Cowboys up: Tuna is all the difference
Friday, Oct 10, 2003
Jennifer Floyd Engel
StarTelegram Staff Writer
IRVING - These are Dave Campo's Cowboys.
Honestly, they are.
There are a few additions. There are a few subtractions. But the meat of the lineup is basically what Campo had at his disposal in 2002.
Which begs the question: Why are they winning now when they could not win then?
"We've always thought we had the talent. Now, we have the coaching to go along with it," quarterback Quincy Carter said.
Bill Parcells is the coach who is coaching Campo's Cowboys, and that has made all the difference.
Not only is the difference in their record (3-1) or their ranking in the NFC East (first), but the difference is in the details.
Parcells' Cowboys do not beat themselves with silly penalties and an inordinate amount of turnovers. Campo's did. Parcells' Cowboys do not hang around the training room nursing sore "thises" and achy "thats." Campo's did. Parcells' Cowboys do not reach for excuses. Campo's did. Parcells' Cowboys have been prepped for almost every game situation. Campo's were not. Parcells' Cowboys win the games they are supposed to win. Campo's did not.
"What does last year mean? It's just history. It doesn't mean anything. Different circumstances, different era, whole different deal," Parcells said. "That's what is great about sports. That's what keeps them interested. Things can change. There is hope everywhere."
Nowhere in the NFL more so than Valley Ranch.
And whether Parcells admits it or not, Tuna and his Tuna helpers are the biggest ingredients in this Tuna surprise.
"I don't think we'd be 3-1 without him," Carter said. "Go back to the Giants game. I don't think we would have had a play with 11 seconds to go."
He insisted he was not bashing anybody in particular, but "there was an instance last year where we didn't have a play." The instance was on Dec. 8, 2002. The situation was fourth-and-1. The Cowboys were leading the 49ers 27-24, and a first down would have likely meant victory. Campo called for a play. Offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet said he did not have one. So they attempted a field goal. They missed. They lost.
Flash forward to Sept. 15, 2003. The Cowboys trail the Giants 32-29. They get the ball on their 40. They have 11 seconds to get into field goal range and kick a field goal. Parcells has a play. They have practiced the play. Parcells calls it. They execute. They have time to kick the game-tying field goal. The Cowboys win in overtime.
It is a tiny difference, having one play ready and rehearsed. It's a tiny difference -- which makes all the difference.
The loss to the 49ers sent the Cowboys spiraling to a four-game, season-ending losing streak. The Giants' victory has the Cowboys riding a three-game winning streak. There is an almost palpable confidence in the locker room. Guys not only believe they can win, but that they will win.
"Once you get that monkey off your back, you get a little bit of confidence," tight end James Whalen said. "You win another one, and it becomes contagious. You win your third, and you are rolling."
They were more trippers than rollers last season. They walked along. They tripped. So on and so forth until another season ended with a 5-11 stamp.
"I'll tell you this. When I came in here, I looked at some of these guys and particularly [the] defense ... and I couldn't believe they didn't do better than they did with the quality guys they had here as far as winning more games," tight end Dan Campbell said. "When you bring a guy like Parcells in, with his philosophies, you ignite a little spark. These guys take hold of it. That is what they needed. And I don't think it took too much to get the attitude right here."
"Attitude" is the quick, one-word answer everybody uses when asked to explain exactly what it is Parcells has done to turn the team around.
The Parcells' attitude adjustment is best summarized by the memos that arrive in the players' lockers every Saturday. "What," the last one read, "will you help us do to win?" Us includes the coaching staff. Parcells focuses every week on what exactly he thinks is going to be a key to whether the Cowboys win. He expects his assistants to practice the things the players need to know. Parcells says a big part of his day is thinking about exactly what and how they are going to practice.
"All I want them to think is, 'Hey, this guy is coaching us. He's trying to prepare us with what he knows. He's trying to give us what he knows about, and his staff is trying to give us what he knows to get us ready to play,'" Parcells said. "If they think that, then I'm happy. There's a sign hanging up that says, 'There is a lot of exit doors in pro football.' One of them is, 'Well, the coach didn't have us prepared.' They aren't using that one around here, if I can help it."
Parcells also is getting the most out of players who had been zeros on the ledger sheet under Campo, guys such as defensive tackles Willie Blade and Daleroy Stewart, linebacker Markus Steele and even Carter. He has turned all of them into productive players and has them playing the best football of their NFL careers.
Parcells is winning with Campo's rejects. Imagine what he can do when he gets his kind of guys. What will his reliance on discipline and unselfishness reap then?
"Me and Joey [Galloway] were joking one day, and I said to him, 'The only thing we did know going in week to week was that Emmitt [Smith] was going to get his carries,'" running back Troy Hambrick said. "But now ... "
Now, everything is different, and coaching is the biggest reason why.
Briefly
• Troy Hambrick is encouraging Cowboys fans to be loud Sunday in an attempt to rattle Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. But he's also pleading for fans to refrain from doing the wave and making noise when the Cowboys have the ball.
• Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent (hamstring) is expected to be in the starting lineup after missing last week's victory against the Redskins. Cornerback Bobby Taylor (foot strain) remains questionable, and safety Brian Dawkins (foot sprain) is out.
• In their next eight games, the Cowboys might face only one team with a losing record. Following Sunday's matchup with the Eagles (2-2) are the Lions (1-4), Buccaneers (2-2), Redskins (3-2), Bills (3-2), Patriots (3-2), Panthers (4-0) and Dolphins (3-1).
