LittleRed212
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I thought I'd post a link to my column in here to see what everyone thinks. It's a whole lot easier than retyping it - it's about the retirement and my initial reaction to it all.
Link
Musing on the Tuna
Column by Tasha Dean
Earlier today, Bill Parcells effectively stole the limelight from the Colts and Bears by announcing his retirement after four years of coaching my beloved Cowboys.
My first reaction was shock - because Parcells had been a busy bee ever since the ‘Boys lost to the Seahawks. He did not seem like a coach who was about to step down from his job.
I’m surprised simply because of this: The Cowboys are good. Yes … Dallas might not have finished very strong, but this team is built for the future, and by future, I mean now … next season and many more to come.
The Cowboys finally have a quarterback in Tony Romo, they have a great one-two punch in running backs with Julius Jones and Marion Barber, they have multiple receivers who are threats, and the defense is young and talented. My tumultuous team came close to advancing to the next round of the playoffs, and I truly felt that Parcells would return next season because of the team’s potential to make that next big step.
Even though I’m shocked and might be a little bitter with how it all went down in the grand scheme of things, there is no denying the fact that there is an appreciation for what the Big Tuna has done for Dallas. He has left us in much better shape than what we were in when he took over. Whoever gets this head-coaching job will be locked and loaded. It’ll probably remind Cowboys fans of how Barry Switzer took over and won Super Bowl XXX with basically Jimmy Johnson’s team.
But nonetheless, there will be no full season with Romo at the helm and no redemption for how the season ended for Parcells.
But honestly, even though there will be what-ifs next season about unfinished business, I am not completely heartbroken over this. I’ve been a big complainer (a.k.a. an armchair quarterback) as to how the coaching staff handled the team this season. Dallas had talent, but it almost seemed as if Bill and the rest of the coaching staff did not possess the common sense on how to utilize any of it.
Receivers seemed obsolete, especially Terrell Owens. Running slants across the middle of the field is T.O.’s forte, not deep routes down the sidelines - anyone who has watched him knows that. Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton were often lost in the mix as well.
The defense completely fell apart and failed to make any type of adjustments down the stretch. The Greg Ellis injury hurt, but there was absolutely no excuse for how the ‘Boys kept getting exploited on D in the exact same ways every single week. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has since jumped ship for Atlanta.
The whole coaching staff has been shaken up, but I believe this will be a cleansing experience for the team and the fans. I know it will be for me, a person who often questioned the coaching staff’s decisions this season.
I often failed to see the Parcells that everyone came to know with the Giants and Jets – the old cantankerous guy that seemed like a ticking time bomb on the sidelines, ready to explode at any given moment. The camera would oftentimes show a Parcells who looked like he was tired, fed up, and complacent. Sometimes I would yell at him to get fired up. “Get mad, Parcells!” is what I kept saying during the season, especially when the ‘Boys made horrible mistakes, but it never seemed to actually happen. He just looked drained, most evidently on the sidelines and in press conferences. There was no fire … no passion … no life for the Cowboys in him. A writer being interviewed on ESPN said that if you can’t get any enjoyment out of it, why do it? In a nutshell, that’s what it is.
So it’s time for something new. There needs to be energy injected back into the organization, from the top on down. In the long run, this will be revitalizing for the whole team. Someone needs to come in and realize that he has inherited an extremely talented team. Someone needs to come in who has love, respect, admiration and most importantly, passion for one of the most high-profile jobs in sports. He needs to hold it highly and use the talent that’s been set before him. He needs to get mad when things do not go right, but also savor and find fulfillment when the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place.
And when the last piece does indeed find its rightful home, and Dallas wins a Super Bowl, a part of me will realize that Parcells laid all the pieces of the puzzle out on the table, but he just gave up too soon to put the finishing touches on it.
And honestly … I don’t quite know how I’ll feel about that. Did he quit on us? Did he get fed up? Did he lose his passion for the Cowboys and the game of football? Fans and players might not ever know, but the pictures and footage of him speak loudly.
So along with building a team that is close to returning back to glory, the uncertainty of why he retired is what the Tuna has left in Big D. But with the uncertainty comes the excitement of being able to start with something new and fresh – I guess you have give up a little to get a little.
Something tells me though that Cowboys fans will sooner or later have a deep admiration for the job Parcells did, even with his 0-2 playoff record. It may not be now, but when the ‘Boys win their sixth championship, we will not be able to hide from the fact that Parcells had a hand in it. He might not be pacing up and down the sidelines, but his presence will undoubtedly be felt.
There is no denying this: Parcells left Dallas in good shape. I guess at this point and time, the Cowboys and their fans cannot ask for much more than that.
Tasha Dean is a regular contributor to The New Dominion.
Musing on the Tuna
Column by Tasha Dean
Earlier today, Bill Parcells effectively stole the limelight from the Colts and Bears by announcing his retirement after four years of coaching my beloved Cowboys.
My first reaction was shock - because Parcells had been a busy bee ever since the ‘Boys lost to the Seahawks. He did not seem like a coach who was about to step down from his job.
I’m surprised simply because of this: The Cowboys are good. Yes … Dallas might not have finished very strong, but this team is built for the future, and by future, I mean now … next season and many more to come.
The Cowboys finally have a quarterback in Tony Romo, they have a great one-two punch in running backs with Julius Jones and Marion Barber, they have multiple receivers who are threats, and the defense is young and talented. My tumultuous team came close to advancing to the next round of the playoffs, and I truly felt that Parcells would return next season because of the team’s potential to make that next big step.
Even though I’m shocked and might be a little bitter with how it all went down in the grand scheme of things, there is no denying the fact that there is an appreciation for what the Big Tuna has done for Dallas. He has left us in much better shape than what we were in when he took over. Whoever gets this head-coaching job will be locked and loaded. It’ll probably remind Cowboys fans of how Barry Switzer took over and won Super Bowl XXX with basically Jimmy Johnson’s team.
But nonetheless, there will be no full season with Romo at the helm and no redemption for how the season ended for Parcells.
But honestly, even though there will be what-ifs next season about unfinished business, I am not completely heartbroken over this. I’ve been a big complainer (a.k.a. an armchair quarterback) as to how the coaching staff handled the team this season. Dallas had talent, but it almost seemed as if Bill and the rest of the coaching staff did not possess the common sense on how to utilize any of it.
Receivers seemed obsolete, especially Terrell Owens. Running slants across the middle of the field is T.O.’s forte, not deep routes down the sidelines - anyone who has watched him knows that. Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton were often lost in the mix as well.
The defense completely fell apart and failed to make any type of adjustments down the stretch. The Greg Ellis injury hurt, but there was absolutely no excuse for how the ‘Boys kept getting exploited on D in the exact same ways every single week. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has since jumped ship for Atlanta.
The whole coaching staff has been shaken up, but I believe this will be a cleansing experience for the team and the fans. I know it will be for me, a person who often questioned the coaching staff’s decisions this season.
I often failed to see the Parcells that everyone came to know with the Giants and Jets – the old cantankerous guy that seemed like a ticking time bomb on the sidelines, ready to explode at any given moment. The camera would oftentimes show a Parcells who looked like he was tired, fed up, and complacent. Sometimes I would yell at him to get fired up. “Get mad, Parcells!” is what I kept saying during the season, especially when the ‘Boys made horrible mistakes, but it never seemed to actually happen. He just looked drained, most evidently on the sidelines and in press conferences. There was no fire … no passion … no life for the Cowboys in him. A writer being interviewed on ESPN said that if you can’t get any enjoyment out of it, why do it? In a nutshell, that’s what it is.
So it’s time for something new. There needs to be energy injected back into the organization, from the top on down. In the long run, this will be revitalizing for the whole team. Someone needs to come in and realize that he has inherited an extremely talented team. Someone needs to come in who has love, respect, admiration and most importantly, passion for one of the most high-profile jobs in sports. He needs to hold it highly and use the talent that’s been set before him. He needs to get mad when things do not go right, but also savor and find fulfillment when the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place.
And when the last piece does indeed find its rightful home, and Dallas wins a Super Bowl, a part of me will realize that Parcells laid all the pieces of the puzzle out on the table, but he just gave up too soon to put the finishing touches on it.
And honestly … I don’t quite know how I’ll feel about that. Did he quit on us? Did he get fed up? Did he lose his passion for the Cowboys and the game of football? Fans and players might not ever know, but the pictures and footage of him speak loudly.
So along with building a team that is close to returning back to glory, the uncertainty of why he retired is what the Tuna has left in Big D. But with the uncertainty comes the excitement of being able to start with something new and fresh – I guess you have give up a little to get a little.
Something tells me though that Cowboys fans will sooner or later have a deep admiration for the job Parcells did, even with his 0-2 playoff record. It may not be now, but when the ‘Boys win their sixth championship, we will not be able to hide from the fact that Parcells had a hand in it. He might not be pacing up and down the sidelines, but his presence will undoubtedly be felt.
There is no denying this: Parcells left Dallas in good shape. I guess at this point and time, the Cowboys and their fans cannot ask for much more than that.
Tasha Dean is a regular contributor to The New Dominion.
