Friday, January 23, 1998

Seifert, Jones meet, but no decision made

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

SAN DIEGO - Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones became the center of Super Bowl activity Thursday as his secretive search for the fourth coach in team history became more public.

Jones interviewed former San Francisco coach George Seifert for nearly three hours, attended an NFL Management Council meeting and watched quarterback Troy Aikman accept an award.

Jones said his meeting with Seifert went well but no decision was made. "It was a good, long meeting," said Jones, adding he will talk to Seifert again before the weekend is over. "We talked about the great competition and the times we had when he was with the 49ers ... and we talked about the future and how it might work if we joined together."

Jones also learned Thursday that Minnesota offensive coordinator Brian Billick resigned, possibly paving the way for him to join the Cowboys. The Vikings denied Jones permission to discuss the Cowboys' offensive coordinator's job with Billick last week.

Jones has not fired offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, who has a year remaining on his contract. But the owner has told all of the assistant coaches they are free to look for other jobs as long as teams request permission from Jones. Zampese could not be reached for comment.

Everywhere Jones went Thursday, a throng of reporters surrounded him, firing off questions about his search for Barry Switzer's replacement.

Switzer's resignation was announced Jan. 9. Jones said he has a list of three candidates to replace Switzer, though he has refused to divulge names.

It is known Jones already has interviewed former UCLA coach Terry Donahue and Seifert and has said he plans to interview Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and Green Bay offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis.

League rules prohibit a team from asking permission to talk to another team's coaches until their seasons end, which for Kubiak and Lewis come with Sunday's Super Bowl.

"It's definitely a job you'd have to be interested in," said Lewis, "but I would have to know exactly what the decision-making process is and who's in charge."

Jones, who has worked with Seifert for two years on the NFL's competition committee, was supposed to interview the ex-49ers coach Wednesday night at the swank Hotel del Coronado, but travel complications forced them to postpone the meeting until Thursday.

Jones said he's not opposed to hiring Seifert just because he once coached the rival 49ers.

"Every selection is going to have a flaw, but if the flaw happens to be that he coached the 49ers, then so be it," Jones said. "But I haven't made up my mind. If I had, I wouldn't want to talk to Sherman."

Billick positioned himself to join the Cowboys' staff when he dropped his resignation off at the Vikings' offices Thursday morning. He had a year left on his contract.

Last week, the Cowboys discussed a three-year contract offer that would have paid Billick about $400,000 per year.

"I want this to remain a courteous atmosphere," said Billick, who will spend Friday with his family at Disneyland. "But I'm prepared to take it to whatever level I have to go to protect my family and my future."

Even though Billick resigned, Jones said he will not contact Billick until the Vikings grant permission or the NFL notifies him that Billick is no longer a supervisory coach.

"The nature of the restrictions in the NFL aren't just about what a coach has done with his team," Jones said. "It is about a category that prohibits any other team from talking to a coach without permission, and that's still the case."

Vikings' president Roger Headrick said he might consider filing tampering charges or asking for compensation if Billick joins another team.

"I guess I have to accept the resignation," Headrick said. "This is still America and that's his prerogative."

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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