More Bonding Time for the Cowboys?

The Cowboys will practice at Valley Ranch three days this week, before heading to California again. They held training camp, but haven’t play in Oakland since October of 2001. The last time they played the 49ers in San Francisco was November 1997.

“That's the way it is,” says Head Coach Bill Parcells. “Our division is on the East coast, we're going to have three over there every year, so we happen to be playing the west this year, so, that's the way it is.”

Dallas will play back to back games in San Francisco on September 25th, and Oakland on October 2nd. Because of the back to back games in California, Parcells decided it was best for he and his players to stay in California all next week, and not return to Valley Ranch until after they play their second game against the Raiders.

Some of the players might call that, a good chance to go to the West Coast for more bonding time, but Parcells doesn't see it that way.

“Well, because I don't look at things like bonding,” he said laughing. “Naw, that's not on my mind, bonding, ha ha, you know, s___t. You've been watching too many shows in the afternoon.”

Parcells may not be into this “bonding thing,” instead he's just trying to pick up more preparation time for his coaches. He says he will have evaluated the tape from the 49ers game by the time he would be arriving in Dallas. But no bonding, that's not what some of the players are thinking.

“He bonds too,” says Cornerback Terence Newman. “I see him out at the Cowboys Golf Club hitting golf balls, and players come out and talk to him, don't let him tell you that, he does a little bonding.”

“I don't know,” says Tight end Dan Campbell. “I don't know about that, ah, we'll see if he wants to play cards or something like that, in the afternoons, you know, ha ha.”

Drew Bledsoe, the Cowboys Quarterback, sees it as a good thing. “Well we had a whole training camp to hang out, so we know each other pretty well,” he says. “But it will be good, it will be a chance for us to spend some time together as a team, i guess, and do some of that stuff, but the bottom line, we're going out there on a business trip.”

So whether Parcells likes it or not, there will be more bonding time for the players, and the California weather will be a nice change from the 100 degree temperatures in Texas.