Too soon to tell if they revived Bill Parcells' future.
Almost four years into the Reese's Cup marriage of one of the NFL's most stormy franchises with one of its most exalted coaches, the union has been something less glorious than chocolate and peanut butter.
No playoff victories, no division titles, 29-27 overall record. Better than Dave Campo, that's about all that can be written on Parcells' Valley Ranch headstone.
Maybe Tony Romo has enough magic to make Parcells want to keep coaching and Jerry Jones want to keep him.
But when this 2006 season concludes, it's not much of a stretch to see Parcells head off for that big tuna can in the sky. And if so, where might Jones look for a Dallas savior?
Bob Stoops.
Would the Cowboys want Stoops? Would Stoops want the Cowboys? Excellent questions both, and neither with a clear answer.
The Oklahoma suzerain is not itching for a move. He has proven that by declining ample opportunity to relocate during his eight Sooner seasons. Only an exceptional football post could lure away Stoops from Norman.
Jones is not itching to be ridiculed for a coaching hire. Hiring a college coach would raise eyebrows from the pro crowd, and hiring another Okie would rankle Lone Star pride.
Yet still the Stoops-to-Dallas idea works. I say it's possible. Not probable, necessarily, but possible. Here's why.
Stoops is a football man, and football men like challenges. Coaching at the highest level is enticing, even to those like Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden who never took the bait.
Stoops is set in Norman and no doubt could have a famously splendid career with another 20 Sooner seasons. But at some point, worrying about the Steelers' zone blitz or Peyton Manning's formations is a lot more attractive than keeping up with Rhett Bomar's payroll slips or Adrian Peterson's car deal.
At some point, playing a brutal schedule is enchanting because you know the other guy is doing the same. At some point, recruiting Pro Bowlers is more appetizing than recruiting All-Staters.
But Stoops won't jump at just any job. The Arizona Cardinals can save their cell minutes. The 49ers would be wasting their time.
It would take a special job to land Stoops. The Steelers, owned by the classy Rooney family. The Broncos, owned by OU alum Patrick Bowlen. The Giants, owned by the patriarch Maras.
Does Dallas qualify? I say yes, because of what's on the helmet and who signs the paychecks.
The Cowboys, for better or worse, remain one of the NFL's flagship franchises. That star stands for something. Yes, the America's Team thing is overdone. But Dallas still packs a wallop in the sports hierarchy.
The Cowboys are an underachieving franchise that should be better than they've been. Turn around the Cowboys, and Stoops' reputation will soar far beyond the laurels he's received for the Sooner transformation.
Also, Jones is an overall plus. He's an excellent owner. One of the league's best. Not all that good a general manager, which is part of Dallas' problem, but a heck of an owner. Willing to spend money. Good to employees.
Stoops could ask buddy Barry Switzer, who was hired and fired by Jones and came away singing nothing but praises.
Stoops is not a control freak. He delegates well and seems to accept authority reasonably well for a guy making way more money than anyone in Oklahoma not in the oil business. Stoops could work with Jones.
Jones has grown as an owner. He's not the meddlesome Jones of a decade ago. He's no Daniel Snyder. Jones wants to win, and hiring Parcells proved that.
Another Stoops pal, Steve Spurrier, had quite the unsavory NFL experience, with Snyder's Redskins, and Spurrier might very well advise against the pros. But as much as Stoops admires Spurrier, he also might want to flourish where his mentor failed.
So, if Stoops is willing to answer yes, is Jones willing to ask?
Why not? Jones has gone the pro route his last three head coaching hires, and it's gotten him squat. Chan Gailey, Campo, Parcells. Three flavors of mediocre. Jones struck it rich only with Jimmy Johnson, another guy who never had spent a day on an NFL payroll, and then Switzer won another Super Bowl on the tail end of the Johnson bonanza.
If any NFL owner is partial to college prospects, it's Jones. And hiring Stoops would draw little criticism from pro circles. Stoops' football reputation is supreme, including in 2006, when he's lost his quarterback, his tailback and his trust in fair play, yet has OU soaring.
Could Jones sell Stoops in the Texas market? Yes. The Longhorns have reversed their Oklahoma hex the last two seasons, but everyone south of the Red still knows Stoops can coach the heck out of football. Truth is, Stoops' hiring would be hailed in Texas, for giving Dallas a big-time coach and making the Sooners scrambling to find another.
Will Stoops be the next coach of the Cowboys? The odds are against it. The odds are against any single person. But it could happen. Don't be surprised if it does.
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