cut into the 38-24 deficit. But when his third-down pass for Sam Hurd fell incomplete, head coach Wade Phillips inexplicably called off the dogs, settling for a meaningless field goal. The Cowboys did not score again.

For the first time all season, Romo failed to crack the 200-yard passing mark, one of many shortcomings that failed to dampen the spirits inside the Dallas locker room, as some players spoke as if some moral victory had been achieved by hanging with the mighty Patriots for all of three quarters. Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton, emboldened by nobody knows what, guaranteed a Dallas-New England rematch in the Super Bowl.
As it turned out, Crayton was only halfway correct. The Patriots were a Super team indeed, marching into Glendale, Az. in early February with an unprecedented 18-0 record.
The Cowboys, as the tape revealed, were not. Owners of an NFC-best 13-3 record, Crayton and teammates became the first No. 1 seed to lose a Divisional playoff game, falling to the Giants in ignominious fashion at Texas Stadium.
The best teams are at their best against the best teams in the biggest moments.
The Cowboys had yet to ascend to such a plateau, something that only an afternoon with Brady’s Bunch could convince the throngs of.

Can Cowboys Beat Chargers? Yes, But Don't Bet On It.

Many a skeptical comment has been offered up toward the high throne of numerous indomitable statisticians of this world from the humble paradise of self-proclaimed realists.  Football, it has been argued, isn’t a game of numbers – such as completion percentage and rushing attempts – but rather a game defined by the almighty alphabet – as in Ws and Ls.

Personally, I’ve always wondered if the realists would care to define the amount of Ws and Ls in some measure that defies numerical process.  But that’s splitting straws, so I’m told, so I feel compelled to bring the conversation back to present reality in a fashion that pleases far more than one, and certainly not less than all.

So let’s talk some Cowboys football.

What about the Cowboys? you ask. Will they run their record to 3-1 for the first time in five years with a win over San Diego on Sunday?

Well, according to statistical analysis of previous games, it has been concluded that their hopes of getting away from the sleepy .500 doldrums that the patrons of Valley Ranch have so long loved are... [drum roll] ...next to nil.  Nada, as in zero.  Zero as in L.  L as in .500.  .500 as in Jerry World.

The 21^st Century has been unkind to the Cowboys in a plethora of fashions, but particularly when it comes to winning a season’s fourth game.  For what it’s worth, in thirteen attempts since 2000, the Cowboys have managed a woeful 3-10 mark in the fourth contest of a season. 

The only wins during that span have come against woefully inferior opponents.  Dallas nipped the Kurt Warner-less Rams 13-10 in 2002 on a late Billy Cundiff field goal, manhandled Arizona a year later by a 24-7 score, and then annihilated a poor St. Louis club 35-7 in 2007.

The losses, while plentiful, have certainly not lacked for drama.  Included in the list is Terrell Owens’ dance on the star at Texas Stadium in 2000, and Tony Romo’s second-half collapse against the Lions in 2011.

Among the ten defeats is an 0-3 mark against AFC West opponents, which should attract attention considering the divisional locale of this week’s foe.

San Diego may not be a playoff team this year, but then again they might be.  Each of their three games has come down to the final seconds, and if not for a fourth quarter meltdown in the secondary against Tennessee, they would share an identical 2-1 record with Dallas.

Will the Cowboys get the W this weekend?

Just look at the numbers to find the likely letter.

 
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Cowboys' Terrell Owens’ Life Never A Concern In Philly

Happy Times for Owens!

The earth shook when Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was hospitalized in September 2006 for what police referred to as “attempting suicide by prescription pain medication.”

 But, while the show of support and sympathy from Jon Gruden, Chad Johnson, and others was going full steam ahead in the media’s grapevine, a malevolent voice from Owens’ old stomping grounds in Philadelphia sounded loud and clear.

 No, the Eagles were never worried about the condition of Owens, even at the darkest hour.
 Why? 
 
 “We always thought he was crazy, never mental,” a source with the Eagles said.  “…That’s not even remotely him.  This guy loves himself too much.”

 Leave it to the City of Brotherly Love to coin their best wishes in such loving terms.


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