Coach P interview

Kevin: How's life in the NFL?

Coach P: It's an exciting life and it's very demanding. There is such a small margain for error in this league. So many games are decided by one play, like this one (Monday night against the Bills). So it's very exciting.

Kevin: Are you a better coach now than you than when you left SU:

Coach P: I've been very fortunate. My first year here I coached offense (tight ends). This year and last year I've coached on defense (linebackers). So there is no question that the exposure in the NFL on both sides of the ball has made me a better coach.

Kevin: But there has to be a big difference? At SU you had players with some talent. In the NFL you've got the cream of the crop.

Coach P: Yeah we do. But we coach the same things. You can't win or play well without the proper technique. It all starts with technique. So we're always working on fundamentals. Most people think guys at this level don't want to work on that stuff. But they do. We work on it all the time. It's just the opposite. They're dying to work on these things. They;re willing to work as hard as they can to be good.

Kevin: What's it like coaching "America's Team" and all the craziness that comes with it?

Coach P: It's fun. Obviously the Dallas Cowboys are a class organization. Everything is top notch. The Jones family is first class. There is no one in sports in American who wants to get the players they need to win. No one is more committed to win than the Dallas Cowboys are. So everything is top notch.

Kevin: Do you miss being a head coach?

Coach P: There are things at times that I certainly miss. But then there's things at times that I don't miss. When the big headaches come along I get in my car and go home. I don't miss it then. But certainly the competitiveness me certainly misses a lot of aspects of being a head coach.

Kevin: How tough was it packing up the family and leaving Syracuse?

Coach P: It was tough. I mean I was there for 18 years. My wife is from there. All of our kids were born there. We loved where we lived and we met some many great people there. Fortunately we've landed in a great spot. We live in a great town in Texas, where everything is top notch. So the transition has been top notch.

Kevin: How much do you follow the SU program nowadays:

Coach P: Well, I'm pretty busy on Saturdays so I don't get a chance to watch college football that much now, but I know who wins and loses.

Kevin: So you know that the Orange has lost a lot since you've been gone. How does it make you feel considering you were fired because you were losing? Now the (Greg Robinson) is not winning.

Coach P: All I can say is that when I took over the program the former coaches were all supportive if me. Everyone was so supportive of me over what we were doing. In this business you're supportive of the people running the program and wish them nothing but success and hope the kids are all doing well.

Kevin: So you don't want to call up and say, maybe you should've kept me.

Coach P: No, nah...we're supportive of the coaches that are there.

Kevin: What about the fact that you still have some of your guys on that team?

Coach P: Well I wish them all the best. Again, Syracuse is a great school. They are there to get an education. And as long as they go to class and get a degree they're going to do well.

Kevin: Why have you kept such a low profile? This is the first interview that you've done.

Coach P: As an assistant coach with the Cowboys we don't do a lot of interviews. We still don't do a lot of interviews. This is rare nowadays for me. You're busying helping the team and doing opponent research. There hasn't been a big need for me to talk. So I don't know if I've been low profile or trying to do my job. As an assistant coach you have a different role that you're in and I'm just trying to do my job.

Kevin: So it has nothing to do with you wanting to leave SU behind you?

Coach P: No, not at all.

Kevin: What's you message to the Syracuse fans who are still waiting for the program to get better?

Coach P: Just hang in there. Keep supporting the team and keep supporting the players. Hopefully things will turn around.

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