This week Jerry Jones will interview the ninth and maybe even 10th prospect to coach the team that beat the Super Bowl champions but couldn't win a playoff game. Such an elaborate search for a successor to Bill Parcells prompts the question of whether Jones is being extra thorough or thoroughly confused.
Of course, not all of the candidates are being considered for the head coaching vacancy. Some are viewed as coordinators or for a position to be assistant-to-somebody. But at least six have been mentioned as perhaps the next head rooster.
There's local assumption that former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner will be the pick of the litter. Other than a comfort factor for Jones, the prospect of Turner at the helm fails to make hearts skip a beat, unless it's in regret.
Here's the problem with all of them. None register as a jaw-dropping hire to replace Parcells. But then, other than the social dynamics of Pittsburgh anointing Mike Tomlin, who is black, there weren't any other gee-whiz promotions elsewhere in the NFL.
However, it is relevant to note that Tomlin follows Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher as the third Steelers head coach since 1969. Jones meantime seeks the fifth Cowboys head coach since 1994. Any inference to the value of stability and continuity is mentioned on purpose.
Jones was advertised as interested in Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. At least he was before Super Bowl XLI where Indianapolis, then 9-0 and a 21-14 regular season victim of the Cowboys, beat the Bears, 29-17.
Rivera's defense spent 38:04 labor-intensive minutes allowing 430 yards and 24 first downs on 81 plays by the Colts. If it's true that you're only as good as your last game, Rivera's stock tumbled.
As for the others, begin with Turner, a Troy Aikman favorite from their Super Bowl teams of the early 1990s. He was then, and still is in my opinion, a masterful offensive strategist. He can call plays with the best, but that's his ceiling.
If Jones dreams that a return of Turner will duplicate that long-gone glory era, he'd best pause. Tony Romo is a far cry from Aikman. Julius Jones is no Emmitt Smith. Terrell Owens isn't Michael Irvin. Nor does anyone in the offensive line resemble Larry Allen, Nate Newton, Erik Williams and Mark Stepnoski in their prime.
Turner's combined record of 58-82-1 as head coach at Washington and Oakland does not inspire. No one wins at Oakland these days. Turner's tenure with the Redskins was crippled at the outset by picking Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler third from the top of the '94 draft. Shuler was a bust, fell into poor habits and deteriorated into a politician.
The whispered knock on Turner is that he's not tough enough to run a tight ship. I heard this critique from Washington insiders early in Norv's term there. If true, the ego attached to the tiresome whines from Owens would escalate into a disruptive symphony, especially into Tony Romo's ear.
Parcells had the best approach to Owens. He ignored him as much as possible.
If Jones hired on the basis of NFL experience, prior success as a head coach and a defensive philosophy matching that already in place, he'd choose Wade Phillips. Phillips has 30 years in the pros, five as top banana at Buffalo (29-19) and Denver (16-16) that included three playoff (0-3) seasons. Add interim stints at New Orleans (1-3) and Atlanta (2-1) and Phillips emerges with a 48-39 record.
Phillips is a 3-4 devotee and as San Diego defensive coordinator fielded a more aggressive version than the Cowboys did last season. Wade's problem ... he'll be 60 in June. Age and longevity are negative factors to an owner who should be looking for youth and long-term staying power.
Gary Gibbs is a solid defensive mind as he proved in New Orleans. Not only did the former assistant outsmart the Cowboys' staff during a Saints victory at Texas Stadium, he did it with two starting linebackers cut from the losers. His downside? Gibbs probably lacks star power to Jones.
Jason Garrett is signed, likely as offensive coordinator, certainly not as head coach as speculated. The 40-year-old redhead is too green for that job. He's smart enough to lead a team one day. If there's a nag about his future promotion, it's that he’s too likeable and nice for a job that requires a whip unless you're the remarkably placid Tony Dungy.
Mike Singletary? Now that would be fun for a while to watch his fireball personality at work. But that type personality often burns itself out quickly, and takes the players with it. Besides, he's too lightly sprinkled at the NFL level to qualify as head coach. Jones isn't that daring is he?
Three assistants also were interviewed but none figures in the final reckoning. As for who does, who knows? Maybe not even Jones yet.
