Parcells talk shows Jones may have new game plan in Dallas

By Jaime Aron

The Associated Press

IRVING, Texas -- Even if Bill Parcells never settles in behind the desk currently being used by Dave Campo, he's already had a giant impact on the Dallas Cowboys.

He's gotten Jerry Jones to at least consider changing his way of running the team.

That Jones spent five hours talking to Parcells indicates that the owner-general manager has realized his way of doing things isn't working. Jones may have finally decided he'd rather share credit for winning than keep getting blamed for losing.

The Cowboys have turned into perennial also-rans under the last two coaches Jones hired, Campo and Chan Gailey. Both were career assistants so happy to get their big break that they accepted the restrictions Jones placed on them.

Now that Jones has seen where that formula got him, he's ready to start over.

And after spending $40 million in bonuses last offseason on a team that's now 5-10, Jones might do something drastic to appease sponsors and the ticket-buying public.

Hiring a "football guy" to be general manager is out of the question for Jones because it would be an admission of weakness. Yet, he could get away with hiring a strong coach whose input would be highly valued.

While that sounds logical, it's not so simple, at least not for Jones.

Spending a lot on a coach is something he's never been willing to do. He's also relished dictating the type of offense the team runs and which coordinators and assistant coaches implement it.

But Jones wouldn't have flown to New Jersey and spent five hours talking to Parcells if he wasn't ready to make changes.

Jones is said to be looking for someone whose reputation precedes him, demands respect in the locker room, and whose no-nonsense approach will immediately motivate players, even if it's out of fear.

Parcells fits that description, probably better than most. Mike Holmgren could, too, although he's still under contract in Seattle. Former Vikings coach Dennis Green is at the top of some teams' lists.

There could even be a college coach or two.

Whoever it is will have to be strong-willed enough to try telling Jones what to do. It'll be his job to get Jones to back off from making draft-day choices like Quincy Carter, and midseason moves like bailing out on Carter.

Jones seemed to indicate as much on Sunday when he said, "I'm a salesman and there's nobody that can get to me quicker than another good salesman."

Something to remember about Jones is that making decisions isn't what drives him. It's getting credit for the decisions that he wants.

Jones wants to be seen as THE authority. That was the bottom line in his power struggle with Jimmy Johnson and it likely was what Jones was referring to Sunday when he said, "I don't know if I am what I'm perceived to be."

But Jones could be setting himself a trap.

If Parcells comes in, starts winning and does his best to make it look as if Jones is the mastermind, will anyone believe it?

Jones would certainly be praised for bringing in Parcells, then the rest of the gushing would center on Parcells' Midas touch.

Whether Parcells wants to deal with that possible scenario is among many things he must decide if indeed Jones makes him an offer.

Presuming Parcells believes he can tolerate Jones, there are other reasons to wonder why he wants this job.

It can't be only about money -- reportedly around $3.5 million per season -- because he probably could get that much, or more, elsewhere.

And other teams might be closer to a turnaround than the Cowboys, who are 39-56 since their last playoff win in 1996.

Yet there's one undeniable lure, the trump card Jones plays in every negotiation: These are the Dallas Cowboys.

Win in Jacksonville and you've accomplished something. Win in Dallas and you've resurrected "America's Team."

Campo understands the highs and lows, having been with the team since Jimmy Johnson's first staff. His loyalty over 14 years is part of the reason why Jones isn't going to fire him this week.

There's no point in ruining Campo's Christmas, at least not more than it already is. Besides, somebody has to coach the finale, so it might as well be the person getting paid to do it.