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Hot air: He smiles! And he's nice!
By Barry Horn
Bill Parcells' finest moment as Cowboys coach took place on Monday Night Football last season. That's when he went to his bullpen and brought in Tony Romo to replace Drew Bledsoe.
That move, made against the Giants at the start of the second half back on Oct. 23, and his nurturing of the young quarterback may prove Parcells' lasting legacy as coach of the Cowboys.
In retirement, Parcells has returned to work at ESPN, his employer before he signed on to collect paychecks from Jerry Jones. His primary role is as studio analyst on Monday nights.
Here's the thing: He's pretty good. If you have yet to catch his act this season, you can tune in at 6 p.m. for the pregame show before the Cowboys-Bills game on Monday Night Football.
You might not recognize Parcells. He looks relaxed and smiles a lot. He remains as sarcastic as ever but with no trace of the holier-than-thou attitude he threw around at Valley Ranch.
I wanted to talk to Parcells about his transition back to broadcasting. He didn't have the time or the inclination. Just as he didn't have time to talk to the media and fans when he left the Cowboys.
It was a first. Nobody in network TV doesn't have time to talk to the media. ESPN suggested that new MNF analyst Ron Jaworski would be happy to talk. So would former Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who shares the pregame studio set with Parcells. It offered up executive vice president Norby Williamson, who is Parcells' boss.
I went for Johnson and Williamson.
Johnson, in his rookie season at ESPN, said his stomach "goes to butterflies" before the start of every studio show.
"It's a tough job to talk to millions of people looking into the bright lights with someone in your ear telling you to go to this topic and switch immediately to that topic," Johnson said.
Johnson, who studied Parcells for five seasons while playing for him with the New York Jets and the Cowboys, said his old coach is the more nervous of the two before going on the air – even if he won't admit it.
"He's genuinely scared," Johnson said.
Williamson, not shy with the anointing oil, believes Parcells is at the top of the coach-turned-analyst game.
"He's a Hall of Fame coach who connects with the NFL game," Williamson said. "He is relevant. He can take viewers places they can't see or get to."
There's an endless number of questions I wanted to ask Parcells about his former team. Like, how much credit does he deserve for the way it is shaping up? With luck, someone will ask him that on Monday. And about Romo, too.
Johnson had lots to share about his former Cowboys teammates. He'll be ready to fire away Monday night.
Hint: Don't expect lots of gushing when the subject is one of his former Cowboys quarterbacks:
"Tony Romo is playing very well, but let's not put him in Canton just yet," Johnson said. "He is playing as an above average quarterback. He has a long way to go to get to great. He's only played 14 games. Reggie Bush was great last year. He was the next Gale Sayers. Come on. What are they saying this season? I'm not building up. I'm not tearing down. I'm telling it like it is."
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc...ts/bhorn/stories/100607dnspohorn.2bd76fa.html
By Barry Horn
Bill Parcells' finest moment as Cowboys coach took place on Monday Night Football last season. That's when he went to his bullpen and brought in Tony Romo to replace Drew Bledsoe.
That move, made against the Giants at the start of the second half back on Oct. 23, and his nurturing of the young quarterback may prove Parcells' lasting legacy as coach of the Cowboys.
In retirement, Parcells has returned to work at ESPN, his employer before he signed on to collect paychecks from Jerry Jones. His primary role is as studio analyst on Monday nights.
Here's the thing: He's pretty good. If you have yet to catch his act this season, you can tune in at 6 p.m. for the pregame show before the Cowboys-Bills game on Monday Night Football.
You might not recognize Parcells. He looks relaxed and smiles a lot. He remains as sarcastic as ever but with no trace of the holier-than-thou attitude he threw around at Valley Ranch.
I wanted to talk to Parcells about his transition back to broadcasting. He didn't have the time or the inclination. Just as he didn't have time to talk to the media and fans when he left the Cowboys.
It was a first. Nobody in network TV doesn't have time to talk to the media. ESPN suggested that new MNF analyst Ron Jaworski would be happy to talk. So would former Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who shares the pregame studio set with Parcells. It offered up executive vice president Norby Williamson, who is Parcells' boss.
I went for Johnson and Williamson.
Johnson, in his rookie season at ESPN, said his stomach "goes to butterflies" before the start of every studio show.
"It's a tough job to talk to millions of people looking into the bright lights with someone in your ear telling you to go to this topic and switch immediately to that topic," Johnson said.
Johnson, who studied Parcells for five seasons while playing for him with the New York Jets and the Cowboys, said his old coach is the more nervous of the two before going on the air – even if he won't admit it.
"He's genuinely scared," Johnson said.
Williamson, not shy with the anointing oil, believes Parcells is at the top of the coach-turned-analyst game.
"He's a Hall of Fame coach who connects with the NFL game," Williamson said. "He is relevant. He can take viewers places they can't see or get to."
There's an endless number of questions I wanted to ask Parcells about his former team. Like, how much credit does he deserve for the way it is shaping up? With luck, someone will ask him that on Monday. And about Romo, too.
Johnson had lots to share about his former Cowboys teammates. He'll be ready to fire away Monday night.
Hint: Don't expect lots of gushing when the subject is one of his former Cowboys quarterbacks:
"Tony Romo is playing very well, but let's not put him in Canton just yet," Johnson said. "He is playing as an above average quarterback. He has a long way to go to get to great. He's only played 14 games. Reggie Bush was great last year. He was the next Gale Sayers. Come on. What are they saying this season? I'm not building up. I'm not tearing down. I'm telling it like it is."
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc...ts/bhorn/stories/100607dnspohorn.2bd76fa.html
