By John Gottlieb
Is it me or is everyone in the world being fleeced, again? Yesterday came the surprising announcement that Bill Parcells retired from the Dallas Cowboys. Instantly this became a bigger story than Peyton Manning finally getting past the New England Patriots, or the Bears returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1985 season.
It was a little more than two weeks ago that the Cowboys lost a wild card game in one of the most heartbreaking ways, and this was clearly too devastating to be glossed over by the Tuna.
It did seem like he was taking a long time to decide if he was coming back to Jerry Jones, the soap opera known as Terrell Owens and America’s Team, but the latest was that Parcells was planning to attend the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this Saturday.
Instead, Monday brought us the end of a disappointing tenure in Dallas that saw Parcells go 34-32 in four seasons, including a pair of first-round playoff losses.
"I am retiring from coaching football," Parcells said in a statement released by the Cowboys. "I want to thank Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years. Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here.
"I am in good health and feel lucky to have been able to coach in the NFL for an extended period of time. I leave the game and the NFL with nothing but good feelings and gratitude to all the players, coaches and other people that have assisted me in that regard."
So Parcells, 65, walks away from the game with a 183-138-1 career record in 19 seasons with the Cowboys, New York Jets, New England Patriots and New York Giants, taking all four teams to the playoffs, and winning a pair of Super Bowl titles (XXI and XXV) with the Giants. He won 10 games nine times, had 13 winning seasons and went to the playoffs 10 times.
Pardon me but this sounds all too familiar. Sorry I don’t buy it. Sure, Bill Parcells is done coaching in the NFL; George Bush’s approval rating is actually getting better; the war in Iraq is going according to plan; and Barry Bonds’ head got twice its original size from flaxseed oil.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane.
He retired from the Giants on May 15, 1991 due to hardships on his heart after eight years as the head coach. However, he did leave the door open for a return, saying “I’m not dying,” when asked if he might coach another team.
He flirted with Tampa Bay in 1992 but decided against coming back until 1993 when he took the job with New England. Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 and that was not a match made in heaven.
The Tuna took the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI but they fell to the Packers, 35-21. Five days later on January 31, 1997, Parcells told Kraft in a letter that he had “no desire to continue as an NFL coach.”
A whole hullabaloo with the Jets took place with Parcells being named team consultant and his defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, was given the reigns. However, eight days later a deal was brokered and Parcells was once again a head coach.
After the 1999 season, Parcells retired as the Jets head coach, leaving Belichick to take over, but he resigned after one day to coach New England. With Parcells still the Director of Football Operations the Jets turned to Al Groh. ''I've coached my last game,'' said Parcells."... My intention is to stay retired as a coach.''
Groh left after one season and 10 days later Parcells made the announcement that he was leaving his post. "My intention is not to coach," Parcells said. "If I wanted to coach, I would have come back and coached the Jets. My intention is moving on to another venue. I don't know what. I'm not out looking. That's the truth."
Is anybody else sensing a pattern? If not you should be bashed in the skull.
We have not seen the end of Bill Parcells walking the sidelines. He is getting older, but the Tuna has proven that when he’s got the itch, he has to scratch. He can’t walk away from the game. He’ll take a year off, maybe do some television, and eventually come back.
Maybe he’ll finally take the job in Tampa Bay, which he turned down again in 2002. Or is it possible to see him come back to the Giants. Hey, Joe Gibbs did it with the Redskins. Let’s face it, Tom Coughlin is on borrowed time and Parcells may be the answer.
There is no reason to believe that Parcells is done. He said that he is healthy. He’s just tired of dealing with a meddling owner that wanted to stick with Drew Bledsoe and Owens, who can destroy a team without even trying.
It’s got to destroy Parcells that Belichick has trumped him as the greatest coach from that carousel, and he will almost certainly take one more stab at regaining that prominence. Everywhere he goes, he makes teams better.
He’s a Hall of Fame coach, but if he coached his entire career like he did in Dallas people wouldn’t be making such a big deal about his fourth retirement.
Will Parcells let his legacy die as a slightly better than average head coach? I think not.
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The Phanatic
It was a little more than two weeks ago that the Cowboys lost a wild card game in one of the most heartbreaking ways, and this was clearly too devastating to be glossed over by the Tuna.
It did seem like he was taking a long time to decide if he was coming back to Jerry Jones, the soap opera known as Terrell Owens and America’s Team, but the latest was that Parcells was planning to attend the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this Saturday.
Instead, Monday brought us the end of a disappointing tenure in Dallas that saw Parcells go 34-32 in four seasons, including a pair of first-round playoff losses.
"I am retiring from coaching football," Parcells said in a statement released by the Cowboys. "I want to thank Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years. Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here.
"I am in good health and feel lucky to have been able to coach in the NFL for an extended period of time. I leave the game and the NFL with nothing but good feelings and gratitude to all the players, coaches and other people that have assisted me in that regard."
So Parcells, 65, walks away from the game with a 183-138-1 career record in 19 seasons with the Cowboys, New York Jets, New England Patriots and New York Giants, taking all four teams to the playoffs, and winning a pair of Super Bowl titles (XXI and XXV) with the Giants. He won 10 games nine times, had 13 winning seasons and went to the playoffs 10 times.
Pardon me but this sounds all too familiar. Sorry I don’t buy it. Sure, Bill Parcells is done coaching in the NFL; George Bush’s approval rating is actually getting better; the war in Iraq is going according to plan; and Barry Bonds’ head got twice its original size from flaxseed oil.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane.
He retired from the Giants on May 15, 1991 due to hardships on his heart after eight years as the head coach. However, he did leave the door open for a return, saying “I’m not dying,” when asked if he might coach another team.
He flirted with Tampa Bay in 1992 but decided against coming back until 1993 when he took the job with New England. Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 and that was not a match made in heaven.
The Tuna took the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI but they fell to the Packers, 35-21. Five days later on January 31, 1997, Parcells told Kraft in a letter that he had “no desire to continue as an NFL coach.”
A whole hullabaloo with the Jets took place with Parcells being named team consultant and his defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, was given the reigns. However, eight days later a deal was brokered and Parcells was once again a head coach.
After the 1999 season, Parcells retired as the Jets head coach, leaving Belichick to take over, but he resigned after one day to coach New England. With Parcells still the Director of Football Operations the Jets turned to Al Groh. ''I've coached my last game,'' said Parcells."... My intention is to stay retired as a coach.''
Groh left after one season and 10 days later Parcells made the announcement that he was leaving his post. "My intention is not to coach," Parcells said. "If I wanted to coach, I would have come back and coached the Jets. My intention is moving on to another venue. I don't know what. I'm not out looking. That's the truth."
Is anybody else sensing a pattern? If not you should be bashed in the skull.
We have not seen the end of Bill Parcells walking the sidelines. He is getting older, but the Tuna has proven that when he’s got the itch, he has to scratch. He can’t walk away from the game. He’ll take a year off, maybe do some television, and eventually come back.
Maybe he’ll finally take the job in Tampa Bay, which he turned down again in 2002. Or is it possible to see him come back to the Giants. Hey, Joe Gibbs did it with the Redskins. Let’s face it, Tom Coughlin is on borrowed time and Parcells may be the answer.
There is no reason to believe that Parcells is done. He said that he is healthy. He’s just tired of dealing with a meddling owner that wanted to stick with Drew Bledsoe and Owens, who can destroy a team without even trying.
It’s got to destroy Parcells that Belichick has trumped him as the greatest coach from that carousel, and he will almost certainly take one more stab at regaining that prominence. Everywhere he goes, he makes teams better.
He’s a Hall of Fame coach, but if he coached his entire career like he did in Dallas people wouldn’t be making such a big deal about his fourth retirement.
Will Parcells let his legacy die as a slightly better than average head coach? I think not.
Click here for copyright permissions!
Copyright 2007
The Phanatic
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