IRVING, Texas – Bill Parcells benched Drew Bledsoe a few weeks ago, convinced the veteran quarterback could no longer get the job done. Now Dallas Cowboys fans are starting to wonder whether the same is true about Parcells.

Midway through a fourth season in Dallas that Parcells said could be “special,” the Cowboys are 4-4.

They’ve done themselves in with mistakes not expected from a Parcells-coached team. The offense turns the ball over too much, the defense gives up too many big plays and the Cowboys lead the league in penalty yards.

Distractions could be partly to blame. There might even be “25 million reasons” why Terrell Owens is at fault.

But the bottom line is that this is Parcells’ team. And the way it’s playing is tarnishing a career that could be headed into its final eight games.

“It is trying on me. It is, there’s no doubt,” Parcells said following the team’s latest and perhaps most devastating loss, a 22-19 loss in Washington in which a potential game-winning field goal was blocked and a penalty on the return set up the winning kick for the Redskins.

“But that’s the way the game is. And, you know, you just have to go forward. You can’t look back. You have to go forward.”

Since going 10-6 and snagging a wild card in Parcells’ first season, the Cowboys are 19-21, with another loss in that lone playoff game. Their longest winning streak in that span is three games, and it’s only happened once.

This year was supposed to be their breakthrough.

The defense smoothly converted to the coach’s 3-4 scheme last season. Owens’ arrival gave the offense more firepower. And a kicking game blamed for three of last season’s seven losses was upgraded with the signing of Mike Vanderjagt, the most accurate field goal kicker in league history.

Still, Dallas led the opener 10-0 after two possessions, then went cold and lost at Jacksonville. Turnovers at the start and end blew a chance to make T.O.’s return to Philadelphia a success.

The Cowboys were severely outplayed at home by the New York Giants, then had a game’s worth of blunders catch up to them against the Redskins.

Parcells likes to say “the game tells you what you are.” So at 4-4 Dallas is average. That means the coach is, too.

Maybe age has caught up to the 65-year-old Parcells. Maybe he’s burned out after three years of working with Jerry Jones and three months of T.O. Or maybe it’s short-timer’s syndrome from a guy who knows he won’t be around next year.

Parcells points at other inconsistent teams. While that means his misery has company, what he’s really looking for is a way to snap out of the funk.

“When your team’s doing it, you don’t know whether it’s ever going to end,” Parcells said. “That’s what’s worrisome.”

Dallas has endured a season’s worth of kooky stuff.

Owens has put them through all sorts of shenanigans: a preseason hamstring injury; a fine for being late to work; a broken hand; a night in the hospital caused by an accidental overdose; an argument with his coordinator; complaints about not getting the ball enough; sleeping in team meetings; and several drops, including a sure touchdown last Sunday in Washington..

Additionally, center Andre Gurode had his face sliced open by the right cleat of Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth, a quarterback change that’s turned out so well that folks are wondering why Parcells didn’t do it sooner and Parcells being so giddy following a win over Carolina that he went around kissing players have ensued.

The Cowboys have even struggled to fly home. Their last two trips included an emergency stop for an ailing assistant coach and a four-hour delay because of mechanical problems.

Parcells said “it’s a cop-out” to even consider blaming those for on-field problems. But all that matters are wins.