YOU can go home again. Bill Parcells can go home without problem when home is where the heartless (in the red zone) and the brainless (aiming for the hashmarks begs for an oblong ball to bounce out of bounds) have invited the ex-Giant and ex-Jet coach in for consecutive victories over his old teams.
“We might want to move our home field to New York,” said quarterback Quincy Carter. Indeed, after spending the first quarter throwing balls that his new coach says went “over the backstop,” the quarterback Parcells supposedly must change as soon as possible looked entirely comfortable on a 2-minute drill culminating in 13-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant and a gorgeous 42-yard strike to Joey Galloway that set up the killing Billy Cundiff field goal.
The Cowboys hung up a 17-6 shingle and with Arizona coming to Irving next week, are not yet out of opportune scheduling.
“We aren’t even around the first quarter,” Parcells insisted. But while this is just a start, it is a jumpstart and hardly a surprising one, what with his players already asking Tuna: “How high?”
“Everybody wants to be one of Bill’s guys,” said running back Troy Hambrick after a 31-yard touchdown punch up the Jets’ gut and a dominating 127 yards. “I asked him what more I could do to be one of his guys. He said ‘just keep sticking it in there.’ So I did. What he says, it works.”
Certainly this builds confidence faster than just “what I say goes,” aura being part of the package brought by a three-trick pony in turning around losing situations.
“He brings confidence that if we work and listen to him, good things will happen,” said owner Jerry Jones.
“In 1990, we won seven games after winning just one. I could see we were getting solid. Now, we are in a different system and a different NFL, but I can see our players maximizing their skills to Bill’s coaching. So I do feel our arrow is pointed up real good. “It’s motivating for me how quick you can turn this around in a game plan that fits [today’s] NFL. I don’t know if there are any 5-year plans anymore.”
The Jets have a 5-year plan to get a touchdown. Herman Edwards team, which impressively suffered few killer penalties or game-turning mistakes for two years is now roughing kickers, killing drives with fumbles, playing as dumb as the coach’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-three at the Dallas 10 with 2:38 left.
Three of the eleven points they needed for overtime were practically a gimme, not that anyone thought the Jets could actually get that far in Parcells’ House anyway.
“Obviously, I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say there’s some emotion there that’s different than any other place,” said Tuna. “I mean, hell, I grew up right up the street here and I have a lot of friends and family here today. There are players here that mean a lot to me, too.
“The way the league is now, the coaches are transient and the players are a little transient. But that doesn’t mean you forget the kids that bled for you. I think I saw almost every one of them I could [today]. I feel strongly for some of those guys on the other side. Herman has been resilient with this team and I think he’ll do it again this year.
“Because you get your confidence built up a little, I’m happy to get a win on the road.”
Mission accomplished, Parcells then hit the road from a home that for consecutive wins was anything but the literary “place where they have to take you in.” In fact, it was a great place to pick up a win against a Jet team that just can’t take it in.