Well, if both Chris Mortensen and Will McDonough say it's true, then it must be true that Bill Parcells is on the verge of signing a four-year contract to return to the NFL and coach the Dallas Cowboys. Why do I say that? First of all, Mortensen is the one figure in the national sports media who consistently gives Cowboys owner Jerry Jones an even break, and it certainly doesn't hurt that he works with Parcells week in and week out on ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown. Something tells me his sources on this are pretty solid.
As for McDonough, here's what he had to say:
Bill Parcells is on the verge of finalizing a deal that will pay him $16 million-$17 million over four years to replace Dave Campo as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a source with personal knowledge of Parcells's thinking said yesterday.
An unnamed source with "personal knowledge of Parcell's thinking," is a common device used in the press that can only indicate that the source is Parcells himself. That's not a surprise, as McDonough probably spent plenty of time developing "Charlie Tuna" as a source during the coach's stay in New England.
What continues to puzzle me is how in the world Jones and Parcells can actually get along. Over the past several seasons, Jones has made no secret that he is the man pulling the levers behind the scenes when it comes to personnel decisions. Whether it was in front of ESPN cameras in the Cowboys "War Room" on draft day, or mugging for the folks at NFL Films as he led the dicussion on the Cowboys' final roster cutdown in the pre-season for HBO's Hard Knocks, it's clear that when it comes to decisions off the field, Jones is the one in control.
Fast forward to the 2003 NFL Draft next Spring: Am I the only person in the world who envisions seeing Parcells tear Jones a new one during a dispute over a draft pick? Then again, that might be the sort of drama that people would tune in to see.
But don't count on it. One of the first things Parcells will probably do will be to put the kabosh on stuff like that. Remember, Parcells, unlike many NFL coaches, bans any contact between the press and his assistant coaches. He runs a tight ship, and we should all expect the Cowboys ship to get a whole lot tighter with Parcells on board.
UPDATE: Parcells has told ESPN he's going to Dallas. While this is good short-term (3-4 seasons) news for Dallas, it's bad news for the rest of the NFC East.
Instead of counting on 2 gimme wins on the schedule, you can bet Parcells will have the Cowboys more competitive right off the bat. Just a tip of one or two games on the schedule means that Philadelphia, New York, or Washington will have that much tougher of a time qualifying for the 1 or 2 seeds in the playoffs, as well as a bye and homefield advantage.
If this all goes down, check out Dallas’ schedule for next year. Home against the Giants, and then away versus the Giants, Jets, and Patriots. It will be one big, happy reunion for Parcells and his former teams.