Cowboys Blog Official

Parcells Guys Editorial

Hey Texas, Are you ready for some Bill Parcells Defense?

Let me start this up with a little background on myself. I am from NY, lived here my whole life since birth and I have been a football fan since I was about 8 years old. My father was a huge football fan, in particular the Giants. So I know Coach Parcells for many years now. I was 11 when he became the head coach of the Giants and I have always followed his career in coaching. NO, I was never a Giants fan and the Cowboys Blue Star has always guided my football life. Go Cowboys!

When Coach Parcells took over the Giants he was lucky because Lawrence Taylor was already in place on that team. Well now the new “LT” is going to be a part of Coach Parcells team in Dallas. DeMarcus Ware is the new “LT” and if I am wrong so what, a boy can dream can’t he?

When Coach Parcells came to Dallas in 2003 Mike Zimmer’s 4-3 defense had been doing ok. Coach Parcells really didn’t have the personnel on the team to run his preferred 3-4 so he wasn’t in a hurry to make a change anyway. Now let’s jump to 2004. Somebody tell me what the heck happened to the defense that was doing ok. The Cowboys 2004 defense never seemed to even resemble the 2003 defense at any point in any game. That scenario did not rest easy with Coach Parcells this off-season and we all saw some sort of change coming. Was it time to scrap the old 4-3 defense and crossover to the Parcells style 3-4 defense?

You bet your *** it was and this draft sure the heck put it in bold print if you had any doubts. The Cowboys will run the 3-4 pressure defense in 2005. I said it and I will bet the farm if need be people. Coach Parcells made one point in a post draft interview, “I told the defensive coaches to learn the 3-4 this off-season”. No one learns a new defensive scheme because there is a chance the Cowboys may use it in 2005. I have faith Coach Zimmer can do a great job running the 3-4 defense. He is a football coach and has been around football his entire life. Coach Parcells would have just let Zimmer go if he didn’t have faith in him learning the 3-4 and running it successfully in Dallas.

Let’s get to these two first rounders who are going to be competing for the Super Bowl MVP trophy next February. The #11 pick, DeMarcus Ware, is the new LT as we have already learned. I am guessing double digit sacks for this rookie and I guarantee no more 12 second pass plays for Donovan “I didn’t have enough soup from my mama before the Super Bowl” McNabb. The #20 pick , DE Marcus Spears, is a rock solid player coming from an LSU program that two years ago won the national title. Marcus Spears was a big reason that team won the national championship. He will come in to the Cowboys and start immediately at defensive end opposite Greg Ellis. He has size, speed and the smarts to go along with being a high character guy. He’s already a Parcells Guy and he hasn’t even been fitted for a helmet yet! Getting both of these guys just made the NFC East a two team race and I know the Eagles players and coaches are thinking the same thing.

It wasn’t enough that Coach Parcells got the top two defensive linemen in the draft, but then the Cowboys go and snag one of the best LB’s in the second round with Tennessee’s Kevin Burnett. This kid will be a starter on defense before the 2005 season ends. If I am Al Singleton I am looking to start playing the best football of my career if I plan on staying employed in Texas. Burnett is a leader first and fore most, he was the defensive team captain since his Junior season at Tennessee. He is a big LB and that’s what Coach Parcells wants for his new 3-4 defense. Solid, solid, solid draft pick and will be a Parcells Guy when his career is all said and done.

I loved it when Julius Jones was on the field last year as the Cowboys running back. I hated it when anyone else was on the field as the Cowboys running back. That should change in 2005. The first of the two fourth round draft picks is RB Marion Barber III from Minnesota. How did this guy fall so far in the draft? He was a productive back his entire college career and comes from a football background as his dad played for the Jets back in the 80’s. Here’s another player who has football in his blood, and we all know Coach Parcells loves guys who have been around football their whole lives. Barber will come off the bench to spell Julius and I know at some point next season I will be yelling “Go Barber, Go”.

Trade, we have a trade. The Cowboys traded with none other than the hated Eagles to move up and grab DE Chris Canty in the fourth round. This guy has a few injuries to get over before he gets on the field, but when that is all taken care of this guy is going to be awesome. He blew out his knee last fall, but it’s on the mend so that should be ok in time. Now this other injury may be more of a concern. Canty was hit in the face with a bottle as an innocent bystander and suffered a detached retina, ouch! He stated in his post draft conference that he isn’t concerned and that the injury will be monitored and should fully recover from the injury. I sure hope so, this guy could be the steal of the draft with his size and athleticism at 6’7, 290lbs.

There are two positions on this team where there is no sure fire starter in place, Free Safety and Right Tackle. We drafted two guys in the sixth round we hope can come in and give us their best shot to try and fill those positions. Safety Justin Beriault comes from Ball State as a candidate for the open Free Safety spot. He wasn’t spectacular in college but Coach Parcells must have seen something in him. Beriault said when Coach Parcells spoke to him he told him there was an empty spot at Safety and asked him if he wanted to come down and try to take it. Of course the kid said he would, wouldn’t you? That pesky Right Tackle position was supposed to be solved in last years draft with Jacob Rogers, no such luck. Rob Petitti was considered a good lineman his entire college career at Pitt, but as is often the case with late round draft picks he has a red flag on his record. Petitti has had problems with his weight ballooning out of control at times and will need to get down to a playing weight determined by Coach Parcells. If this kid can control his weight the Right Tackle spot could be his for years to come.

Seventh round pick, DT Jay Ratliff from Auburn, must have been doing something right because the defense he played on last season was awesome. I don’t know if he can garner much playing time as there is a log jam all of a sudden on the defensive line, but Coach Parcells will give him every opportunity to go into training camp and shock the world. I’m rooting for you rookie!

Grade for this draft: Super Duper! Coach Parcells is getting guys who remind him of players that helped him win two Super Bowls with the Giants. I can go with that. Let’s just let Coach Parcells do his thing on defense. He tried to cook up a Super Bowl team with someone else’s ingredients and we got to eat our burnt defense week after week in 2004. So now we can sit back in 2005 and watch him cook up one of his favorite 3-4 dishes in 2005 and hopefully we are chewing on a Super Bowl XL victory next February. I know one thing, I’m starving for a dominant defense and we have one the best cooks in the world with Coach Parcells in the kitchen!