Bill Parcells still isn't sure if he'll fill in for suspended New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton next season. But one of Parcells' former employers, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, seems to be all for it.
Jones told ESPNDallas.com that having Parcells take charge in New Orleans "would be outstanding for the Saints and the NFL."
Jones believes Parcells can handle what surely would be a high-stakes, high-pressure situation.
"I see it all there," Jones said. "Now, he has got the credibility to take it. If he came in and didn't do as well as they were supposed to, he's got the credibility to live with that. And he's got the confidence and reputation, if he comes, to say it's Sean's team, and to live with that. And I do respect him as being one of the best there is in coaching."
Parcells coached the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006, and Payton was on his staff from 2003 to 2005.
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Jones told ESPNDallas.com on Tuesday that he reached out to Payton "as a friend, as a real friend."
"I just wanted to give him a little love in whatever way you want to call it," said Jones, who added that he supports NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed out Payton's suspension. Jones said he feels "really bad for (Payton) and (Saints general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and (Saints owner) Tom Benson. I feel bad for them."
Payton, Loomis and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams were disciplined by the NFL after its investigation into the "bounty" program that the Saints ran under Williams' purview. Payton has to sit for a season, Loomis was suspended for eight games and Williams was banned indefinitely.
Jones also said he has "a very soft spot" for Saints fans.
