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Old 09-17-2003, 02:22 PM   #1
jayC
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Default Don't eat too much of that cheese startelegram

Parcells not about to lose his head over win
By Gil Lebreton
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


Star-Telegram

Gil LeBreton


IRVING - The town was giddy Tuesday. The coach was not.

Oh, Bill Parcells was hardly grim, particularly when he talked about the salty voice-mail messages that were waiting for him after Monday's big win in the Meadowlands.

But as Parcells playfully cautioned defensive end Greg Ellis, who had a career night, "Don't swallow too much of that cheese."

Parcells meant us -- us jurists in the media. When suitably impressed, we lay on the "cheese," the head coach contends.

"I told them, 'Don't get full of yourself very quick, because there'll be people who try to feed it to you,' " Parcells said.

He's right. Extra helpings of cheese were still coming in Tuesday for quarterback Quincy Carter, for kicker Billy Cundiff, for Ellis and for all three Cowboys starting wide receivers.

The unexpected 35-32 overtime victory over the New York Giants made for great theater, in part because watching 77,000 rain-soaked Giants fans in the throes of deep angst is something to behold.

The Monday Night Football stage made heroes of Carter and Cundiff, and of Ellis and Larry Allen. But you knew John Madden had gnawed on too much of the turkey leg when, late in the night, he blurted out of nowhere, "I like Quincy Carter."

That was cheesy.


STAR-TELEGRAM/RON JENKINS
Animated at times Monday night, Bill Parcells might have more to say to rookie Terence Newman and the rest of the Cowboys in the next two weeks. "It's a lot easier to talk to your team in a critical way when the sensitivity is low, which is now, because no one is responsible for losing."

Parcells yanked a few media feet back to earth Tuesday, when he said that he was glad to have the coming week off. Not to plan the big victory parade down Commerce Street but, as he put it, "There are some things we've got to get fixed."

Like the running game.

With more consistency out of the running game Monday night, with more to show from Troy Hambrick than a 2.6 yard-per-carry average, the Cowboys defense might not have shown the weary legs that it did in the fourth quarter.

Hambrick was handed 23 carries against the Giants, plus he apparently was penciled in for double-duty pass protection, with the offense using so many three-wide receiver sets. His limitations were exposed in both areas.

A good go-to running back, Parcells has said, has a knack for making the first would-be tackler miss. Hambrick can't do that, unless it's between the tackles and a smallish linebacker has stepped into the hole.

The Cowboys needed him Monday night, but they ended up getting along mostly without him.

Also to be fixed must be the pass rush.

Let's not quibble, however, because this remains a work in progress. Parcells is trying to build some depth, so defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer can employ a fresh defensive-line rotation. For three quarters, plus the overtime period, they more than did the job Monday night.

The Giants alumni who gathered in the Meadowlands must have reminded Parcells of how far he still has to go.

When someone reminded the coach that he is now 50-0 when leading by 12 points or more entering the fourth quarter, Parcells snapped back, "That's 'cause I had [Lawrence] Taylor."

No, Parcells wasn't giddy Tuesday. But he had a right to be.

Of all the matchups that figured in the outcome Monday night, the one that was the most lopsided in the Cowboys' favor ended up being Parcells and his coaches over Jim Fassel and the Giants staff.

The Cowboys' offensive play calling was clever without being cute. It didn't ask too much of Carter, and instead tried to feature the three best offensive athletes Parcells could put on the field -- receivers Joey Galloway, Antonio Bryant and Terry Glenn. Exactly 254 of Carter's passing yards went to them.

Even when the offense was struggling down the stretch, Parcells didn't give in.

"Just trying to stay aggressive," he said, explaining all the first-down pass calls late in the game.

When was the last time a Cowboys offense put anyone's defense back on its heels, much less the Giants'?

But there we go, dispensing the cheese again.

"I'm not going to name names," Parcells said, without amusement, "but I thought we had four or five guys who didn't show up, that didn't help us do anything."

Hold the ticker tape parade in Billy Cundiff's honor, in other words.

Bill Parcells is happy to be 1-1 and a Giant-killer, but hardly giddy.

Still too much to fix.

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