Here’s a Bill the Cowboys won’t pay.
No private jet will touch down at Teterboro Airport, and Chris Mortensen won’t have to mediate a deal between the Dallas Cowboys’ owner and the former New England Patriots coach.
Anyone who follows, coaches, or participates in the NFL has come to accept the following because it’s Jerry Jones: The sun rising in the south should never be discounted.
That includes Jerry pulling a surprise move in early January 2002 by hiring Bill Parcells, the head coach of the New York Giants, New York Jets, and New England Patriots.
The Cowboys were coming off three consecutive 5-11 playoff-less seasons.
Now the Cowboys are coming off three consecutive 12-5 seasons.
Much like in 2001 under Dave Campo, it’s 2024 and we’re still speculating if Jerry will fire his coach, this time Mike McCarthy.
Even if the Cowboys bomb in the wild-card round and lose at home against the Green Bay Packers today at AT&T Stadium, it’s hard to fathom Jerry firing Mikey-Mike. But after three consecutive playoff years without reaching the conference title game, maybe Jerry says it’s time.
Jerry is just as apt to fire Mike as he is hand him a 50-year extension.
But Nick Saban just retired. Jim Harbaugh is expected to return to the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks made Pete Carroll leave his head coaching job. And the greatest pro football coach ever is available.
When Bill Belichick is available, you at least have to do your homework. And once you do your homework you’ll see that Belichick will not be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Jerry went down this path before, and he’s not apt to do it again. Not even for a Belichick.
Jerry has worked with a Belichick type before, with the man who happens to be his mentor.
Although Jerry’s four years as head coach under Bill Parcells did see the effective reconstruction of what had been a dismal roster, the experience wasn’t very enjoyable and there were no postseason victories.
Bill connected winning football games to a trip to the proctologist, while Jerry just wants to have fun. Parcells was the most sad person to have won a football game.
All he wanted was to escape the pain of losing at all costs; he was not motivated by the thrill of success but by the cycle of expectation that winning creates.
One of his former assistant coaches called Bill, “FHB:” Failed Human Being. (ouch); personally, I liked and learned so much from Parcells, but he was an acquired taste.
Belichick is a Parcells protege; the word “fun” fits Belichick the way your finger does in an electrical outlet.
At Belichick’s age (71), and resume, if he does want to continue coaching in the NFL, he will want control over personnel.
That’s basically what Bill had, although sometimes that power required some “negotiating” between himself and Jerry.
After Bill retired following the 2006 season, Jerry would gladly tell anyone with one working ear that by hiring Parcells he proved to the universe that he could do it “another way.” That meant he proved he could give over control.
Since the Cowboys promoted Will McClay to the position of vice president of player personnel, in 2014, how the team builds its roster is a strength. McClay is essentially the general manager without the title.
The title of “Dallas Cowboys general manager” belongs to the owner.
How this all would work with a Bill Belichick … does not seem feasible.
Since God created no better salesman in this, or any, lifetime what feels feasible is Jerry somehow selling anyone that it can work. The man could sell snow to a snow salesman.
If, for some reason, Jerry decides he wants to pursue Bill Belichick, he does have a card to play that will entice the coach.
The Dallas Cowboys are like “playing the big room” in Las Vegas, as Parcells famously remarked of them. Being a native New Yorker, Bill didn’t really enjoy living in this area, but he did appreciate the opportunity to coach the league’s most prominent team.
Being the head coach of the Cowboys is more like receiving a bag of 50-karat gold bars than a carrot for a coach with an ego, and they all have one.
He had already travelled this path with another Bill, and although he showed he could handle it, it wasn’t a great fit as it wasn’t all that enjoyable.
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