IRVING, TEXAS ? His hair is a shade of blond and his clothes prominently feature silver and blue tones.

Everything else is vintage Bill Parcells.

The Tuna’s impact on the Dallas Cowboys grows every day, from the no-nonsense signs posted around the locker room to the type of players drafted this past weekend and signed in free agency before then.

On a team that’s gone 5-11 three straight seasons, there’s plenty of work to be done.

“You just can’t immediately tear down what’s been kind of built up here. I don’t really intend to do that anyway,” he said.

The Cowboys had a second straight solid draft, highlighted by three first-day picks who could all become starters: Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman, center Al Johnson and tight end Jason Witten. Fourth-round pick Bradie James, a linebacker, also will contribute.

Dallas fans who were hoping to find the next Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith will have to make do with Chad Hutchinson and Troy Hambrick at quarterback and running back for the time being.

Parcells said he wasn’t planning on going after a running back in the early rounds just for the sake of replacing Smith.

“The worst thing we could do is draft a back and then have to draft another one next year,” he said.