Cowboys: Parcells documentary recalls what could have been

The Dallas Cowboys’ documentary about the tenure of coach Bill Parcells provides an excellent and revealing look into the mind of a football genius.

Full disclosure: I’ve always been a fan of Bill Parcells. As a child, I dreaded when the Dallas Cowboys played his New York Giants teams. The Giants played a punishing brand of football that was conducive to postseason success. Of course, this was evidenced by Parcells’ two Super Bowl championships during his time in New York.

Further, his cantankerous nature meshed beautifully with the notoriously difficult press corps up there. Any time Parcells found himself behind a microphone, you were sure to see a good verbal tussle. The entertainment value of those press conferences alone sometimes outweighed the games themselves.

Fast forward to 2003. The Cowboys were coming off three straight 5-11 seasons under coach Dave Campo. Something had to be done to turn this thing around. At the time, Parcells was out of the coaching business and was biding his time as a TV analyst, but was also openly campaigning to get back in the game. Eventually, word got out regarding a secret meeting aboard Jerry Jones’s private plane at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. It became the NFL’s worst kept secret.

That meeting is where Deep Blue: Parcells’ Final Ride starts. What ensues is a fascinating story about his tenure coaching the Cowboys. We know how it ended. But what you may forget is what happened between that secret plane meeting and that botched snap. What I can recommend is to take the time to watch it. It’s only about eighty minutes long, so it’s not a huge time investment.

More from Dallas Cowboys

Above and beyond what the documentary covers, there are also my own memories from his time here. From the day his hiring was announced, I was very excited. His track record spoke for itself. To anyone not familiar with his body of work, the guy could simply coach. He’d taken the Giants, Patriots, and Jets from laughingstocks to legitimate playoff contenders.

In the case of the Giants and Patriots, he reached three Super Bowls, winning the aforementioned two. He took the Jets to an AFC championship game before bowing out to the eventual champion Denver Broncos. I fully expected him to take my moribund Cowboys and mold them into a tough, hard-nosed football team. And that he eventually did. What I didn’t expect was how fast it happened.

Look, Bill Parcells has had every imaginable accolade thrown his way. The man is enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame after all. But I’m here to tell you that him leading a team quarterbacked by Quincy Carter to a 10-6 record and playoff berth is the man’s finest hour as a coach.

Quincy had some natural ability, but he was a headcase. I was at the home game against the Eagles that year, a game that the Cowboys won, 23-21. The defense played incredibly and the offense put up just enough to win. Safety Roy Williams sacked Donovan McNabb and forced a fumble to seal the victory. I’d never heard a crowd roar like that in my life. This was just one example of the Parcells’ magic that reared its head several times that year.

Next. Dallas Cowboys: 4 injured players from ’17 who must stay healthy. dark

So while the movie itself was highly entertaining, it was bittersweet as well. Bill Parcells begat Wade Phillips which begat Jason Garrett. One of these things is not like the others. If we’re being frank, it’s also a continuous reminder of the fact that the Dallas Cowboys generally cannot have nice things. But without taking any more shots at anyone, it was an overall pleasantly nostalgic memory of what might have been for this franchise.

Published on 08/13/2018 at 12:05 PM
Last updated at 08/13/2018 at 06:11 AM

Home/Dallas Cowboys