Rebirth of Carter and the Cowboys is classic Parcells - NFL - Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and quarterback Quincy Carter

Bill Parcells is the best thing that ever happened to Quincy Carter.

If Parcells hadn't been hired to coach the Cowboys, Carter would be sitting on the Dallas bench or looking for work. He lost his starting job to Chad Hutchinson midway through the 2002 season and had given the Cowboys little reason to believe he'd ever amount to much.

Enter Parcells. He reopened the competition and liked what he saw from Carter. Now, Carter is the starting quarterback for the team with the best record in the NFC East. And he's playing very well. He's not tearing up the league statistically, but he has a much better grasp of the offense and is making smart decisions. He's throwing the ball with confidence and making the plays it takes to win.

Parcells has that touch with players. He makes it clear what is expected of them--practice hard, play hard, be in shape, be on time, know your assignments, don't make silly mistakes--and holds them accountable. If you're not up to the task, you're gone. It's simple stuff, but it's amazing how often coaches let stuff like that slide. That had happened in Dallas, but Parcells put an end to it. The Cowboys are a much more disciplined team, and that's one reason they're winning with largely the same group of players who went 5-11 last year.

The coaching staff underwent more changes than the roster. For the first time since Jimmy Johnson was in Dallas, Jerry Jones gave his coach the authority to hire and fire his assistants. That's vital because each of these coaches--those Parcells retained and those he brought in--knows he'd better be loyal to Parcells and get the job done, or he won't be around. Like players, coaches should know that if they Fail, they're out the door. Dallas' coaches know that now.

There's something to be said for that fear factor. It's a great motivator, as Parcells knows well. It's just part of the formula he used to turn around the Giants, Patriots and Jets. The Cowboys may be his greatest reclamation project, and he's already ahead of schedule.

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Scouts' views

In terms of how explosive and productive they can be, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are as good as any wide receiver tandem ha the league. Both those guys are just so open. They run good routes, they're quick in and out of their breaks, and they have burst.... Corey Dillon needs a change of scenery. I'm sure he had a free rein before the new coach came in. Now, Marvin Lewis wants to do it his way, and it doesn't sound like Corey is buying into it. He's a phenomenal back, but it might be better for both him and the Bengals if he moved on.... Tackling is still bad. Practices just aren't as physical any more. You can't afford to lose guys in practice, so you don't put on the pads very often. Until they give us more bodies on the roster, it's going to be like this.... Bill Belichick keeps plugging guys in, and the Patriots keep winning. He gets players to fit what he does, and they do it well. He's a creative coach, and he makes it hard to prepare for them because you never know what he's going to come up with.... I'm not going to second-guess Steve Spurrier's protection package--the guy has been doing it for years--but I can tell you this: If you're trying to block Simeon Rice with just a tight end or just a running back, you're not doing something right. That guy is a beast. You have to game-plan your protection around him.... If Michael Vick is cleared medically, he should come back this year. You would hope that he could turn it around for Atlanta, but his growth for next year is just as important. The only way to really get better in this league is by being out there and doing it. If he sat out the entire season, he'd have that much more rust to work off. ... Champ Bailey is the best cover corner in the league. He can press, he can run, and he has excellent ball skills. He has a lapse every now and then, but he's the total package.... The Giants could be in trouble without Will Peterson. If a team knows you don't have one of your top two corners, they're going to test the next guy in there. And that guy had better be up to the task. If he can't cover, they're going to keep throwing at him. The coaches in this league can be unforgiving.... If you watch the Raiders on offense, it looks like they're playing on a smaller field than other teams. It's because of their lack of speed at wideout. It just makes the field so much easier to defend for defenses.

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