By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

As he slices the white athletic tape from his ankles, Kevin Hardy digs for an explanation.

The Bengals linebacker recalls the team that lost 11 games last season, and he still recognizes many of the same names. The reason everybody in Dallas is now talking playoffs, then, must be the new face of the Cowboys.

"When you're on the outside looking in, the coach is what you point to," said Hardy, who left Dallas to sign with the Bengals during the offseason. "You say, 'Man, (Bill) Parcells must be the difference.' "

In his first season leading the Cowboys, Parcells is crafting yet another makeover story in a coaching career defined by them. Dallas is 4-1 and leads the NFC East.

Four other NFL head coaches in their first season with new teams haven't fared as well.

The Bengals' Marvin Lewis, Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio, San Francisco's Dennis Erickson and Detroit's Steve Mariucci are a combined 5-17.

The secret to Parcells' success so far this season certainly isn't the message alone. Listen closely and you'll swear the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach reads from a script similar to Lewis'.

"We've got a long way to go," Parcells said during his Monday news conference. "We've got some things that we need to get fixed, or they will come back to haunt us."

The Cowboys' start under their new head coach isn't unusual. Eight of 12 coaches now in the second or third full season with their current team improved the club's record immediately.

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden and Raiders coach Bill Callahan inherited veteran teams last season and led each to the Super Bowl.

Panthers coach John Fox took over a team that finished 1-15 in 2001. Carolina went 7-9 last season and is now 5-0 and first in the NFC South entering Week 7.

Dick Vermeil's penchant for turning around teams led him to Kansas City. In 2001, his first season, the Chiefs finished 6-10 but they currently are 6-0 and lead the AFC West.

"Everything that has transpired has been a combination of good players, hopefully good coaching and good fortune," Vermeil said last week.

"The great thing about our squad and organization is their willingness to work when it wasn't going well, when we were losing games."

The Bengals, meanwhile, are in the process of trying to change. Having lost three games by seven or fewer points, they enter Sunday's game against the first-place Ravens with a 1-4 record.

"When you get a couple wins under your belt, and you gain that confidence, you go out there on Sunday and you feel like you're going to win," Hardy said. "Around here we could be in the same situation (the Cowboys) are in. We're close, but we're not quite over the top yet."