Bill Parcells needs to make a decision about whether he wants to coach the Cowboys by the end of the business day. Contractually, Parcells has until Feb. 1 to make a decision. But this isn't about what's written on a piece of paper stashed in a file cabinet somewhere at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch training complex. This is about right and wrong.
Parcells owes it to Jerry Jones, who has paid him nearly $20 million over the past four years, to remove the team from limbo. And Parcells owes it to the assistants, whose contracts expire in the next couple of weeks, because they need to find jobs if he's leaving.
Two weeks is long enough.
And if Parcells can't make a decision, then Jerry must do it for him – and fire the future Hall of Fame coach.
Parcells has been arriving at work each morning and putting in a full day before returning to his Irving condo. What's left to think about?
This job is too difficult for Parcells to convince himself to do it. Either he has the energy and stamina to coach or he doesn't. It's no different than players. The game is too painful for guys to convince themselves to play. They either want to play or they don't.
Besides, the 65-year-old Parcells has not earned the right in Dallas to take his time making a decision. This is not about his Hall of Fame résumé or his two Super Bowl championships. This is about his 34-32 record here, zero playoff wins and too many December swoons.
As you read this, the Cowboys are the only team in the NFL without direction. Think about that.
The hapless Oakland Raiders and their delusional owner – Al Davis still thinks the Raiders are synonymous with excellence – have fired Art Shell and started interviewing replacements.
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, who had earned the right to take his time making a decision about his future, told the Steelers he was quitting a few days after the season ended. Most figured the Giants would fire Tom Coughlin after the disappointing end to their season. Instead, the Giants gave him a one-year contract extension.
The Chargers took the same philosophy with Marty Schottenheimer, who's reportedly not even on speaking terms with GM A.J. Smith. Get this: Even Arizona, the NFL's worst-run franchise, has hired a new coach after firing Denny Green. Pittsburgh and Miami have interviewed multiple candidates for their vacancies.
Only the Cowboys remain in football purgatory. It's up to Jerry to end this foolishness.
Three weeks before the season ended, most people at Valley Ranch figured Parcells was leaving. After the loss to Seattle, the same people were convinced he was staying.
Phil Simms has one theory. Bob Knight has another as does Pat Summerall. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the only question asked more frequently in the last 30 years has been, "Who shot J.R.?"
The reality is nobody knows. Maybe not even Parcells.
But don't kid yourself, the coach likes the attention. You don't really think his one-voice media policy is to stop leaks, do you? No, it gives him the ability to assign credit and blame as he sees fit without worrying about any of his assistants offering another perspective. It also ensures that he's the face of the franchise.
That's his prerogative, but let's call it what it is.
Parcells likes the local sports talk radio shows focused on whether he'll continue to be the Cowboys' perceived savior. He likes the headlines wondering about his future. It reinforces the fact that he's relevant.
But this delay has reached a selfish level.
The Senior Bowl practices begin next week. That's when teams really start the process of evaluating potential draft picks. For now, the Cowboys will head to the Senior Bowl not knowing whether they need players who fit Parcells' schemes or some other coach's.
At this rate, if Parcells does quit, the Cowboys will be selecting the seventh coach in franchise history from a group of left-over candidates instead of having their choice.
And we haven't even discussed how Parcells' indecision affects the current staff. Zimmer and David Lee already have left. Bruce DeHaven is talking to Seattle. Soon, running backs coach Anthony Lynn will be contractually free to negotiate with other teams.
No matter what you think about them, it's not easy putting a staff together these days because of the NFL's strict rules governing assistants under contract. The idea is to put together a staff that you have carefully selected – not a group of guys who are available because they weren't retained by someone else.
This has gone on long enough. It's time for Jerry to demand an answer.
Today.
E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
