organ, and the misery of a December like he just lived through is not what Parcells wants as his final coaching memory.
But what Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells and the rest of the coaches and players and fans had to observe through the fourth quarter of the 2006 season is comepletly unacceptable. Drastic changes in the results must be made.
I'm not blaming Tony Romo the holder for the loss in Seattle. Not blaming the defense, which rose to the challenge of improving its play from the previous month. I don't know what the game plans were and I'm not qualified to criticize them if I did.
But I know why the Cowboys lost that playoff game in Seattle. They lost because the offense scored one touchdown. Against that defense on that day, they needed to score three. An offense that was one of the most prolific and varied in the sport for most of the year did not carry its weight in that game.
I want Bill Parcells to come back for one last hurrah as head coach. I want him to take a rest and then join Jones and personnel chief Jeff Ireland in identifying the personnel changes that must be made.
Some of the people they need are on campus. But they need pass rushers and dynamic game-changing wide receivers.
They need a lot of little tweaks, of course. They need improved play at both safeties, even if it comes from safeties they currently employ. They may need more speed on defense and they need a punt returner who can be a threat without exposing their best corner to constant concussions. They may need more corners.
They need to figure out why Julius Jones tailed off so toward the end of the year. (They actually may have already done this.) They need two quarterbacks: an established veteran capable of playing if Romo is injured or regresses, and a legitimate young one to train.
But mostly they need difference makers at receiver and pass rusher. A team with one serious pass rusher and a scheme that has that rusher running 15 yards down the field in coverage in the opposite direction of the quarterback is one that is going to end the season early.
And I want Bill Parcells to get the peace of mind that comes from examining the last two years when he took 7-4 teams to New York and finished the season 2-3, and figuring out how that happened. The dilemma is that Parcells has to be who he is, and right now he must be asking himself if who he is, is getting the job done.
Jerry Jones must also be asking that question.
Losing is losing. Everywhere but in soccer, when two teams take the field to start a game, one of them is destined to go home unhappy. Being non-competitive, on the other hand, is not an option. Losing to a 2-13 team on the last day of the season should not be an option.
Bill Parcells doesn't want to change and he doesn't want to lose, and he doesn't want to stop coaching. Jerry Jones wants Parcells back and he wants things to be different. And incidentally, if he told Parcells to stay home, who would he get right now who he knows would be better?
Whatever you choose to do is wrong. Act immediately.
