IRVING, Texas (AP) -Bill Parcells already has a plan for what he's going to do after the season.
But he wouldn't say Wednesday whether he will return next season to finish his contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
The coach said he and owner Jerry Jones ``have an understanding as to what's going to happen'' and a timetable for it. ``Without question, there's no doubt about what's in place, what we're going to talk about,'' the 65-year-old Parcells said, without elaborating. ``We'll talk about it and then that will be that.''
There are the same questions about Parcells' future as there were last January, when he still had a year left on his original $17 million, four-year contract. Jones then gave Parcells a new two-year deal through 2007.
So does his understanding with Jones mean Parcells coaches the Cowboys next season if that's what he wants to do?
``Yeah, I think so, but I'm not saying that. You have to ask him about that,'' Parcells said. ``We'll see. I don't want to get too far into anything. I'll let you know exactly what the situation is after the season's over. I promise.''
Jones has indicated several times publicly that he wants Parcells to come back. The owner wasn't available for comment Wednesday.
When the Cowboys lost 23-7 at home to Philadelphia on Christmas Day to lose control in the NFC East, Jones called it one of the most disappointing losses since he bought the team in 1989. But after the 39-31 loss to Detroit on Sunday to end the regular season, Jones tried to take the positive approach of being in the playoffs.
Dallas plays a wild-card game at Seattle on Saturday night.
Parcells maintained after past seasons that he needed time to decide whether he had the energy and desire to keep coaching. That apparently isn't changing now. And he said he won't be swayed by what his team has done the last month - or how the Cowboys do in the playoffs.
``You've got to make a judgment based on whether you feel like you want to take on this task, you want to do it again, you want to muster up enough energy because you know you have got another offseason, another draft, another preseason, another regular season,'' Parcells said.
``If you're ready to try to do that with the energy that you know it takes, then you go forward with it,'' he said. ``But you can't B-S yourself either. I don't think I'm one that does. ... At least I hope I'm not.''
Parcells has left his three previous coaching jobs in mid-contract.
If Parcells comes back, will receiver Terrell Owens also return? Owens said Wednesday that he wasn't focused on whether he'd be in Dallas again next season.
``I hear all the speculation but that's not what is important to me,'' Owens said. ``It shouldn't be a situation where I should be talking about whether I want to come back. You guys (reporters) should be focusing on the playoffs.''
Parcells rarely calls Owens by name, instead referring to him as ``the player.''
While Owens led the NFL with 13 touchdown receptions, the most for a Cowboy since Bob Hayes also had 13 in 1969, he also dropped more than a dozen passes.
The Cowboys just finished another 9-7 regular season. They missed the playoffs with that mark last season, but made it as a wild-card team this time despite losing three of their last four games - including three straight home games.
After losing the regular season finale against Detroit, Parcells claimed to be at one of his lowest points in coaching. He sounded tired, and was obviously frustrated.
``You're judging me by a five-minute period after the game, when you experience a great disappointment,'' he said Wednesday.
Dallas has a 34-30 record under Parcells, and lost its only playoff game with him, a wild-card game at Carolina after he went 10-6 his first season. Over a 19-season career with four teams, he is 183-137-1, good for ninth on the career victories list, with two Super Bowl wins.
The Cowboys haven't been to the Super Bowl since winning their fifth championship 11 years ago when Barry Switzer was the coach. They've won only one playoff game since, and that was the year after going to the Super Bowl.
Strangely enough, Switzer made a rare appearance at Valley Ranch on Wednesday. He was seen in a hallway not far from where Parcells was talking to reporters.
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