Upon the announcement of Bill Parcells' retirement as Cowboys head coach, along with the recent rumors that Parcells had his agent submit his name for the recently vacant New York Giants GM position, one has to wonder, could Parcells bring his leadership and expertise to the Lions organization in a front office capacity?
Parcells' name has been mentioned in the past as a candidate for the Lions head coaching position. Parcells, who is believed would appreciate the relative hands-off approach of the Fords in football decisions, is a football lifer who may be ready for a new challenge in the sport. Parcells is under contract with the Cowboys for one more year, but could likely be had in a new role for the right price. Parcells has a winning pedigree that is without question and would bring 30 years of NFL experience to the table.
Their are two immediate obstacles that I can foresee. One obstacle is that Parcells is an advocate of the 3-4 defense, which is incongruous with the current Cover-2 zone scheme that the Lions utilize, and is the defensive scheme utilized by both of the 2007 Super Bowl participants. The other obstacle is whether Parcells and Lions executive Tom Lewand could work in partnership as ably as Lewand has with Team President Matt Millen. In regards to Millen, who has been a miserable failure in his personnel decision making, the Lions would have to drastically reduce his input in personnel decisions and reduce his role within the organization. If the Fords are at all serious about changing their franchise's fortunes, they should at least investigate this possibility.
