DIESEL TROLL Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Monday, August 18 Parcells: 'Players need getting after around here' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press SAN ANTONIO -- Maybe the Dallas Cowboys have been too awed by the presence of their two-time Super Bowl champion coach. Bill Parcells thinks so. Parcells said Monday he walked out of a sloppy practice Sunday because he wanted players to realize they must correct their own mistakes -- and figure out how to do it -- instead of always looking to him for answers. "I told them yesterday, 'You've seen basketball games where teams are down two, then eight, then 12 and the coach still doesn't call timeout? Well, the reason is to try to get them to dig themselves out of trouble,''' Parcells said. "If you don't have a team that can do that, you'll never win. Because there will be trouble every week some time during a game.'' On the second-to-last day of training camp, Parcells had some other harsh things to say about his new team. He questioned the toughness of his quarterbacks, wondered whether his players have the right mindset and admitted they're all testing his patience. "Right now,'' he said, "things aren't going the way I want them to go.'' Parcells has been a winner everywhere he's been. The three previous teams he coached went from losing seasons before he arrived to making the playoffs his second season. He won two titles with the New York Giants, got the New England Patriots into the Super Bowl and led the New York Jets to the conference finals. First seasons, though, are about getting ready for the turnaround. With the Cowboys, that means cleaning up the problems on and off the field that caused three straight 5-11 seasons. "The players need getting after around here,'' he said. "We need to put the pressure on them and make them accountable. I don't care if we don't win a game, they are going to be accountable. ... "I don't have any idea what the dynamics of the team particularly are. All I know is it hasn't been very good around here for a while, and there's been reasons why. I'm here to try to do something different.'' Publicly, Parcells' emotions have remained intact. The most dramatic outburst came Sunday afternoon when he and his coaching staff calmly left the field and players continued practicing for another half-hour, even finishing it with wind sprints. "I reacted a certain way because I just don't want to waste my time,'' he said. "I wasn't looking for any response. I was just tired of watching what I was watching, that's all.'' Parcells blamed the entire offense for the dropped passes, interceptions and other ineptness that preceded his walkout. He didn't blame the quarterbacks for all the problems, but he did fault them for not doing more to try getting everyone to snap out of their funk. "If you can't stop the negative flow, you're not going to win, you're not going to have a chance to win, you're not going to have a chance to even be competitive,'' Parcells said. The practice was the first after a day off following a 34-6 victory over Houston in a preseason game. Dallas played far better in that game than the preseason opener, a 13-0 loss to Arizona. Still, there was no excuse for way things went Sunday. "I think guys just had a mental lapse, as a whole,'' running back Troy Hambrick said. "Mentally, you just hit a brick wall sometimes. Training camp gets very redundant and you get tired of going through the same motions.'' When camp opened, Parcells hoped to name a starting quarterback by the end, which is Tuesday. Now, the only announcement coming then will be which QBs he'll use in a preseason game against Pittsburgh on Thursday night. So far, he's only named Chad Hutchinson -- the only one not used against the Texans. Parcells has repeatedly said his main criteria for a starter is someone who can get the team into the end zone the most often. But he talked Monday about the other duties of the job that go "beyond dropping back and throwing the ball,'' such as being "a battlefield commander,'' the kind of take-charge person who could have stepped up during Sunday's wayward workout. "If the quarterback won't fight, you won't win. You've got to have a fighter playing that position,'' he said. "I've always felt that way.'' Asked whether Hutchinson, Quincy Carter, Clint Stoerner or Tony Romo sits to pee are fighters, Parcells said, "I'm not certain.'' Another problem Parcells has detected is that players are thinking about themselves more than the team. He used the analogy of football being like a symphony orchestra and 11 players must be in tune. He added that he doesn't need any one-man bands. "You got guys that are so worried about their situations, they forget why they're here,'' he said. "A lot of that, `I don't understand what my role is.' Well, maybe if you show me something you'd have a role.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedblue Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 That sounds like typical Parcells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief skin Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Seems to me thats what this team needs a swift kick in the a$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Originally posted by bleedblue That sounds like typical Parcells. Amen to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 That guy sounds like the kind of boss I never want to work for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Yes, but does he sound like the kind of coach you want to cheer for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Everything the Tuna does is for a reason. This is just more of his well known head games to motivate and evaluate the temperament of his players. I have no doubt that he'll be winning with them in a year or so while we're still trying to figure out how to get the ball snapped without a penalty.:shoothead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlinginSammy HOF '63 Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Anyone hear his bogus Texas accent during a press conference. Totally comical! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 I can't help but wonder if two years from now we'll be on a new coach and behind Dallas in the standings. Now, don't get me wrong, I hope that Spurrier can work out and he's here for the long haul. But you have to think that Parcells will end up getting 8 to 10 wins out of the Cowboys in the near future. And if Spurrier gets fed up and walks away...we're back to the drawing board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 "The players need getting after around here,'' he said. "We need to put the pressure on them and make them accountable. I don't care if we don't win a game, they are going to be accountable. ... ____________________________________________________ what would you have given to hear a sharp, direct comment like that from Spurrier aimed at the Redskins receivers who continue to drop balls and special teams that can't cover an ant in a glass :mad: I like the part about not caring about winning a game unless it is done the right way. This is something that will pay dividends even as the Cowboys may get their butts kicked in 2003 on talent alone. This is how Parcells turns clubs around. He forces them to make a commitment to winning and doing things efficiently. Or he gets rid of the players. Parcells would never acquire and continue to feed an underachiever like Stubby or Wilkinson. He works to move these players off the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Seems contrived.... classic Tuna stuff. Doubt... publicly question... create sound bites... bulletin board stuff for his own players. He'll have the ready to compete come first week in Sept..... I'm not buying this fluff piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 I'm with bulldog. Sometimes I wonder whether there's any more to Spurrier than a fancy system, a few tips for his QB's, and a brash attitude. That may be enough to get a committment out of a couple of previously success-starved college programs, but will it suffice in the NFL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskin56 Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 bulldog, couldn't agree with you more. This is EXACTLY what the Skins need. When was the last time that you saw a disciplined Skins team take the field? Low penalties, turnovers, mental errors? Parcells will take that team in the right direction. I only hope that SS can do the same and instill a sense of responsibility and professionalism back in DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Originally posted by redskin56 bulldog, couldn't agree with you more. This is EXACTLY what the Skins need. When was the last time that you saw a disciplined Skins team take the field? Low penalties, turnovers, mental errors? Parcells will take that team in the right direction. I only hope that SS can do the same and instill a sense of responsibility and professionalism back in DC. I think Spurrier has to step up and adhere to the same type of attitude you see in Tuna. It's not enough to bring a system to a team in the NFL and hope it works the way it did in college. There's more to it at this level. Most players - especially veterans - are thinking about how much money they'll be taking to the bank come payday. Money is the root of all evil. Without discipline and accountability, we'll only see turn overs and penalties this year. I'm with you redskin56. I, too, hope that the ole ball coach can conjure a team with heart and determination. Still remains to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaganaut Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Chris Farley... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophet Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 the media is in love with parcells, will they come after him like they did with SOS last year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo da Magnificent Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 No, because Parcells has SB rings to back up his rhetoric. SS will be a target until he wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 The players must be really stupid to buy into these "headgames" when they constantly read in the papers that Parcells is playing headgames with them. How can you be tricked into playing better when you know it's a trick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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