Vman
01-04-2006, 03:51 PM
<Norm> Stephen, we've gotten the word that Sean Payton has been approved for interviews to Green Bay and New Orleans. And Mike Zimmer has an interview with St. Louis.
<Stephen> Yeah.
<Norm> Can you tell us if either of those two have had other requests over the last afternoon or morning?
<Stephen> Not that I'm aware of.
<Norm> Have any of the other assistants - have teams asked for any of the other assistants to talk for positions they might be interested in?
<Stephen> Not that I'm aware of.
<Norm> Stephen, do you have an idea of who is under contract next year - how many - if any - of the Cowboys assistant coaches are simply up - contract wise.
<Stephen> There's only a couple and probably don't want to get into those names right now. I know Bill is working on those guys and, uh, just won't get into who's got a contract and who doesn't.
<Norm> Stephen, I'm gonna try to put both of us into the mind of an assistant coach, right now. With Bill lingering over whether or not he wants to return, why shouldn't an assistant coach be looking for another job - right now - with the uncertainty created by Bill's situation here?
<Stephen> Well, I'm sure that's something that, um, as an organization we're addressing right now - internally - uhh, hopefully, we'll be working that out here over the next days and weeks.
<Norm> Stephen, isn't it difficult for an organization to have a year-to-year coach?
<Stephen> [long pause]...you know, I think when you look at things - the big picture - there's probably a lot of people who are year-to-year and just don't know it. [laughing] When you look at - already there are eight openings. But, no, I don't look at it that way. I think we're off to a great start here - three years with Bill and I really think we have this team heading in the right direction. And we feel good about our situation.
<Norm> Trying to read Bill Parcells mind is a very, very difficult - he's a very, very closed person - with seemingly very few people close to him - emotionally. But looking at his past, when he left the Giants after they won the Superbowl, when he left New England after they lost the Superbowl, and when he left a Jets teams - that two years before had won the AFC East and went to the playoffs and advanced a round - and then the next year dropped to 8-8 because of injuries. The quality of the team Bill was coaching at those stops wasn't a major factor in him staying, was it?
<Stephen> No it wasn't.
<Norm> It seems that his unhappiness level is what drove him out of all three other stops.
<Stephen> Yeah.
<Norm> I know this is difficult to ask you - because I don't know if even you feel you know Bill Parcells well - but do you have any read on Bill Parcell's happiness level?
<Stephen> My guess would be that he is happy. Uhh, you know I work with him pretty regularly on a daily basis and I get the feeling that he still has energy and that he's happy and he's happy with the situation here. He thinks the team's going in the right direction and that we obviously have some areas we need to improve on here in the offseason but we got some really good young players in a lot of different areas that have their arrow going up - as we like to say in this business. I get the feeling that he's happy.
<Norm> Stephen, he's been here now three years. Do you feel you know Bill Parcells personally?
<Stephen> Do I feel like I know him? I certainly feel like I've gotten to know him a lot better than I did. There's obviously varying degrees of knowing people. If you know someone twenty years, you know them a heck of a lot better than if you've only known them for three years. As well as I could get to know somebody in three years, I certainly feel like I've done that.
<Norm> Does Bill do much socializing with the club at all?
<Stephen> No. Not at all. He's very much into his business and, uhh, really, really dedicated to this team and organization and puts lots of long hours into it and the only time I ever really see him get away from it is in the summer - when the league slows down for about 4 or 5 weeks - and then he gets away. I know he enjoys the golf and that's when he really does that. But, he's just a tiredless worker and somebody that I respect very much.
<Norm> There are lots of theories, because Bill hasn't really made any of us privy to what his thinking is at this point. Just that he's considering - just as he does every year at this time - whether to continue or not. I have been told - second hand but by people I trust - that there may have already been discussed a two year contract extension. Can you give me any further light on that?
<Stephen> No. That's between Jerry and Bill and I'm gonna leave it at that. Those are things that they're gonna work through and hopefully we'll get that done sooner rather than later.
<Norm> Stephen, is it awkward at the Ranch these days? Bill's coming to work and nobody's sure he's gonna stay here. Is it awkward at the Ranch?
<Stephen> It's not awkward at all. Its very comfortable and everybody is going about their business and working hard and doing just like we would always do after a season. We're evaluating the team and where we fell short and what the positives are and the things that we're gonna need to make this team better. Ya know one thing Bill always prides himself on - whether he's gonna stay or leave - he always prides himself on leaving a team in great shape and so there's just absolutely business as usual as far as the Ranch is doing the last few days.
<Norm> At previous stops, Bill has had - while he was the head coach - flirtations to leave - leaving for Atlanta, which didn't happen - leaving for Tampa Bay, which didn't happen - there's a rumor here that he had spoken to ESPN about rejoining them. If true, would the organization be offended by Bill looking to something like ESPN while this season is still going on?
<Stephen> That's strictly speculation. I wouldn't comment on that.
<Norm> Alright. There's also a report about to surface that scouts for the Cowboys are not allowed to watch practice. Is that true?
<Stephen> That's not true. I've been out there with 'em - watched practice with 'em. When they got back from their year - ya know most of the time they're on the road anyway - but they spend all of their time at training camp watching practice. And then once they leave training camp, they're on the road up until the end of the college season and then when they came back, they all came out and watched the team practice.
<Norm> Let me summarize a couple of questions about Bill with ya - if we could - and then we'll go onto one other topic. Bill is an unusual man. He may be the most unusually put together head coach in the National Football League. Do you consider him difficult to deal with?
<Stephen> Not at all.
<Norm> Does your organization generally feel any of that?
<Stephen> Some people in marketing may. [Laughing] When they bring about fifty stacks of footballs. But I don't think that's any different than most head coaches that tend to flinch and cringe whenever you get into interupting what goes on, on the field. But, no. I think as far as our football operations are concerned, Bill puts a lot of pressure to be successful. He puts pressure on the trainers to get the players ready to play. He puts pressure on scouts to scout good players but those are all things that they get during the normal course of business anyway. So, no, I wouldn't say that it is inordinate at all.
<Norm> If the Cowboys could, would they ask Bill to be a little less restrictive of people in the organization - for instance - none of us get to talk to the assistant coaches and I don't know why there is a fear of letting the assistants talk to the press here.
<Stephen> You know, Norm, the way I look at it - when you hire a coach - and what he wants to accomplish - you give him what makes him successful. Now you may have ideas, that you may might discuss, and say 'Why is it that you like to do things this way?' and 'Why is that important to the success of the team?' and 'Here's why it would be important to do something a little differntly' - if that would work and not affect the success on the field. And those are the types of discussions we have. For the most part, when you hire a Bill Parcells, when you hire Barry Switzer, when you hire Jimmy Johnson, when you hire Joe Gibbs - you want the formula that's made them successful and at some point if you ask them to stray away from that too much, then you might not get what you bargained for. So, you've got to be real careful in terms of what makes that individual - leading a team - successful.
<Stephen> Yeah.
<Norm> Can you tell us if either of those two have had other requests over the last afternoon or morning?
<Stephen> Not that I'm aware of.
<Norm> Have any of the other assistants - have teams asked for any of the other assistants to talk for positions they might be interested in?
<Stephen> Not that I'm aware of.
<Norm> Stephen, do you have an idea of who is under contract next year - how many - if any - of the Cowboys assistant coaches are simply up - contract wise.
<Stephen> There's only a couple and probably don't want to get into those names right now. I know Bill is working on those guys and, uh, just won't get into who's got a contract and who doesn't.
<Norm> Stephen, I'm gonna try to put both of us into the mind of an assistant coach, right now. With Bill lingering over whether or not he wants to return, why shouldn't an assistant coach be looking for another job - right now - with the uncertainty created by Bill's situation here?
<Stephen> Well, I'm sure that's something that, um, as an organization we're addressing right now - internally - uhh, hopefully, we'll be working that out here over the next days and weeks.
<Norm> Stephen, isn't it difficult for an organization to have a year-to-year coach?
<Stephen> [long pause]...you know, I think when you look at things - the big picture - there's probably a lot of people who are year-to-year and just don't know it. [laughing] When you look at - already there are eight openings. But, no, I don't look at it that way. I think we're off to a great start here - three years with Bill and I really think we have this team heading in the right direction. And we feel good about our situation.
<Norm> Trying to read Bill Parcells mind is a very, very difficult - he's a very, very closed person - with seemingly very few people close to him - emotionally. But looking at his past, when he left the Giants after they won the Superbowl, when he left New England after they lost the Superbowl, and when he left a Jets teams - that two years before had won the AFC East and went to the playoffs and advanced a round - and then the next year dropped to 8-8 because of injuries. The quality of the team Bill was coaching at those stops wasn't a major factor in him staying, was it?
<Stephen> No it wasn't.
<Norm> It seems that his unhappiness level is what drove him out of all three other stops.
<Stephen> Yeah.
<Norm> I know this is difficult to ask you - because I don't know if even you feel you know Bill Parcells well - but do you have any read on Bill Parcell's happiness level?
<Stephen> My guess would be that he is happy. Uhh, you know I work with him pretty regularly on a daily basis and I get the feeling that he still has energy and that he's happy and he's happy with the situation here. He thinks the team's going in the right direction and that we obviously have some areas we need to improve on here in the offseason but we got some really good young players in a lot of different areas that have their arrow going up - as we like to say in this business. I get the feeling that he's happy.
<Norm> Stephen, he's been here now three years. Do you feel you know Bill Parcells personally?
<Stephen> Do I feel like I know him? I certainly feel like I've gotten to know him a lot better than I did. There's obviously varying degrees of knowing people. If you know someone twenty years, you know them a heck of a lot better than if you've only known them for three years. As well as I could get to know somebody in three years, I certainly feel like I've done that.
<Norm> Does Bill do much socializing with the club at all?
<Stephen> No. Not at all. He's very much into his business and, uhh, really, really dedicated to this team and organization and puts lots of long hours into it and the only time I ever really see him get away from it is in the summer - when the league slows down for about 4 or 5 weeks - and then he gets away. I know he enjoys the golf and that's when he really does that. But, he's just a tiredless worker and somebody that I respect very much.
<Norm> There are lots of theories, because Bill hasn't really made any of us privy to what his thinking is at this point. Just that he's considering - just as he does every year at this time - whether to continue or not. I have been told - second hand but by people I trust - that there may have already been discussed a two year contract extension. Can you give me any further light on that?
<Stephen> No. That's between Jerry and Bill and I'm gonna leave it at that. Those are things that they're gonna work through and hopefully we'll get that done sooner rather than later.
<Norm> Stephen, is it awkward at the Ranch these days? Bill's coming to work and nobody's sure he's gonna stay here. Is it awkward at the Ranch?
<Stephen> It's not awkward at all. Its very comfortable and everybody is going about their business and working hard and doing just like we would always do after a season. We're evaluating the team and where we fell short and what the positives are and the things that we're gonna need to make this team better. Ya know one thing Bill always prides himself on - whether he's gonna stay or leave - he always prides himself on leaving a team in great shape and so there's just absolutely business as usual as far as the Ranch is doing the last few days.
<Norm> At previous stops, Bill has had - while he was the head coach - flirtations to leave - leaving for Atlanta, which didn't happen - leaving for Tampa Bay, which didn't happen - there's a rumor here that he had spoken to ESPN about rejoining them. If true, would the organization be offended by Bill looking to something like ESPN while this season is still going on?
<Stephen> That's strictly speculation. I wouldn't comment on that.
<Norm> Alright. There's also a report about to surface that scouts for the Cowboys are not allowed to watch practice. Is that true?
<Stephen> That's not true. I've been out there with 'em - watched practice with 'em. When they got back from their year - ya know most of the time they're on the road anyway - but they spend all of their time at training camp watching practice. And then once they leave training camp, they're on the road up until the end of the college season and then when they came back, they all came out and watched the team practice.
<Norm> Let me summarize a couple of questions about Bill with ya - if we could - and then we'll go onto one other topic. Bill is an unusual man. He may be the most unusually put together head coach in the National Football League. Do you consider him difficult to deal with?
<Stephen> Not at all.
<Norm> Does your organization generally feel any of that?
<Stephen> Some people in marketing may. [Laughing] When they bring about fifty stacks of footballs. But I don't think that's any different than most head coaches that tend to flinch and cringe whenever you get into interupting what goes on, on the field. But, no. I think as far as our football operations are concerned, Bill puts a lot of pressure to be successful. He puts pressure on the trainers to get the players ready to play. He puts pressure on scouts to scout good players but those are all things that they get during the normal course of business anyway. So, no, I wouldn't say that it is inordinate at all.
<Norm> If the Cowboys could, would they ask Bill to be a little less restrictive of people in the organization - for instance - none of us get to talk to the assistant coaches and I don't know why there is a fear of letting the assistants talk to the press here.
<Stephen> You know, Norm, the way I look at it - when you hire a coach - and what he wants to accomplish - you give him what makes him successful. Now you may have ideas, that you may might discuss, and say 'Why is it that you like to do things this way?' and 'Why is that important to the success of the team?' and 'Here's why it would be important to do something a little differntly' - if that would work and not affect the success on the field. And those are the types of discussions we have. For the most part, when you hire a Bill Parcells, when you hire Barry Switzer, when you hire Jimmy Johnson, when you hire Joe Gibbs - you want the formula that's made them successful and at some point if you ask them to stray away from that too much, then you might not get what you bargained for. So, you've got to be real careful in terms of what makes that individual - leading a team - successful.