MOBILE, Ala. – Outside of scouting, interviewing college players and looking for a job, college and pro coaches have been talking about the Cowboys.
They want to know why Bill Parcells retired and who the Cowboys will hire as his replacement.
"Anytime you have a great coach such as Bill that leaves the game, it's going to be different," St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. "It's one less good football coach in the NFL. It always creates a buzz, especially about a guy with two Super Bowls [championships]."
Jacksonville Jaguars assistant head coach Dave Campo, who coached the Cowboys for three seasons, said he wasn't surprised to see Parcells leave. He also believes there were money issues involved.
"He probably wanted more years on the contract, and Jerry [Jones] wasn't going to do it," Campo said. "It gets to a certain time and age, you have to move on."
Bears' Smith is off-limits: Chicago Bears president Ted Phillips said the organization will not allow any other team to speak with coach Lovie Smith, who is in the last year of his contract.
"Absolutely not," Phillips said during a news conference Wednesday. "Lovie Smith is our coach."
Phillips addressed rumors regarding the Cowboys' interest in speaking with Smith following the Super Bowl.
"Reading all that frankly rankles me, and if there's any truth to those rumors, we'll deal with that at a league level," Smith said, alluding to possibly filing tampering charges if a team went outside the normal channels to pursue Smith.
"He's our coach. He's under contract to us, and whether it's Dallas or any other club that comes sniffing around, that's not right, and we're not going to let it happen."
Romo speaks: Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo made his first public comments Wednesday regarding Parcells' retirement.
"I think he's at peace," Romo told ESPN. "He's a smart guy. I really enjoyed his company and his coaching. I'll miss him."
Romo said he's been bunkered down the last three weeks, visiting with tight end Jason Witten and his family after the botched hold on a potential game-winning field goal attempt in the closing moments of the Cowboys' loss to Seattle in the NFC wild-card game.
Romo said he's received numerous phone calls and text messages from several players, including Terrell Owens and Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
"When I look back, the ball comes, and boom," Romo said. "It just didn't happen for whatever reason. I can't remember the last time I really did bobble a snap and something crazy happened, even in practice."
Glenn undergoes surgery: Veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn said he underwent surgery on his left knee and right ankle. Glenn said he now can get into a defensive stance, something he couldn't do during the season.
Glenn considered having the surgery in September but elected to wait until after the season.
Questions frustrate Williams: For the last month of the regular season, Cowboys strong safety Roy Williams rarely spoke to the media. When he did talk, Williams voiced frustration with questions regarding his pass-coverage skills. The Pro Bowler finished the season with a team-leading five interceptions.
Williams' agent, Ben Dogra, said his client took the last few weeks of the season hard.
"He wants to do well," Dogra said. "Sometimes you read about the criticism, I think most players do, but at the end of the day, he just wants to win."
Briefly: No decision was made regarding Campo leaving Jacksonville to become the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. There was a deadline of Wednesday for a decision, but that won't be enforced. ... The Cowboys' scouting staff will leave Mobile today. ... Cowboys running backs coach Anthony Lynn interviewed for the same position with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.
Staff writer Todd Archer contributed to this report.
