He will be missed

Bill Parcells will be missed on the sidelines. He is one of the great motivating coaches in the history of the game. And for the press, he certainly put on a good show but he chose not to address the media to announce his decision to retire from football.

He opted instead for an email. A little out of character but 19 hard seasons wear heavily on a man. He's entitled to bow out in any manner he chooses as far as I'm concerned.

In his last try, the Cowboys blew a chance to beat the Seahawks when Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo botched a hold on a short field goal with a little more than a minute left.

Parcells goes out having losing lost four of his final five games, including the last three. His announcement came 15 days after the loss to Seattle.

"I am retiring from coaching football,' Parcells said in a statement. "I want to thank Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years. Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here."

The announcement came in a morning e-mail.