Butting Heads
When there are two big name athletes having to share the load or coexist with each other, it usually ends up being an ugly situation. We all saw the good and the bad with Kobe and Shaq, but the same matters exist in the front office. Coaches and owners are often hand in hand with decision making, but for Dallas the situation is quickly making its way into the public eye.
Jerry Jones wants to develop young quarterback Drew Henson, and as Bill Parcells indicated last year he doesn?t feel or want to give Henson a chance at the moment. As the Cowboys are looking to make moves in the off-season it seems like Parcells and Jones may need to get their relationship tuned up behind closed doors, before any progress is made.
Drew Henson could definitely be the future of the Cowboys, but there will obviously be a considerable amount of growing pains before that could happen. Bill Parcells is at the stage of his life and coaching career where he doesn?t have the energy or devotion to build up another quarterback. A lot of NFL teams are leaning more and more to using young quarterbacks, instead of picking up a capable veteran. In years past though, there are plenty of examples that show that a team can come up quickly with a solid veteran. Jim Harbaugh, Randall Cunningham, Chris Chandler, and many other quarterbacks have had better late stage careers by finally landing on the right team.
That?s exactly what Bill Parcells envisions his Dallas Cowboys can do with the right veteran. In the weak NFC, all it would take is a quick move to put the Cowboys in a great position to compete with the Eagles, Falcons, Rams, and Packers. Their defense kept them in countless games last year, that would?ve looked better if they had offensive support. When the offense is only scoring thirteen points, it weakens the heart of a defense. With a reputable offense the Cowboys defense would jump back into the top five of the NFL.
On offense the Cowboys have a rising stud running back in Julius Jones, and still a solid offensive line. At the receiver position Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, and Quincy Morgan make up one of the best veteran receiving corps in the league. The problem will be if they can stay healthy, which has been a problem for Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson has been able to play through his injuries. Still, they all add different elements of abilities that are going to be tough for secondaries to shut down.
If Drew Henson is the starter though, you can bank on plenty of veteran athletes giving up on the season and putting forth little effort. When there is no motive to win, it deeply sucks the life out of a veteran that?s been on winning teams before and has money security. So the best solution for the Cowboys is Parcells idea of bringing in a veteran quarterback. Drew Bledsoe would be a great fit, but there should be others that the Cowboys may take a look at including Steve McNair.
Either way the clashing between Parcells and Jones could get ugly. Parcells isn?t afraid to speak his mind, and isn?t going to settle for Jones ideas like an inexperienced coach. If Jones truly wants to go in Henson?s direction, than expect Parcells to resign as coach either during next season or after. It?d be nice to see what Parcells can do with a veteran quarterback, and he?ll likely get that chance for one season. If they come short of a playoff berth though, than there is no other way to go for the Cowboys than move on.
Parcells will be starting his third different quarterback in three years, and you just can?t jump around at that department anymore. It?ll be time to settle down and either go with Henson or draft another young quarterback to compete with him.
Pages: