It is so sad to see the quick dismantling of the foundation built in the too short Parcells era in Dallas. It has been well noted that perhaps Parcells lost something as a coach. We as fans were tired of ultra conservative style of play. But, there is no question that this organization has taken a giant step backwards in the wake of his departure.

Jerry was stuck. After three straight 5-11 seasons, he did something that surprised a lot of people—he hired a coach with a very strong personality. Parcells became the de facto leader of the organization. Jerry, of course, retained the final say in the personnel department (which seemingly led to Parcells' early departure when Jerry forced TO on him), but for awhile, it seemed like Bill was leading them in the right direction. For a brief moment, it felt like we were once again building a winner. Then came the debacle in Seattle, followed by Parcells’ departure, followed by Jerry’s biggest blunder—hiring Wade Phillips.

Under Wade Phillips:

--the team has become soft

--Jerry seems to have no one to check his excesses

--Our once promising QB has regressed into a celebrity quarterback

--TO has become the leader of the locker room

This all adds up to the incredible disappointment we feel as fans. And it seems as if there is no end in sight. The window of opportunity created by the Parcells era is beginning to close, and the Cowboys have nothing to show for it other than a collection of overpaid, underachieving players. If we knew then what we know now, here’s how it should have happened: Jerry recognizing that Parcells was invaluable to his success, would have given him a prominent position in the front office with a say in all personnel decisions. The Jerry/Bill duo would have hired Sparano as the HC. Todd Bowles would have taken over as DC and Todd Haley would have been OC. TO would have to either buy in or get out. Romo would have stuck to the 10 commandments of quarterbacking and would now be progressing into one of the leagues better quarterbacks. Instead, Jerry happened. It is so hard to change as a person in this life. Often, we think we have left our demons in the past, and then they rear their ugly heads in the present. Jerry repeated the mistake he made with Johnson. In the mid nineties, he failed to realize what Jimmy meant to the organization, more tragically, he took Johnson’s success as his own. He did the same with Parcells—once again, he mistook Parcells’ success as his own and failed to realize how much Parcells meant to the organization. That, it seems, is Jerry’s demon—he has a desperate need to be seen as the guy in Dallas. When we as fans recognize that Jerry wants to win, it should come with a caveat. Jerry wants to win. But more than that, he wants to win his way. He does not want to be in anyone’s shadow. He wants the credit. It’s sad, really. This is why Jerry and TO are soulmates. Both want to win, but they are only happy if they are integral to their team’s success. Neither are happy with being role players. Both have to be the stars. Jerry sees so much of himself in TO. That’s why Jerry can’t quit TO.