Smart Is Smart; Dumb Is Dumb

    Intelligence crosses the boundaries of all aspects of life, especially in the sports world and the management (or mismanagement) of franchises. Just as there are general managers who don't know what they're doing in baseball (Andrew Friedman, anyone?); there are similar situations in every other sport; but the constant doomsday predictions for the Dallas Cowboys now that Bill Parcells has announced his retirement seems to be designed to create a story where one doesn't exist.
    For all of Jerry Jones's faults as a person (huge ego; questionable morals; etc.), I don't think anyone will quibble with the fact that he's a savvy guy. If Parcells had a Feb. 1 deadline to decide whether or not he was going to return as Cowboys coach, doesn't it make sense that Jones would have a couple of replacements in the front of his mind if Parcells did indeed decide to retire? All of this silliness about the Cowboys not being able to put together a qualified staff at such a "late" date is as absurd as the suggestion that the team is going to have a problem finding a coach willing to deal with all the controversy that comes with coaching the Cowboys.
    Parcells left behind a team that is relatively well stocked to compete in the coming years; in fact, the Cowboys are probably going to be better off now knowing that they have someone coming in for the long haul, rather than the constant speculation about Parcells and whether or not he's going to retire. Management is everything, and, if nothing else, Jerry Jones knows how to manage his entities, and the Cowboys are no exception.