Parcells steps into Big D

Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones quickly found a replacement for Dave Campo, who was fired Monday, by hiring 61-year-old Bill Parcells on Thursday. Parcells, who has been away from the NFL for three years, has been working as a studio analyst on ESPN.

Parcells certainly brings an edge to the Cowboys that has not been seen since Jimmy Johnson. After three consecutive 5-11 seasons under Dave Campo, the Cowboys will be looking to resurrect their winning ways and it starts with Parcells.

Parcells will become the sixth head coach in franchise history. He last coached in the NFL with the New York Jets in 1999, a year the Jets went to the AFC Championship game.

He won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and reached a third with the New England Patriots. Parcells' career record is 138-100-1, with an 11-6 record in the postseason.

With the hiring of Parcells, most Cowboy fans will want to know if Jones will continue to distract the team with his sideline visits and make believe image that he is the real head coach. This will be interesting to see because Parcells, like Johnson, will not put up with such antics. Granted it is Jones' team, but he should know his place and just let Parcells coach.

Some of the obvious things that Parcells will be faced with is fixing the offense. Veteran Emmitt Smith is entering a year of uncertainty and there is some speculation that he would be moving on. Jones and Parcells would be wise to keep the NFL's career rushing leader in Dallas to finish his career, even if the economics of the decision makes no sense at all.

For the Cowboys to be successful, Parcells will need to find a quarterback to lead the team next season. Quarterback Chad Hutchinson finished the year as the starting quarterback, but with limited experience, he is too raw for a coach like Parcells. Look for the Cowboys to find a quarterback through free agency and then earmark one from the draft.

Quarterback Quincy Carter's days with the Cowboys may be numbered. He will probably be traded or released during the offseason. The Cowboys also have some problems on the offensive line with starting tackles Flozell Adams and Solomon Page heading for free agency.

The defense is pretty solid with La'Roi Glover, Greg Ellis, Kevin Hardy, and Roy Williams, however, there are some concerns in the secondary. The kicking game was terrible and will need to be addressed as well.

Parcells will have the task of getting a coaching staff together before tackling those issues, but he should be able to get a good group of veteran coaches to join him.

Jones deserves a pat on the back for this one because this is what you would call a "blockbuster deal," just don't screw it up Jerry. Yes, it should be an interesting 2003 season for the Cowboys and their fans because they just might have a little swagger again.

Any comments or questions? E-mail me at brianpehl@hotmail.com.