I had some serious questions about Vince’s ability to be a successful NFL QB. But his performance last night changed my mind. Sure it is easy to praise Young the day after he was named the Rose Bowl MVP for the second consecutive year. His performance last night is definitely one of the best individual performances in a big game that I can remember.

But more than stats and numbers, Vince Young proved something to me last night. I knew that he had the ability to run. I knew that he had the ability to pass. I knew that he had the ability to put up some gaudy numbers. But, last night Young proved that he can manage a game and a team. He proved to be a great leader throughout the season and he topped it off last night.

I did not think that Vince Young could beat USC by himself. And, with all respect to his teammates at UT he did it. There was a point in the game last night where Vince looked at his offensive teammates and said, “…you do your jobs the best you can, and I will make sure we win this game…”

His utter command of the game was remarkable last night. In a National Championship game, with a team riding a 34 game winning streak, if Vince Young had been tackled before he scored the winning touchdown, he still would have been the game’s MVP. That’s right, even on the losing team, Vince Young would have still won his 2^nd Rose Bowl MVP.

Yes, the rest of the Longhorns deserve credit. There is no doubt they played a great game. But Vince Young was extraordinary.

I was not a Vince Young “quarterback” fan. I still have some concerns about the way he plays quarterback. But something has changed about Vince Young. He now has a combination of touch and accuracy. He now makes the throws that he is supposed to make. Last night Vince Young only had 9 incomplete passes. Yes, there were some wide open receivers. But it takes a good QB to find them and get the ball to them.

Young’s NFL stock definitely rose last night. It is possible to get way too ga-ga over an individual game. But the Vince Young I saw last night is much much closer to being an NFL caliber QB.

In my eyes, Young is no longer a Michael Vick wannabe…Mike Vick may now be a Vince Young wannabe. Young has become an accurate passer. He is able to complete passes and he is able to run like the wind. And most of all, he has proven that he can mature into a complete QB.

Cleverly, Bill Parcells has puppeteered this situation in a way that has rocketed the cart waaaay past the horse: Before the Cowboys decide if InfalliBill wants them, shouldn't the Cowboys decide if THEY want HIM?

Ever wonder if anybody inside Valley Ranch has paused to even become aware of Parcells' demeaning style, his egomaniacal manipulation of the issue of his "retirement'' and, most of all his supervision of a team that collapsed in a way unprecedented in Cowboys history? Ever wonder if anybody inside Valley Ranch thinks the way you might think, that Parcells should be treated here like any other coach who is around .500 in his three seasons, has yet to win a playoff game and just followed a 7-3 start with a bumbling 2-4 finish?

Ever wonder if anybody inside Valley Ranch doesn't worship at The Altar of Bill?

Wonder no more. Some of the people at Valley Ranch who show up for work every day at 6 a.m. -- and roll their eyes when I mention to them that Parcells is claiming he shows up by 3:45 a.m. -- are aware.

A great summation from one Cowboys staffer: "He's the greatest actor I've ever seen. And yes, that includes Jimmy Johnson.''

What Parcells is doing to your Cowboys now is not unlike the con job Jimmy pulled back in '94. Never honest about his plans to depart Dallas on his terms, Johnson first sneakily volunteered himself for a job with expansion Jacksonville -- and did so with a backstab to boot, since Jags owner Wayne Weaver had phoned Jimmy to ask about Norv Turner's candidacy, not Jimmy's. Then Johnson put a scare into Cowboys Nation by pretending to be offended by Jerry Jones' innocuous "500 coaches'' remark. When Jones finally bucked up by telling Jimmy that he wanted the coach to stay but that he should "Commit or Quit,'' Johnson's bluff was called.

He quit -- and still somehow persuaded Jones to write him a fat severance check.

Along comes Bill Parcells, who is now whoring on that same side of the street.

If Bill wanted to motivate his team into beating Washington in Game 14 (and for that matter, the Rams in Game 16), he could have told them that he was retiring, and to therefore "Win One For The Tuna.'' If he wanted to "avoid the distraction'' of him considering retirement, he could have comforted him team (and his stockholders, the fans) by denying the rumors and promising to remain in Dallas to finish the job he was hired to do. And if he wanted a contract extension to ensure the security of his staff, he could have simply said that, publicly or privately, as well.

Instead, he planted the retirement rumor (and yes, what was once my speculation is now widely believed to be fact among Cowboys staffers). He CAUSED the distraction. He IS the distraction.

If Parcells does take his sweet time to decide to depart, prime candidates to replace him might have been gobbled up. Already, his two coordinators are prepping to interview elsewhere, when rightfully, Sean Payton and Mike Zimmer should have the opportunity to be elevated in Dallas. (Sound familiar? Yes, when Jimmy stiffed Jerry back in '94, he also stiffed Norv. Jimmy's timing was so perfectly evil that it forced Turner to go to Washington rather than take over here, where an Aikman-Turner marriage would likely have thrived more than the Aikman-Switzer relationship did. Oh, that Jimmy, so considerate of his friends. ...)

What does Bill Parcells really do at 3:45 a.m.? Maybe that's when he phones his media buddies and plants stories of his retirement. Stories that will get the court of public opinion on his side. Stories that will worry his owner. Stories that will increase his paycheck.

And then at 3:46 a.m., Bill scripts how he'll tersely explain to the rest of the reporters that he has no idea where "you guys'' come up with these stories. And how "you guys'' are distracting his team. "Bleep That!''' begins the script.

I've written this before in this space. I'll write it with more muscle here: My friend Chris Mortensen IS "you guys.'' I'm told Mort and Bill talked before the ESPN "NFL Countdown'' show that featured Mort's "contemplating retirement'' scoop. Talked THAT MORNING. I'm also told Mort and Bill have discussed the coach returning to the network at some point. And by the way, even if you question my accuracy here, again understand this: Employees at Valley Ranch -- Bill's employees -- believe it.

How do you ask loyalty when you don't show loyalty? How do you demand commitment when you don't practice commitment? And after you ask your wife if she wants to remain married to you, how long do you wait while she "contemplates''? How badly do you want to stay in a partnership to someone who claims to be uncertain he wants to be in it at all?

It is pathetic and sad that Parcells' "recent losses'' are being included as part of this story. When you are a 62-year-old person, family members die. Divorces occur. There is cancer and suicide and heartbreak and it sucks. S--- happens.

Death and divorce and s---, that is not what this is about. This is, at its purest, Parcells contemplating his navel but making damn sure the navel contemplation is leaked through media friends in case there was a way to get his $4.25-mil-a-year salary bumped and extended.

This is, at its dirtiest, Parcells bullying more than just a defenseless kicker or a faceless assistant coach or a dorky media suck-up. This is Bill Parcells bullying and manipulating and puppeteering everyone at Valley Ranch, from the owner on down, and everyone who follows the Cowboys, you included.

Did you know that some members of the front office have not been allowed to see the team practice for the last two years?

Did you know that a legendary ex-Cowboy was once kicked off the field at training camp because, as Parcells barked, "this is MY field''?

Did you ever wonder why a loyal Parcellian named Maurice Carthon skipped town to make a lateral move to Cleveland (Cleveland!) with nary an explanation?

Did you know that not long ago, one long-time Valley Ranch employee was chased away from the otherwise empty trainer's room by a Parcells henchman for committing the crime of simply wanting to fetch an aspirin for his kid?

I want Bill Parcells to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. But having lived through the Jimmy Johnson debacle, I also say I want Bill Parcells to WANT to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. And that if he doesn't, he cannot leave soon enough.

Buffalo's Marv Levy used to say that once a person starts thinking of retirement, he might as well fully say goodbye. Parcells has the option of doing just that. He's free to pack for Saratoga Springs or Briston, Conn., or the Jets or the Lions.

Or. ...

He can quit lifting his skirt every time ESPN calls. He can drop the puppeteer strings. He can subject himself to the same rigorous grading system as he does other Cowboys. He can show up at 2 a.m. or 3:45 a.m. or 6 a.m. or, for all I care, 9 a.m., and not bother holding a press conference to announce it. He can ask Jerry what the owner wants to him to do, contractually, and say, "yessir, Mr. Jones, because I've underperformed so far anyway.'' He can re-earn the respect of his employees by treating them like human beings, which would go a long way to raising morale and dropping those rolling eyeballs. And right before he gets his butt back to work -- real work, not ego-feeding bullying and fraudulent image-making and money-grubbing posturing -- he can distribute much-needed aspirin to all of us.

Because he's given all of Cowboys Nation a collective headache.

We’ve been waiting for this game for 6 months now. I can’t remember a time in College Football where the preseason #1 has ever met the preseason #2 for the National Championship. As much as I rail on the BCS, the BCS has given us this gift.

I think a lot of people are tired of the hype at this point and they are ready to watch the action. When the preseason polls came out everyone looked at the schedules and said, “…Wow, Texas has got to get past Ohio St…” and they did. They said, “…USC has got to get past Notre Dame…” and they did. Now we are left with two undefeated teams.

Both teams had to avoid falling asleep and getting upset by lesser teams. And they both achieved their goals. They played great seasons and are both worthy of winning the National Championship.

Texas can take a little encouragement that good teams have had some success running the ball against USC. On the other hand, the Texas pass offense hasn’t faced anything like USC. Texas also hasn’t faced anything like the passing attack of USC. Texas faces a challenge that is way further down the line statistically then they have faced yet. Statistically, don’t count on Texas grabbing a lot of interceptions.

I love stats and the stats here speak volumes here.

But, as much as I love stats, USC has one huge advantage that has nothing to do with stats. It’s the Butterfly Effect. USC has been battle tested. USC has played a handful of huge games like this throughout the last 3 seasons. USC has been protecting an impressive winning streak.

Yes they will be nervous. You can’t play a in a game of this magnitude without being nervous. But how nervous will the Longhorns be. I think that is the key.

Texas cannot afford to get behind early in this game. That means they need to get rid of the butterflies as soon as possible. I don’t know how Mack is going to handle this. But, I do know that he is the perfect man for the job.

I think that USC has the edge in this game. But, that does not mean that they are going to beat UT in a rout. Texas has a strong strong team. They’ve got a gamebreaker at QB.

I don’t know Bill Parcells at all. I know some people that know him from a distance. I know some people that are close to him. But, it doesn’t take a powerful microscope to see that Bill Parcells is one unhappy man.

First and foremost, Bill has no interests outside of football. He has made no close friends in town. An NFL Coach goes through a rollercoaster of emotions during a season. At times the games eat him up. At other times press eats him up. And the schedule is grueling. Parcells has no escape. He has no close friends he can confide in.

Bill’s unhappiness has trickled down to every part of this organization. This used to be a very public franchise. It used to be very approachable. It was gregarious. It was social. The Cowboys were a club where it wasn’t a question of winning or losing, they were still going to be outgoing. That has changed.

This is now a tight lipped organization. Assistant Coaches are not allowed to talk to the media during the season. Players are not as outgoing as they used to be. It seems that even Jerry Jones’ relationship with the players has changed. He is not as close to these guys as he used to be.

I don’t know what Bill Parcells is going to do. I believe that Jerry would like to have him back. I believe that Jerry would offer him an extension to get him to come back. He has built the foundation of a quality football team. And Jerry appreciates that. But Bill has walked away from quality teams in the past. And there is nothing to suggest that he has changed in that regard.

I think that there is a very good chance that Bill Parcells will not return as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He’s not happy. He’s been able to put a solid product on the field. But off the field the morale may be at an all time low.