Columnist dispels Bill Belichick to Cowboys buzz

Columnist Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram isn't buying the idea that Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could fire head coach Mike McCarthy and hire former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick this winter. 

"Jerry went down this path before, and he’s not apt to do it again. Not even for a Belichick," Engel explained for a piece published Friday. "Jerry has worked with a Belichick type before, with the man who happens to be his mentor." 

That mentor, of course, is Bill Parcells, who famously guided the New York Giants to a pair of Super Bowl titles while serving as head coach with that franchise and who held the same job with Dallas from 2003 through the 2006 season. As Engel noted, the Cowboys failed to earn a single playoff victory during Parcells' tenure. 

Former Patriots players Scott Zolak, Julian Edelman and Rob Ninkovich are among knowledgeable individuals who recently suggested Jones could pursue Belichick if McCarthy's 12-5 Cowboys lose Sunday's home wild-card playoff game to the 9-8 Green Bay Packers. Some even believe anything short of Dallas making it to the conference title game for the first time since January 1996 could land McCarthy on the hot seat this winter. 

"Jerry wants to have fun," Engel pointed out. Engel added that "the word 'fun' fits Belichick the way your finger does in an electrical outlet." 

Engel also said that a Belichick-Jones marriage wouldn't work because "at Belichick’s age (71), and résumé, if he does want to continue coaching in the NFL, he will want control over personnel." For what it's worth, Belichick hinted this past Monday that he would've at least discussed giving up some power regarding personnel decisions to continue coaching in New England. Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters Thursday such an arrangement would've "set up confusion" within the organization. 

"He’s been down this road with another Bill before and while he proved that he could do it, it wasn’t a great fit because it really wasn’t that much fun," Engel concluded about Jones possibly hiring Belichick. It remains to be seen if Jones will prioritize winning over "fun" if the Cowboys fall to the Packers on Sunday afternoon.