Oh Jim Reeves, try as you might, we're not taking the cheese. In this article in the DFW S-T, Reeves posits the argument that Bill Parcells isn't really in charge at Valley Ranch.
For all we know, the guy who once walked away from a job because he insisted that if he was going to bake the enchiladas, he'd also darn well be buying the tortillas, may now be doing little more than busing tables for Jerry Jones at Valley Ranch.
How does that make you feel, Cowboys fans?
It makes me feel like you got suckered by the master, Bill Parcells. I guarantee you if Bill wants his way about football matters, he gets it. Jerry Jones knows one thing right now; he's hitched his wagon to Parcells and intends to ride it to a Super Bowl. Just because Parcells isn't acting like a tyrant doesn't mean he's not in control of football related issues. If he didn't want Owens, if he truly thought it was a bad idea, he could've stopped it.
I think it's more the fact that the writer's can't believe that Parcells would welcome Owens, so they have to find a reason why he's doing it. The easiest and laziest path to that end is to blame Jerry Jones. They just can't recognize the fact that Parcells wants to win now and he thinks Owens is a receiver who can help him get there. I guess the Dallas media was expecting Parcells to consult them first, instead of his friends around the NFL.
In this DMN article, Tim Colishaw attacks the same issue - the decision making process - and comes out with his own theory.
Parcells talked more than he ever has about decisions at Valley Ranch being reached basically by a committee of owner Jerry Jones, personnel man Jeff Ireland and himself. And he acknowledged that he can be overruled, although he was trying to sound as if that wasn't the case with Owens.
It may have become clear to you he was trying to sell himself on Owens, but it sure didn't become clear to me. In fact, what I heard was a coach who genuinely likes the people he's working with, and a guy who's been given the reins to the team by Jerry Jones.
When Parcells complained about "buying the groceries" in New England, he made it clear he thought the people in charge didn't know what they were doing yet. It sounds like in Dallas he trusts Jeff Ireland as much as anybody nowadays, and Jerry has let Parcells hire the coaches, totally change the roster, bring his own "Parcells Guys" each year, and let him change to the 3-4 scheme which Dallas has never played before. Does this sound to you like Parcells isn't buying the groceries? That's why he's not complaining, that's why everything is kumbaya in Cowboy land; because Parcells is doing exactly what he wants. And it would only follow that Terrell Owens is one of the groceries he bought, who cares if it was Jerry Jones who suggested it.
Bad news for Drew Henson and the Rhein Fire. Drew had a stinker of a game (5/13 for 39 yards) and got pulled in the 4th quarter in favor of Timmy Chang. Chang rallied Rhein to a 14-13 lead late in the 4th quarter, but the Frankfurt Galaxy kicked a last second FG to win the game 16-14.
Dallas WR Tom Crowder had a nice game for Frankfurt including a TD catch. DB Lenny Williams also plays for Frankfurt, who moved into 2nd place in NFLE with the win.
Thank heavens for Matt Mosley, who actually printed some stuff about the Cowboys practice in his article this morning. I'll just run the whole section as homage to a reporter who is actually reporting. Thanks Matt.
Former Grambling defensive end Jason Hatcher (6-6, 285) showed impressive quickness for his size. He may not be as much of a project as first predicted. In one-on-one drills, Hatcher raced by helpless offensive linemen with nice swim moves ... The club usually brings in a handful of "workout" players during the minicamp. This year, the list includes 10 players, five of whom played college football in Texas. South Carolina running back Demetrius Summers (5-11, 214) was probably the most recognizable player on that list, which also included SMU linebacker D.D. Lee and kicker Chris McMurtray ... Listed at 6-1, 228 pounds, McMurtray appears to have stayed pretty close to the training table. The Cowboys may be in the market for a kickoff specialist because newly signed Mike Vanderjagt hasn't performed those duties since 2003 ... Summers and former SMU running back Keylon Kincade were the only backs in attendance. Kincade has spent time on the club's practice squad the past two seasons, but he's eligible to participate in the rookie camp because he's never been on the 53-man roster ... Pat McQuistan, taken in the seventh round, is enormous at 6-6, 314 pounds. His twin brother, Paul, went to the Raiders in the third round. The Cowboys watched a lot of film on Paul, a left tackle, leading up to the draft, but because his brother played next to him at guard, the club took notice ... Second-year wide receiver J.R. Tolver made several nice catches. He has terrific leaping ability and makes catches in traffic ... Coaches are already looking to see which players will be able to contribute to special teams. They had receivers and defensive backs run with brooms behind their backs in order to simulate what it's like to be a gunner ... The minicamp attracted 17 photojournalists, and 75 people attended Parcells' afternoon news conference
Mickey Spags vents for the fans and the frustrations they feel about the media in this candid article.