IRVING, TEXAS ? 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 in 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,” Parcells said. “You don’t do that in this league unless you have some talent and some prideful players.”