Falcons owner Arthur Blank has become the easiest mark in professional sports. When Bill Parcells needed leverage, he scared up a lucrative offer from Blank in order to win another billionaire's heart.
The strategy worked beautifully. Plant a story on a couple of your buddies(Mort and Gary Myers), and then wait for Wayne Huizenga to come running. Last weekend, every sportswriter in South Florida thought Huizenga was poised to sell the team.
Now, he's apparently informed Parcells that he's not going anywhere. And for the second time in as many weeks, Blank is left holding the bag.
Miami is a logical destination for Parcells because he owns a home in Jupiter, Fla., where he hangs out with former Packers GM Ron Wolf during spring training.
Now, the fates of Dolphins GM Randy Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron hang in the balance. Our pal Ethan Skolnick from the Sun-Sentinel's highly underrated Season Ticket blog makes a solid case for both men keeping their jobs - at least temporarily.
Cameron is buddies with Bob Knight, and that alone might buy him an extra season. It's more likely that Mueller is shown the door.
Parcells will want someone who shares his philosophy for evaluating talent, and that's why he'll take a long look at Cowboys scouting director Jeff Ireland. If he does end up firing Cameron, keep your eye on Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was the quarterbacks coach in Miami in 2005 and 2006.
In the first link above, there's one thing Dave Hyde has wrong. His observation that Jones and Parcells didn't get along isn't true. There was tension at the end, but for the most part, the two had a solid relationship.
