Friday, February 13, 1998

No sour grapes from other top candidates

By Kevin Lyons

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

Although they were passed over for the Cowboys' head-coaching position, the other known candidates expressed disappointment but no bitterness toward Jerry Jones' selection of Chan Gailey.

"I have no ill feelings at all," said former 49ers coach George Seifert, who was interviewed by Jones before and after the Super Bowl in San Diego. "Jerry called me (Wednesday), which I thought was professional and positive on his part. I think he made a heck of a decision.

"Apparently, he was interested in somebody with a strong offensive background. I know we've competed with Pittsburgh (Gailey's former team) a number of times, and I'm always impressed with the way they attacked offensively."

Seifert, who has a strong background in defense, said he had a sense for some time that he would not get the job. Former UCLA head coach Terry Donahue was close to accepting the job but could not agree with Jones on salary and issues of responsibility, a source said.

Packers offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis was also a front-runner for the job. Lewis, who has been passed over for many head-coaching jobs in his career despite a resume that includes four Super Bowl rings, did not return phone calls made to his home or office. Lewis' son, Kip, spoke with his father soon after he was told he did not get the job.

"Obviously he's disappointed," said Kip Lewis, a television reporter in Green Bay, Wis. "He thought that things went well, and he liked Jerry. He was excited about his prospects of being a head coach."

Donahue said he enjoyed his discussions with Jones.

"During the time that I was involved in interviewing for the Cowboys job I had the time of my life talking to Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones," Donahue said. "But after those discussions became more detailed, there were considerations in my best interests and Jerry's best interests for me not to be the head coach."

Seifert, the first candidate Jones publicly acknowledged that he had interviewed, said he was impressed, and not distraught about the length of Jones' selection process, which took 34 days.

Gailey's credentials as a coach impressed Jones at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last week.

"I'm not surprised by the turn of developments," Seifert said, "because these things happen very many times. In fact, I'm impressed with the amount of time he took. It was a long, arduous journey for Jerry. He obviously investigated the people he was most interested in, and he feels very good about Gailey's qualifications."

Meanwhile, coaches and players around the league applauded those qualifications, saying Gailey is an imaginative coach who knows how to get along with people.

"Chan has a unique ability to come up with the right play at the right time. He always has a bag of tricks tucked away for various situations in games," said Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who worked with and coached against Gailey. "He tailors the plays to the defense, and he is very good at matching his surprise plays to the opponent's defensive tendencies."

Jimmy Johnson, Jones' first coach, publicly feuded with Jones. But other coaches around the league believe Gailey will get along with the Cowboys owner.

"That's the key and that's what I talked to Chan about," said Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves, whom Jones consulted before hiring Gailey, who was an offensive assistant with Denver (1985-90) when Reeves was the Broncos' head coach. "Chan's good at working with people. He's the one that went through the interview process. He's got to feel good about it or he wouldn't take the job."

And unlike Jones' second coach, Barry Switzer, Gailey is expected to get along with quarterback Troy Aikman.

"Troy is going to enjoy working with him as I did during his days here in Denver," Broncos quarterback John Elway said of Gailey. "I think you are going to see that he is going to be one of the great coaches in this league."

Steelers coach Bill Cowher said Gailey's relatively low profile among football fans should not be held against him.

"Every coach was a no-name until he got an opportunity to do something," said Cowher, who is in the market for a new offensive coordinator. "I was given an opportunity in Pittsburgh and I didn't have a name. Jerry Jones did his research. That, to me, means he's hiring someone for the right reason."

Said Reeves: "My impression when I talked to Jerry about Chan was that he was looking for somebody who has earned a right to coach in the league instead of somebody people think should be coach of the Cowboys."

(Staff Writer Josie Karp contributed to this report.)

(c) 1998, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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