Same old Cowboys appear in Parcells' debut
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
September 8, 2003
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Bill Parcells was back at work early Monday, after hardly any sleep. After the Dallas Cowboys' mistake-filled loss in his first game, the coach had a lot on his mind.
Eight months after Parcells' hiring rekindled enthusiasm for a team with three straight 5-11 seasons, they looked much like the same old Cowboys with sporadic play on both sides of the ball and silly penalties in a 27-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
``I'm just starting this thing. I'm not anywhere other than trying to improve this team,'' Parcells said. ``I know expectations are probably a little higher than reasonable, but that's all right. We have a lot to do and a whole way of doing things to change.''
While not being specific, Parcells made it clear Monday that there were several things that disappointed him.
Parcells said mistakes were made on ``some pretty elementary stuff'' that had been worked on since he arrived, some players not performing as well as he expected and penalties that wiped out more than 60 yards in gains, including a 48-yard pass to the Atlanta 8.
``Some of the things we did were really not acceptable, so we have to try to work hard to make sure they don't happen again,'' Parcells said. ``It might take awhile. I don't know.''
Parcells didn't plan to say much to his players. He didn't have to.
``We've known from Day One that he's talked about not making mistakes. He's ingrained that in us,'' tight end Dan Campbell said. ``That is what's so sickening about it. We know we can't afford to have the penalties and turnovers. If there wasn't enough emphasis already, I'm sure there will be more.''
There could also be personnel changes before next Monday night when the Cowboys play at the New York Giants, the first of two straight opponents Parcells previously coached.
While there were no roster moves Monday, Parcells has repeatedly said that the bottom part of his 53-man roster could change throughout the season.
Running back Adrian Murrell, who played for Parcells with the Jets, was among the final cuts for Dallas. Cornerback Ray Crockett, a starter on Denver's back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams, is also available.
Kicker Billy Cundiff still had his job even after missing a 33-yard field goal and having an extra point blocked when his kick was too low. Cundiff made just 12-of-19 field goals (63 percent) as a rookie last season.
``Well, you want to look at it and say that's one game and it's one kick or two kicks. So that's why I'm going to look at it that way,'' Parcells said. ``I know what his record was last year. Obviously he needs to improve on that, but I think you have to give him a chance to do that. So I'll do it.''
The Cowboys led Atlanta 7-3 at halftime after missed scoring opportunities on their last two first-half drives. Quincy Carter's ill-advised pass was intercepted at the 23 and Cundiff's missed kick came 16 seconds before halftime.
Parcells said Carter, who also had a fumble, made some outstanding throws. Carter was 15-of-32 for a career-best 268 yards.
While Carter would like to have a couple of plays back, he wasn't interested in judging his performance. He was ready to move forward, and didn't expect much different from Parcells.
``I expect the same coach. Coach Parcells hasn't changed,'' Carter said. ``Even when we've played well in games, Coach hasn't let up. He's hard-nosed. We're going to work hard.''
