Tuna Treading Water in the Popularity Department
I haven’t paid as much attention to the NFL Coach Ratings on ESPN as I thought I would when I discovered it, but at least I remembered to check at the end of the season. I have a few redeeming qualities, though I should note that I am awake at 5:41 a.m. because I can’t stay asleep for more than three hours; that, friends, is not a redeeming quality, but it allows me to bring you the coach rankings! All nine of you!
Bill Parcells’ Coach Rating– 77% Overall (49,966 total votes)
Here is a complete run-down of Parcells’ ratings
Week 1 (loss to Jacksonville): 49%
Week 2 (win over Washington): 76%
Week 3 (bye): 74%
Week 4 (win over Tennessee): 85%
Week 5 (loss to Philadelphia): 38%
Week 6 (win over Houston): 78%
Week 7 (loss to N.Y. Giants): 67%
Week 8 (win over Carolina): 86%
Week 9 (loss to Washington): 47%
Week 10 (win over Arizona): 82%
Week 11 (win over Indianapolis): 93%
Week 12 (win over Tampa Bay): 93%
Week 13 (win over N.Y. Giants): 92%
Week 14 (loss to New Orleans): 73%
Week 15 (win over Atlanta): 88%
Week 16 (loss to Philadelphia): 59%
Week 17 (loss to Detroit): 48%
Playoffs (loss to Seattle): n/a
So a high of 93% (twice) after wins over the Colts and the Bucs, and a low of 38% after the loss at Philadelphia in week 5. Forty-eight percent after the playoff loss might be generous, but…
Then I saw this interesting poll on Blogging the Boys:
68% of 132 people indicated they want Bill Parcells to return.
Hmmm….
Same site, three days later: 67% of 119 people want Terrell Owens back.
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Vic Carucci thinks that our friend Tony Romo will bounce back just fine. I tend to agree. Even if nobody asked me.
FIVE REASONS WHY …
…Tony Romo will battle back from the devastation of his fumbled snap on a potential game-winning field goal in the Dallas Cowboys’ 21-20 wild-card loss to Seattle:
•Even after the fumble, he showed good presence of mind to pick up the ball and nearly run for a first down.
•Although he stared at the ground for a long time after the play, he still managed to pull himself together to heave a promising Hail Mary pass in the closing seconds.
•He has an abundance of confidence. As humbling as the fumble might have been, it won’t wipe away the foundation of his personality.
•Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still believes in him, and has no intention of seeking a new quarterback.
•Whether Bill Parcells or someone else coaches the Cowboys in 2007, the development of Romo remains a top priority. And if he is serious about investing the amount of time necessary to take his game to the next level, he shouldn’t have a whole lot of time to dwell on the fumble.
Mick’s Shots also adds that Romo was battling some steep odds:
Here is a good one from Elias, those stats people. No NFL quarterback, in his first season as a starter, has won his first postseason start while playing on the road since 1979, when the Rams’ Vince Ferragamo and Houston Oilers’ Gifford Nielsen did so on consecutive days. Boy, Tony Romo really was fighting some long odds in Seattle.
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A poster at Real Football 365 pointed out five keys to a successful Super Bowl run in 2007:
With a little tweaking, the Dallas Cowboys can compete for a Super Bowl next year. Here are five suggestions that will move the Cowboys closer to their goal of a championship:
1. Pray Parcells returns.
Surprisingly, the Cowboys fell apart in the last month of the regular season. And while that was very uncharacteristic of a Bill Parcells-led team, they were still only a botched field goal away from advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Keep in mind that Parcells has taken both the New York Giants and New England Patriots to the Super Bowl and was just one half away from leading the New York Jets there. Sure, it’s been a long while, but the man can still coach.
And if you’re down on Parcells for whatever reason, ask this question: who’s worth hiring who would give Dallas a better chance to win the whole thing next season?
2. Jettison T.O., if possible.
Jerry Jones should have waited for Parcells to decide whether he’s coaching next season, before he publicly proclaimed that Terrell Owens was welcomed back, too.
It doesn’t take a mind reader to know that if Parcells comes back, he would prefer that Owens plays elsewhere. So you have to wonder whether T.O.’s imminent return will affect Parcells’ decision one way or the other.
Of course, due to salary cap implications, waving Owens is not that cut and dry. But if it comes down to one guy or the other, the team should easily take Parcells.
3. Acquire a pass-rushing defensive end.
This is the Cowboys’ most pressing need. Chris Canty and Marcus Spears had only one sack a piece. Justin Smith of the Cincinnati Bengals can get to the passer and is an unrestricted free agent in March.
Drafting an end is also an option. Some decent pass rushers were taken in 2006. Tamba Hali, who was selected two picks after Bobby Carpenter, registered eight sacks for the Kansas City Chiefs ; the Giants’ Mathias Kiwanuka was the 32nd overall pick, compiling four sacks in limited action.
4. Upgrade the defensive backfield.
The Cowboys got beat on too many deep pass plays in 2006. They need to add a cornerback, and maybe more importantly, a veteran free safety while Pat Watkins develops. There are some unrestricted free agents who can fill that bill.
5. Re-sign Marc Colombo and Andre Gurode.
Both Colombo and Gurode are unrestricted free agents. Considering how unsettling the offensive line situation was entering last season, and how well both players performed, the last thing Dallas needs to do is reinvent the wheel.
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