Changes leave many questions

By Gary Geffen Sports Central Columnist

If Goebbels's propaganda machine, SUVs, and the hunt for weapons of mass destruction have taught us anything, it is that hype works, but eventually, reality sets in. The great sense of honesty and rationalization of talent, past and future decisions, and overall frankness of everyone associated with the 2003 Dallas Cowboys makes one ponder: is this Jerry Jones' Cowboys? It is like opening up the newspaper to two-inch bold headlines proclaiming WORLD PEACE DECLARED: POOR TO ACTUALLY GET FED. Talk about shock and awe.

Last season, the Cowboys were consumed by the imminent breaking of the NFL's rushing-record by one of their own, and the quality of the team became secondary to the pomp and circumstance of the show. The organization gorged themselves on a buffet of media-fat and low-nutritional talent that would put Ponderosa to shame. Even Emmitt himself has been quoted as saying that last season "was the worst year I ever went through playing football." That there was "too much damn drama ... too much selfishness by too many guys on the team" and "too much media frenzy around the team."

Emmitt's run with history overshadowed the truth: the team sucked and the head coach sucked. Though the truth was out there and more apparent than falling in elephant dung, loyal as ever to anyone attached to his now faded Super Bowl glory years and his own ego, owner Jerry Jones stuck with his Oompa Loompa like head coach Dave Campo, who if nothing else was consistent at 5-11. Moreover, Jones re-qualified his beliefs in a smart draft pick, by sticking with Quincy Carter at quarterback. Okay, so he did bring in Chad Hutchinson to compete, a guy three years removed from college football that was in the St. Louis Cardinals baseball organization. Way to push the incumbent.

But this year, Jerry Jones, with his Pontius Pilot -- like washing of the hands of his old philosophy, swallowed his pride, and with the hiring of Bill Parcells essentially admitted that his way was now the highway. Jone's sudden about face makes the challenge of legalizing marijuana look like getting change for a dollar (which, as some readers have experienced, is not the easiest thing to do while trying to plug a meter on Wall Street).

Consider this: of the four previous coaches Jerry has hired, none had one game of NFL head coaching experience. Now, much like a married man of 25 years who just divorced his wife in favor of his gay-lover, Jones has made a total about face in consideration and turned to Bill Parcells, a man with two Super Bowl victories and a reputation of turning a perennial looser into championship contenders that rivals Lee Iacocca.

Gone is the intrusive Hard Knox, the NFL's first reality-show that covered the Cowboys last year, giving football fans an inside look into training camp. Also disappearing is the blaring music during practice. Replacing distractions are stringent rules ranging from press conferences that start exactly at 11:30 AM, rookies with star-less helmets (stars must now be earned by all rookies), and the banning of Cowboys mascot "Rowdy," who is no longer allowed on the field at the Alamodome and can only make appearances in the stands after practice has ended. Once Rowdy mistakenly thought practice was over and started to take the field. Assistant coaches quickly escorted him away.

This year's camp is focused on what exactly the Cowboys have, and the truth is, not even Parcells has a grip on that yet. The Tuna has been rotating his two quarterbacks with different running backs and centers on almost every drill. While Quincy Carter may be working with the first-string center and second-string RB, Chad Hutchinson is working with the first-string RB and second-string Center and vice-versa. But the confusion goes beyond even that.

"I don't really know what I have yet. I'm uncertain about the starting role at all the positions. I'm not certain about any of them," said Parcells, and he even indicated that he may go to a "running back by committee," a strategy that worked for him with his NY Giant 1990 Super Bowl champion team. From center to cornerback to kicker, nobody has a secure job on the Cowboys.

Only La'Roi Glover, Dallas's lone Pro Bowler last season, has come remotely close to publicly being awarded a position when Parcells said he was "leaning strongly" to starting him on the defensive line. Even Dallas's depth-chart has Carter and Hutchinson listed as co-first-stringers.

There is no doubt that the 2003 Cowboys will be a better team, the hiring of coach Parcells alone will take care of that. The discipline on last years team was less profound than "Football in the Groin", the film that Homer Simpson picked to win Springfield's Film Festival.

It could be the best 7-9 team in football. With the acquisitions of former Parcells players like FB Ritchie Anderson and WR Terry Glenn, and another solid draft that includes Terrance Newman, Al Johnson, and Jason Whitten, the fat has definitely been trimmed, but this team can still pinch more than an inch. It remains to be seen who, if any, of the current Dallas employees at RB and QB can lead the team to respectability.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.