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No coach is better
than Bill Parcells at turning teams around quickly.
Even he had to be surprised how fast that change took place in Dallas.
Back in the playoffs for the first time in five years, the surprising Cowboys will try to prove they belong when they face the Carolina Panthers in an NFC wild-card game Saturday at Ericsson Stadium.
Desperate to revive a franchise that had missed the playoffs three straight seasons, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones coaxed Parcells out of retirement and hired him as the team's sixth head coach on Jan. 2, 2003.
Parcells turned his three previous teams -- the New York Giants, New England and the New York Jets -- into playoff teams in just his second season, and won the Super Bowl with the Giants in 1987 and 1991. He also guided the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1997 and took the Jets to the AFC championship game in 1999.
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Although most expected the Cowboys -- coming off three straight 5-11 seasons
-- to improve under Parcells in 2003, a playoff appearance seemed very unlikely.
While Parcells had a solid defense to work with, Dallas' offense was among the
league's worst and quarterback Quincy Carter was unproven.
Parcells got his players to buy into his plan quicker than expected, and early season success helped by a soft schedule built the Cowboys' confidence. Opening 8-3 put Dallas in position to make the playoffs, and even some late-season struggles couldn't prevent the Cowboys from clinching a postseason berth with a week to spare.
While their regular season was clearly a success, the Cowboys know none of that matters now.
``It's a new season for us right now,'' defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. ``Nothing really matters to this point. We had to win to get here, but what we do from here out is what counts. We have to instill it in the young guys just how special it is to be here.''
As he did with his three previous teams, Parcells made defense a priority and the Cowboys responded by allowing an NFL-best 253.5 yards per game. Dallas is equally strong against the run and the pass, ranking third in the league against the run and first against the pass.
Carter's statistics aren't outstanding, but he has learned how to win under Parcells while gaining valuable experience.
One of Carter's best games of the season came in a 24-20 victory over Carolina on Nov. 23, when he threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
``It gives our team a lot of confidence knowing we beat these guys,'' Carter said. ``We know they've got a tough team and a lot of good players. That's why it's important for us to have already beaten them this year. We can do it. So we have to take that with us, knowing we can win.''
Although Dallas beat Carolina at home, the Cowboys were outscored 77-17 in four road games against teams with winning records this season.
``At this point, they all should have a good understanding of the situation,'' Parcells said. ``I mean, everything is on the line here. It's pretty simple.''
Carolina may be the most overlooked of all the playoff teams despite earning the third seed as NFC South champion. The Panthers played well all season except for a three-game losing streak that began with the loss to the Cowboys.
``I don't think we get the respect we deserve,'' defensive end Julius Peppers said. ``Just before this year, everybody was like `They ain't going to do that good.' But now we are here and ain't nobody giving us a chance to beat them.''
Saturday's game will be a matchup of teams with similar styles. Carolina and Dallas rely on two of the NFL's top defenses, while their offenses rank in the middle of the league.
Carter entered this season with limited NFL experience and Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme had even less, appearing in just six games with New Orleans.
Delhomme, however, isn't the key figure on offense for the Panthers. Running back Stephen Davis, who rushed for a team-record 1,444 yards this season, holds that distinction.
In their nine wins this season in which he played, Davis averaged 113 yards rushing. In Carolina's five losses, Davis was held to 86 yards per game.
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