Jones: Parcells Planning to Stay a While

That’s great news. Bill is buidling something special at Dallas and continuity is king. Hopefully in a few years (3-4 years) we’re struggling to keep our assistant coaches (because of our success) and wondering when Zimmer will take over as head coach.

My knock on Parcells – he played Henson for only 2 quarters last year. I’m with Troy Aikman that young quarterbacks benefit from the early experience. Aikman himself said Henson should play to learn. Watching Vinnie drag his old bones out there against the Giants was an exercise in futility.

I think Bill will stick around after 06 as Head Coach……..he had a banner draft and he has a lot of youth on this team. He walked away from a Patriots team before it matured………he walked away from the Jets before it matured………

He ain’t got another shot after this, not at his age this is it. I would even say if he won a Super Bowl he comes back to repeat. Then he takes a Part Time job as either GM or Draft Advisor for the Dallas Cowboys and hand picks his successor……..possibly Zimmer, I know Jerry and Bill both like Mike if not he might reach out to another Parcells guy to run the team………either way this Parcells Jones marriage has been a very surprisingly quiet one indeed.

I think we are not the only ones that know Jerry firing Jimmy cost us a Super Bowl………or Two. Jerry seems to have mellowed with age a bit!!!!

that is excellent news, id love to see parcells stay even after 2006 even if hes not the coach but as a draft expert, consultant, or something for us. i think we are deffinetely heading in the right direction to be serious contendors in a few years.

Car,

While I agree with the assessment on Parcells and Henson.

Look at what Henson has done this offseason. Also look at the YEARS taken off of Troys career his first year with all thos sacks. Now let’s say Drew Bledsoe, Jones, Witten, and Glenn gets us a lead or two in a game. Now you can send in Henson or even Romo for mop up duty. You have an improved O line this year and a rushing attack and depth at RB…….something we have not had in 2 years. Henson is working his but off, and look at another guy that played for Bill that hated it while he played but came home as soon as he could…………..Bledsoe.

If Henson can improve enough another year behind a guy like Bledsoe is not hurting our cap or our team. I think we are in a better QB spot than people think. Drew Henson is NOT TROY aikman talented……..but he can work on getting there.

He’s the best in the business, so of course I hope BP sticks around for years.

But I also agree with Carioca about Henson. I was very critical last year for not playing Henson more toward the end of the season.
What does everyone think about Henson?

He looked great late in the game against the Ravens, and although he didn’t show much against the Bears on Thanksgiving, he was never given a chance. BP kept him on such a short leash. You can’t succeed in the NFL if you have to play ultra conservative all the time. The players are just too good.

Do you guys think that BP may have already pegged Henson as a lifetime backup in this league?

I trust that Parcells must see something in practice and in the Bears game that we didnt pick up on. If our D improves and Bledsoe doesn’t lose us any games like Vinny did last season, Henson probably wont see the field. Bill thinks that we have a playoff caliber team, so I dont think he would risk putting a 2 year guy (basically a rookie) in there to man the offense.

Has anyone heard what the coaches are saying about Woody Dantzler. I wonder if they like what they see from him at Safety.

I’m sure that’s Jerry’s HOPE. But we all know, that if for some reason our optomism turns to depression because the team fails to live up to expectation that that will crush Parcells. The guy has had his nose to the grind stone and I just think if things don’t get better his health won’t be able to take it.

there was a write up on the cowboys site about Dantzler…….i dont remember it all that complimentary of his time at Safety in NFLE…….

Maybe he can make the club as a pure special teamer and sometime FS? Who knows I sure liked him returning kicks though.

There was never a doubt in my mind that Parcells was going to see through his current contract, but I’d agree with most on this site that it’s not a shock that he will stay beyond 2006. No one wants to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to turn a team from loserdom to winners without enjoying some of the success. If Parcells leaves after next year, he may find himself missing out on a possible string of championships like he did in New England. Let’s face it, he stocked both the Patriots and the Jets while those respective head coaches (Bellichek) are getting all the credit for their teams success. People forget who really built those teams.

everybody watch out for keith davis, according to mickey he’s doing pretty good in the off-season, http://www.nfl.com/partners/aol?

I watched Dantzler this weekend in an NFLE game broadcast on the NFL Network and I saw both good and bad. These were my observations:

The good was, as Jon notes, his kick returns. Although I only saw two, he was elusive in one return and picked up about twenty yards but it was called back for a kicking infraction. On the ensuing return, he made one guy miss but couldn’t elude the pursuit making a short return. But, statistically he’s being out played by teammate, LaMont Brightful (NYG) who, depending on where you look, has either a 28.0 or a 29.7 yd. KO return avg. and a TD to Woody’s 18.3 avg. Woody looks bulkier than I remember especially in the upper-body and I always thought he was thin in calves and thighs, but they look developed too.

The bad: On defense, Dantzler is again being out gunned by CB Brightful with 14 total tackles and 5 PDs to Woody’s 11 & 2 (which I think were his numbers before the game). Dantzler did not impress me at all in his run support. It seemed lacking and slow for a guy with so much speed, indicating to me that he doesn’t want to hit unless he has to. He seemed to prefer to wait for the line backers to make the tackles—he was always running up to the pile just as the runner was taken down, but you could see him in the picture pursuing the play throughout. I can’t attest the distance he was covering or the blocks he was shedding (lol) but he just looked “reluctant” to me. I didn’t see him on pass coverage but I did see him get laid out on a nasty block.

Based on this performance, I think it will be tough for BP to justify a spot on the active roster for Woody as a safety; maybe on the practice squad if he even qualifies. He may be in less danger of being signed away off the street this time around too. I’m a proponent of having him on the team because of the return skill and I’m a fan of his, but I think he should be assigned as a RB or WR. Anyway, that’s my take on him, take it for what it’s worth.

as far as henson goes some qb’s take a lil while to become starting qb. look at farve, steve young, terry bradshaw was not good his first years. if im not mistakin i bet the falcons wish they had farve 5 years ago. obviosly theres talent there noone doubts that but maybe bill sees him needing a lil more time. our offensive line was decent last year but a young guy like drew needs some time and a coach whose willing to lose while he matures, and i dont think bill is that coach. bill is gonna wait till drew is fully ready to go, to take over this offense then hell be in.

you need guys that are special teamers as well. aka bill bates 1 of my fav players groing up at the end all he did basically was special teams. if dantzler can cover on kickoffs and we already know he can return kicks then maybe he could make the team

Most of what Bill Bates did his entire Career was special teams.

He played a bit at Safety, Some in Nickel packages and some formations at LB on passing downs………but his entire career was made on the Special Teams plays he used to bring the WOOD………Madden Loved him. He was ALL MADDEN every year.

I think that based on this draft, BP will stay for a while. Last year was trying for him, but I don’t think he wants to walk away from it so soon, especially because it appears he and Jerry have a good relationship. Both of them have mellowed with age.

As for Henson, the fact that we did not draft a QB, even in the later rounds, shows that BP and Jones think Henson is better than anyone available at the time, even Aaron Rodgers. Henson after all, IS our 3rd round pick this year. We just got him last year, instead of this year. The acquisition of Bledsoe gives us the luxury to let Henson develop and not throw him to the wolves right away.

Regardless of which QB was available at the time we drafted 11th, our needs on defense were much bigger than our needs at QB, and Bledsoe pretty much solidified that. Don’t forget that BP is still a Running game, ball control and defense kind of guy, and his desire to switch to the 3-4 defense pretty much dictated our draft.

With the changes we’ve made to the front 7 and our running back depth, I see us in the thick of things in the East this year, if not outright win it, with all the turmoil surrounding the Eagles this off season. Don’t forget, our defense was ranked #1 just two years ago. My biggest concern is the loss of Woodson’s leadership, but the signing of Aaron Glenn should help our young DBs a lot.

As for Dantzler, I really like him returning kicks as well, but unless he can show that he’s a special teams monster, he may not make the team. He may end up on the practice squad. Bill Bates made a career on the suicide squad, because he could HIT, and his motor was always running! Jon – I agree with you, Bill Bates is still one of my favorite all time Cowboys! I was so happy for him and Jim Jeffcoat to finally get their Super Bowl rings, after all those years in the cellar. Anyone remember Babe Laufenberg at QB?

Let’s go for #6 ’Boys!

Had Quincy Carter been our QB last year, and we had gone 10-6 we would not be worrying about Henson as much.

The problem is we all watched Interceptaverde at QB. Although the guy threw some yards…….and a td or two……..he even came in and won possibly his best game against CHI, but no fan likes watching a 41 year old at QB………unless he was Joe Montana or Roger Staubach and we were in the Super Bowl.

We want a guy that is going to win today and TOMORROW.

Excellent point we passed on QBs a plenty in the this draft and you got to say BP has been a pretty good yard stick for a QB. Drafting Hostetler, Bledsoe, and Pennington………and making Phil a better QB than he ever would have been. I also think Dallas is pretty impressed with Tony Romo. Otherwise I think they would have done something else. FA or draft or something. I think they like the two young guns with low salary back there……..and you know what……..it might be the best thing………they are off everybody elses radar……….

Does anybody remember Henson at Michigan? The Freshman had Senior Tom Brady on the BENCH, which is part of what made Brady slip in the draft.

He has been in pinstripes too long shagging flies………lets give him a little time. Another guy that spent FIVE YEARS out of FOOTBALL on a a TOUR IN VIET NAM and then was second fiddle to Craig Morton……….became a Hall of Fame Quarterback and as classy a guy as has ever been on the football field…………..Captain Comeback………….Roger Staubach!!!!

I am hoping Henson makes a great Camp showing and really makes Bledsoe better to beat him out. Believe me when I say Bledsoe has fears of Henson replacing him in week 10 or 11 with the Cowboys heading to the Playoffs……..and Henson becomes the next Hostettler and Tom Brady……….Bledsoe wants to beat Brady and Belichek as much as Bill Parcells does………..

That is my wish for a Super Bowl…………Big Bill vs. Lil Bill……….imagine the Press Conferences.

I want to win now like everyone else and Dallas has made amazing progress this off-season. But until we have a long-term answer at quaterback, we don’t really have a long term answer.

I agree that if BP did not think Henson could develop, he would have picked someone up in FA or the draft, but he didn’t. I remain optimistic.

Hey!! Testaverde would have been a nice back up last year. At one time was a good QB, but with age his reads were bad. More than anything else though, he followed one receiver with his eyes, especially if he read a blitz was coming. A few times I saw his eyes locked onto one receiver, and teams just jumped that receiver’s route, and Vinny still threw the ball to him. Testaverde just didn’t have what it takes to be a full time starter in the NFL, all his resources and his skills were deminished.

Jon, I’ll give it to you here. You hit the ball right on the head!! Never was this more clear than seeing Chad Pennington come off the bench and do what he did. Clearly Chad doesn’t have the strongest arm, but his knowledge of the game and ability to lead allowed him to succeed. Years on the sideline meant a great deal to Pennington’s maturity as a football player. Let these two young QBs mature and get comfortable.

Hey …like mentioned, Henson was our 3rd pick…do you think he would still have been on the board when it came our time to pick again in round 3? My guess – he would have been long gone on potential alone…so that is a pretty solid pick up…give him time…I know we all hope he is the ‘Answer’ – time will tell, at least the effort is there. I mean 5000+ tosses means he is giving it his best…

Those are good points about Pennington. I don’t mind waiting for Henson to develop (or Romo). My question was whether anyone had a feel for whether BP still considered Henson to be a future starter. Seems like the jury is still out, but if the draft and FA indicate anything, BP seems to be willing to wait like the rest of us.

Testaverde with a healthy Julius Jones in the first half of the season I say we make the playoffs LAST YEAR> Testaverde was just about done by the time Jones got healthy. Glenn goes down midway hurting our WR corp, and Vinny showed his age after that shoulder injury. I actually agree Vinny is was a pretty good QB, he never had that killer winning instinct……..but hey very few QBs do. He was a lot better at his age than Chandler or a few years back

Testaverde’s are was done after that shoulder injury and his age started to show. Not knocking his conditioning, just father time stops for NO ONE. He would have been a perfect back up which is what we brought him in for. Unfortunately, he had to be the starter……..that was asking a little much. He played better than a lot of other qbs earning more money than he was. I am not sure there was a QB in the league that would have done much better with the offensive line, Running Back of Eddie George……….and Starting reciver Glenn goes down………Michael Vick maybe but hey he is as much RB as QB so other than that guy.

However, I like the backfield the Cowboys have assembled this year. I mean even if we lost at Julius or Barber we still got a young proven NFL back in A Train…….and another young en in Tyson Thompson……..lot better than the options last year………

If Dallas can add another good WR next year, and the Offensive Line Develops……….Julius Jones will make whoever is QB look a lot better!!!!

vinny wasnt bad at all he had what to work with there, julius injury,glenn injured an o-line that was not good on the right side, all he had was keyshon and whitten. no running game = no passing game.

Vinny hrut himself under pressure by trying to force the ball to Keyshawn. Morgan and Glenn were hurt and he didnt trust the rookies. Almost all his INT’s came from forcing the ball to KJ. Hopefully we can stay healthy and Bledsoe won’t make those mistakes. With JJ healthy, and depth behind him, we are going to run it down teams throats and keep our Defense rested. We are going to scare teams next season and the next couple of years. We have a good line but need a RT. Maybe Petiti is our guy, you know hes big but can he keep up with the quick pass rushing DE’s.

Bill Parcells signing a contract extension is all I want for Christmas.

I think Vinny did a great job last year considering he had no running game until Julius came back, and Glenn was gone for most of the season as well, plus Morgan was new to the system. With a healthy Keyshawn, and Glenn, plus more familiarity for Morgan, I think we’ll be fine.

As for the OL, I sure hope Vollers and Tucker are able to hold down the fort at RT. I would rather see Petitti on the left side, because Larry Allen is getting long in the tooth, and who knows how much gas he has left in the tank. Rogers had trouble adjusting to RT last year, so I see him backing up on the left side as well. I’m so glad we got Rivera!

Jon is right, a healthy Julius Jones will make any QB look better!

John, I think Parcells will be here beyond 2006. He has something going here in Big D, plus he and Jerry are getting along. They’ll address our missing pieces in next year’s draft and off-season. You’ll get your Crhistmas present!

TunaMan will stay until he gets a couple more SB rings, AS LONG AS JJ DOESN"T GET ON HIS NERVES TOO MUCH!

I was throwing a fit when they pulled Henson on Thanksgiving. Then I reviewed the Ravens game on TIVO and noticed that the Ravens unbelivealbly did not blitz Henson. The Bears blitzed Henson every snap, you’d have thought that jerk buddy ryan was at the other sideline. Henson was frazzled. I’m excited about the QB situation know. I never liked the Vinni experiment.

Keeping Parcells is certainly very important. However I believe assistant coach Maurice Carthon will undoubtably be much more important to the franchise in the very near future! He is one of the brightest minds not coaching his own team.

The boys are fine at qb. Thats the least of their problems. Many teams have proven “servicable” qbs can lead a mediocre team to the playoffs and beyond. As last year proved, defense and a decent ground attact can lead to great outcomes.

You are so right. The boys can win with Bledsoe, who many believe to be only “servicable” at this stage of his career. I expect Bledsoe to do what Vinny didn’t. Come to Dallas, be expected to start, and right the ship.