There are reasons this 4-4 record feels like the end of the world to Cowboys fans. Two very valid reasons.
One, this is Bill Parcells.
Two, these are the Cowboys.
It's not as if Parcells took over some wretched franchise in 2003. These aren't the Giants or the Jets.
The Cowboys have won as many Super Bowls as anybody (five). Been to more Super Bowls than anybody (eight). Only franchise that has seen three coaches win Super Bowls.
More conference championship appearances than anybody (16) in the Super Bowl era.
So Cowboys fans' expectations differ from those poor folks who shiver in Giants Stadium and who, in the Giants' case, had not been to a title game in 20 years before Parcells showed up or, in the Jets' case, had not been to a Super Bowl in more than 25 years when Parcells arrived.
Here, people expect titles, even though they understand there are going to be a few lulls.
There was The Expansion Era lull that lasted six years (1960-'65). There was the Game Has Passed Tom By and the Jimmy Hasn't Quite Caught On Yet lull that lasted eight years (1983-'90).
There was the Jerry Wants To Show the World It Wasn't Jimmy lull that lasted from the team's last playoff win after the 1996 season right up to the day in December that Jones interviewed Parcells near the end of 2002.
And that was supposed to be the end, right?
When Jerry had his epiphany while seated on the runway at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, when he went from the "I Don't Need a Football Man, I Am a Football Man" philosophy to the "Hey, I Got a Great Idea, I'll Hire a Football Man" approach, all was supposed to be right with the Cowboys.
The convergence of the franchise's history with Parcells' résumé meant that we no longer had to view Chan Gailey's brief stay here as "The Golden Years."
Or so we thought.
Midway through his fourth season here, Parcells has no stamp on this team. Terrell Owens showboats and preens on the sidelines, and Parcells looks away. A heavily penalized team plays without discipline and sometimes without emotion.
To understand why the Cowboys, at 4-4, are the NFC disappointment equivalent to a 4-4 Cincinnati team, one needs only to check a set of numbers.
The Cowboys have managed to forge a .500 record outscoring opponents by 59 points. What?
The Cowboys have outscored their opponents by a greater margin than the 6-2 Giants, than the 6-2 Saints, than the 6-2 Broncos. They have outscored their opponents by the exact same figure as the 8-0 Colts.
A team that wins by routes but loses all the close games is a flawed one.
The opportunities have been there for the Cowboys to take charge of the NFC East. They played the Redskins once without Clinton Portis and once without Santanta Moss. They split those games.
What makes this even harder on Cowboys fans is watching the continued progress of Parcells' protégé, Bill Belichick. He has lost coordinators, he has lost good players at key positions, and he still has the Patriots in the hunt at 6-2.
Even when Tom Brady threw an uncharacteristic four interceptions, Belichick had the Patriots in the game against the Colts.
I don't subscribe to the theory that says the Giants' two Super Bowl wins were more about Belichick than Parcells. But clearly his former defensive coordinator played a big role in those victories and, with three Super Bowl rings and a competitive team, has established himself as the NFL's best coach of the 21st century.
What has New Bill figured out that Old Bill hasn't?
The Cowboys have a chance for a fresh start in the second half. The kindly schedule maker has them going to Arizona to play the league's only one-win team.
Maybe that will be the start of something grand. Maybe the Cowboys will rescue the season and Parcells will restore his reputation.
The number of people who envision Parcells making that happen is decreasing with each defeat. I know what Jones would say about it.
But I am wondering where the Cowboys owner really stands on that belief.
E-mail wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com
