IRVING, Texas (AP) – When Bill Parcells returned to the Meadowlands two weeks ago to face the New York Giants, it was a nostalgic night. Lawrence Taylor was there to greet him, as were more than a dozen other former players, all long retired.

When Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys go back again Sunday, this time to face the New York Jets, the reunion will be all business.

This time, the 11 Jets remaining from when Parcells was their coach will all be suited up – and 10 will start. So while there will be plenty of hellos and handshakes before kickoff, the warm fuzzies will end there.

“I haven’t been gone from the Jets that long,” Parcells said Tuesday, “but it’s still long enough.”

Parcells took over the Jets in 1997 after taking division rival New England to the Super Bowl. His stature grew as he took a team coming off a 1-15 season and went 9-7 his first year, then made the AFC title game the second.

His 1999 team started 0-4 and 1-6, but finished 8-8. Parcells moved into the front office the next year, then left the club. He was so sure that his coaching days were done that he titled a book about 1999, “The Final Season: My Last Year as Head Coach in the NFL.”

“I thought it right up until very, very late in the fall – very late. I already had my ticket to go to the Super Bowl and do my broadcasting,” said Parcells, who changed his mind after talking to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones last December.

Parcells insists his knowledge of the Jets won’t help much. He noted that Patriots coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, his former assistants in New York, are far more familiar with the Jets – and New England squeaked by New York 23-16 Sunday.

After watching game films of the Jets, Parcells said he doesn’t see much to remind him of the club he left behind.

“Look, I’ve been gone from there,” he said. “This is my fourth year out.”

Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing. I know some of the numbers on the players. That’s what I know. There’s nothing I had to do with what they’re doing now.”

Parcells meant specific plays, not their 0-3 start. The one thing he was most adamant about regarding the Jets is that a turnaround is coming.

“They haven’t had a losing season since ’96. You don’t do that in this league unless you have some talent and some prideful players,” Parcells said.

Among his favorites are running back Curtis Martin, quarterback Vinny Testaverde and receiver Wayne Chrebet. On Tuesday, he raved about Testaverde’s strength – “He’ll be able to throw it very well when he’s 50 years old” – and about Chrebet having the second-most catches in team history.

“He’s not too small, he’s not too slow. He’s as quick and as smart as any receiver in this league,” Parcells said. “If you’re a young defensive back, you better watch it because he’ll get away from you in a second. He has rare separation ability.”

Other former Parcells players remaining include center Kevin Mawae, fullback Jerald Sowell, tackle Jason Fabini and offensive lineman J.P. Machado. On defense, it’s lineman Jason Ferguson, linebackers Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis, and cornerback Ray Mickens.

“There are some pretty good players in that group,” Parcells said.

Mickens, who visited Parcells’ office this spring, said Monday he’s not surprised his old boss is coaching again. He’s also not intimidated by the idea of facing him.

“We don’t care who the coach is,” Mickens said. “He’s not suiting up. He’s not playing. It’s about the Jets and the Cowboys. It’s about us. We have to go out there and win. That’s the bottom line.”

Facing the Jets could be more emotional for three Dallas players: fullback Richie Anderson, offensive lineman Ryan Young and defensive end Eric Ogbogu, all of whom began their career in New York and signed with the Cowboys this summer.

Anderson just left the Jets after spending his first 10 years there. Young broke into the NFL under Parcells in 1999, then was let go through the expansion draft after the 2001 season. Parcells also gave Ogbogu his start.

“I don’t have any ill will against the Jets,” Young said. “If the emotions surface and it becomes a special game to me, then so be it.”

For the Cowboys (1-1), a victory would put them over .500 for the first time since they were 7-6 in December 1999. Dallas lost the next week and has remained at or below the break-even point for the last 53 games, one of the longest droughts in franchise history.

The team that started them on the slide? The Jets, coached by Bill Parcells.

AP-ES-09-23-03 1831EDT