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Hiring a head coach with NFL experience appears to be what Jerry Jones is thinking in his quest to replace Bill Parcells.

A replacement has yet to be named, and Jones has interviewed five candidates. All five who have sat in Jones' Valley Ranch office have NFL pedigrees. The sixth, two-time NFL head coach Norv Turner, interviews today.

But it hasn't always been that way.

It was Jones who made a surprise hire in 1989, grabbing Jimmy Johnson from the University of Miami. The result of that hire: two Super Bowl titles.

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In 1994, Jones hired Barry Switzer, who hadn't coached since he was at Oklahoma in 1988. The result of that hire: another Super Bowl victory.

Recently, however, there has been a lack of success for college coaches making the jump to the NFL, and that may have Jones shying away from the guys on campus.

"It's not an easy decision," San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "It's like the movie business. I want the hottest chick out there on my show. The show lasts a couple of years and then it's off the air."

Earlier this week, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops pulled his name out of the running for any coaching jobs. He probably wasn't being considered for the Cowboys' opening.

Nick Saban, who was hired by the Miami Dolphins after compiling a 48-16 record at LSU, is the current poster boy for why NFL owners are shying away from colleges to fill their coaching vacancies. In two seasons with the Dolphins, Saban went 15-17 before abruptly leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Alabama.

After a brief flirtation with Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll, who has NFL head coaching experience with the New York Jets and New England Patriots, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga settled on San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

Saban isn't alone in his failures after making the jump from a college program to an NFL head coaching position. Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis come to mind.

Spurrier left the University of Florida in 2002 to sign a five-year, $25 million deal with the Washington Redskins – then the largest contract for a coach in NFL history.

"I simply believe that 12 years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough," Spurrier said at the time.

Spurrier fizzled in the NFL, resigning after two seasons with a 12-20 record and no playoff appearances.

Butch Davis also struggled with the transition. Davis left the University of Miami to coach the Cleveland Browns in 2001. He had a 24-35 record in four seasons before resigning with five games remaining in the 2004 season.

Most college coaches fail for a number of reasons. According to several NFL coaches, it's because of an inability to communicate with professional athletes, whom they have less control over.

"The same things that win in college, pro and Canadian football leagues, win in the NFL," said Buffalo general manager Marv Levy, who coached the Bills from 1986-1997. "Most coaches know the X's and O's pretty well. The difference in the pros is that successful college coaches find out they don't have any recruiting advantage."

Some college coaches also have trouble dealing with the speed of the NFL game.

"Some [owners] go to college because maybe they didn't see in the NFL pool what they wanted," Nolan said. "All of a sudden, they want an experienced coach because the one they did have had let them down. Some guys aren't as prepared as other guys, and some are not as mature or too set in their ways."

Since the season ended, only two of six NFL vacancies have been filled by a college coach: Atlanta hired Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to replace Jim Mora, and Oakland has entrusted the Raiders to 31-year-old Southern Cal assistant coach Lane Kiffin.

Petrino, who had returned to the college ranks in 2002 after three seasons as an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars, became an attractive option for NFL owners after compiling a 41-9 record in four seasons at Louisville and leading the program to its first Bowl Championship Series appearance this past season. Kiffin also has NFL experience as an assistant coach with Jacksonville in 2000.

"We wanted a coach that had been a head coach and had been in the league," Falcons general manager/president Rich McKay said of Petrino. "We just figured it was a good fit for us. Every team has different wants and desires. There's no bluebook as to how you do this."