Image courtesy of Keith Allison's Flickr page - Bill Belichick: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/3866874838/in/photolist-6TGKaQ-6THKxb-qURvAg-6MG9sk-6LVzJz-6LVGX6-U3V9At-6M1saA-6M1b4C-fzKtdV-bCiemb-fhiDb9-8pRoGq-btNyh6-qFeFHf-6LZBN3-6M1aPS-6LW5AZ-6M1nXq-6M1iMA-6LVtMZ-6LZQXm-6M17as-6M1ckd-6LZQ8N-6LWa8M-6LZPVf-6LWSwR-6M1bgh-6M1rvJ-btNuB4-6M1jwC-6M1btw-6LWeBF-6LVBUZ-6M1VRq-6LVRvk-6LZMiJ-6LVWN2-6LZJ7s-6LWCn4-6LVuek-6M12jf-6M1jmQ-6M1Ni7-6LVvYM-6M22w5-6M1u5f-6LVTtv-23kyZzy
Image courtesy of littlerottenrobin's Flickr page - Bill Parcells: https://www.flickr.com/photos/littlerottenrobin/290584349/in/photolist-WR7uhM-aBLpWM-aBP5iY-o4Fp6-F49pMw-rFjAZ-ayVsEo-WNSgUw-pePydr-me7nh4-dzqf8J-pcMEMf-7feVWG-aBP5rQ-aBP5oE-8frsbx-fdsRbk-5pRRMh-fnkZX6-8V8axA-7uosFt-5WZhgc-wZnfqU-xDNaFj-8XBUTc
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Belichick and Parcells
ESPN's "30 for 30" show, the episode on "The Two Bills," which I was looking forward to for quite some time, having heard about it probably in the fall sometime. It had been months at the very least, to be sure.
Belichick has been three times the AP NFL Coach of the Year - in 2003, 2007, and 2010. As head coach, he has led teams to the Super Bowl eight different times, and won five championships overall. His overall record of 278–128 (.685) is incredible, and his 27–10 (.730) playoff record is even more breathtaking. Really, it is undeniable, and no secret, that his list of accomplishments is truly astonishing.
Parcells is obviously a great coach, as well. However, he never won a Super Bowl without Belichick being present. In fact, he never went to the Super Bowl without Belichick being a significant part of it. Belichick was the defensive coordinator, and largely seen as the young, up and coming genius, as a top head coaching prospect, when the Giants went to, and won, both Super Bowls XXI and XXV.
There was a pseudo love/hate relationship between the two men during their stint with the Giants. After the success with the second Super Bowl win in five years, however, both men departed. Belichick went to Cleveland, leaving literally days after the Giants defeated the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. And a few months later, because of medical reasons, Parcells stepped down as the head coach of the New York Giants, effectively ending the glory days of the eighties and early nineties for the franchise. Just like that, a chapter was done, closed and relegated to history. And the two men would have a more complicated relationship with one another.
Belichick enjoyed some success with the Browns, leading them to the playoffs in 1994. Parcells returned to coaching a couple of years later, too. He took over the New England Patriots, who were hardly then the picture of success and consistency that they have since become. In fact, while the Giants enjoyed hat remarkable Super Bowl season in 1990, the Patriots went 1-15, and were the worst team in the league. They recovered a bit the next season, going 6-10. However, they sank back down in 1992, getting off to a terrible 0-9 start, and finishing the year with a 2-14 record, once again the worst in the league. Parcells took over, reorganized, and changed the team's look, quite literally. Gone was Pat the Patriot, and in came new team colors and uniforms and the now familiar logo on the silver helmets, with red face masks, blue home jerseys, and silver pants. They would change their uniforms over the next few years, tinkering with it until they basically got to the uniforms that they have had since.
The Patriots did not immediately get better. In fact, they started off 1-11 in 1993, but then came back to finish with four straight wins to end the season, fueling hope and a sense of possibilities. That translated to a much better 1994 season, when the Patriots overcame a 3-6 start to finish 10-6, good enough for a playoff berth - the first for the franchise in the better part of a decade. They met Belichick's Browns in Cleveland, and in their one and only playoff meeting, Belichick was able to get the best of Parcells.
But Belichick was not long for the Browns, and he was released after the 1995 season, when the Browns themselves as a franchise left Cleveland. He went to New England, once again under the tutelage of Parcells. This time, he was the assistant head coach, and once again, Parcells and Belichick took a team to the Super Bowl. The Patriots went 11-5, good enough for a second seed spot in the AFC. They crushed the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, then held off the young, up and coming Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that was only in their second season. This time, however, they fell short in the Super Bowl, losing to Green Bay, 35-21.
There was a pseudo love/hate relationship between the two men during their stint with the Giants. After the success with the second Super Bowl win in five years, however, both men departed. Belichick went to Cleveland, leaving literally days after the Giants defeated the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. And a few months later, because of medical reasons, Parcells stepped down as the head coach of the New York Giants, effectively ending the glory days of the eighties and early nineties for the franchise. Just like that, a chapter was done, closed and relegated to history. And the two men would have a more complicated relationship with one another.
Belichick enjoyed some success with the Browns, leading them to the playoffs in 1994. Parcells returned to coaching a couple of years later, too. He took over the New England Patriots, who were hardly then the picture of success and consistency that they have since become. In fact, while the Giants enjoyed hat remarkable Super Bowl season in 1990, the Patriots went 1-15, and were the worst team in the league. They recovered a bit the next season, going 6-10. However, they sank back down in 1992, getting off to a terrible 0-9 start, and finishing the year with a 2-14 record, once again the worst in the league. Parcells took over, reorganized, and changed the team's look, quite literally. Gone was Pat the Patriot, and in came new team colors and uniforms and the now familiar logo on the silver helmets, with red face masks, blue home jerseys, and silver pants. They would change their uniforms over the next few years, tinkering with it until they basically got to the uniforms that they have had since.
The Patriots did not immediately get better. In fact, they started off 1-11 in 1993, but then came back to finish with four straight wins to end the season, fueling hope and a sense of possibilities. That translated to a much better 1994 season, when the Patriots overcame a 3-6 start to finish 10-6, good enough for a playoff berth - the first for the franchise in the better part of a decade. They met Belichick's Browns in Cleveland, and in their one and only playoff meeting, Belichick was able to get the best of Parcells.
But Belichick was not long for the Browns, and he was released after the 1995 season, when the Browns themselves as a franchise left Cleveland. He went to New England, once again under the tutelage of Parcells. This time, he was the assistant head coach, and once again, Parcells and Belichick took a team to the Super Bowl. The Patriots went 11-5, good enough for a second seed spot in the AFC. They crushed the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, then held off the young, up and coming Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that was only in their second season. This time, however, they fell short in the Super Bowl, losing to Green Bay, 35-21.
It was the last Super Bowl that the two legendary coaches would be in together.
They did work together again, however. Parcells returned to coaching the next year, with the New York Jets. Like with the Pats years earlier, the Jets were a bit of a joke, having been the worst team in the league for two seasons running, finishing 3-13 in 1995, and then going 1-15 in 1996.
But under Parcells and Belichick, the team was hardly a joke. In 1997, the Jets finished 9-7, and very nearly qualified for the playoffs. In 1998, the Jets not only would make the playoffs, but they would enjoy their finest season so far in my lifetime, finishing 12-4, and taking the AFC East. They beat the Jaguars in the playoffs, and then took a 10-0 lead in Denver in the AFC Championship, before the Broncos came storming back. Eventually, Denver would win the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, the Jets had a disappointing season in 1999, finishing 8-8. But they recovered from a bad start to make it a respectable season, and there was a sense that the Jets had a promising future in 2000, which would be the fourth season for Parcells. If you remember, Parcells usually had his breakthrough years - meaning breakthroughs to reach the Super Bowl - every four years, at that point. The Giants made it to their first ever Super Bowl in his fourth year as head coach, and won. Four years later, the Giants returned, and won again. Four years into his stint at New England, the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl. It seemed very possible, if not probable, that the Jets would finally qualify for their first Super Bowl since their famous "guarantee" game in Super Bowl III, over thirty years earlier.
However, Parcells resigned again. Belichick was named his successor. However, Belichick stepped down literally the next day, not liking the situation. Perhaps he wanted to step out of Parcells shadow, although he was also quite annoyed that it was hidden from him that Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, had wanted to interview him for the head coaching spot there. It was the second time that Belichick was named head coach of the Jets, because he had been head coach for roughly six days in 1996, when the Jets had wanted Parcells, but the Pats had rights on him. As soon as that cleared, Parcells was named the head coach. So, Belichick was officially twice head coach of the Jets, even though he never actually coached one single game for them! That has got to be some kind of strange record, surely. At the very least, it is an interesting trivia question.
It was an awkward situation, and some words were spoken. Tensions between Parcells and Belichick existed, and some of that dirty laundry was aired publicly. The two would not really speak again for years afterward.
Of course, we know what happened next. Belichick took over for the Patriots. They were not great that first year, finishing 5-11 in 2000. But in 2001, a young quarterback named Tom Brady stepped in for the injured star quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. He stepped in admirably, and the Pats somehow kept winning. They had a showdown against the mighty Rams, with their so-called "Greatest Show on Turf" offense, which was explosive. The Rams won that Sunday Night Football showdown, which was a game that I actually went to. It would be the last defeat that the Patriots would suffer that season. They would go on to win all the rest of their games, in the regular season and the playoffs.
They have kept on winning ever since, becoming a model of success and consistency for all sports franchises. Five Super Bowls, eight overall Super Bowl appearances. Right now, the Patriots have enjoyed eight straight seasons with a record of 12-4 or better, surpassing the Colts, who had managed this remarkable feat for seven consecutive seasons. The Patriots have missed the playoffs only once since the 2003 season, and that was a year that they lost Tom Brady, and still went 11-5.
Belichick's resume with the New England Patriots has become the thing of legends. And since they just barely missed out on another Super Bowl win, it appears that there is a good chance that they can remain competitive for the foreseeable future.
One thing that a few former Giants players mentioned was this perception that while Belichick clearly enjoyed top success and Super Bowl wins without Parcells, Parcells himself never won a Super Bowl without Belichick. While that is technically true, I agree with the Giants players, who vehemently rejected this notion. After all, Parcells enjoyed some huge successes without Belichick. He took the New England Patriots, who at the time had been the worst team in the league, to the playoffs within two seasons. And he took the Dallas Cowboys, a team that had finished with 5-11 marks for the previous three straight seasons, to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Belichick also said himself, during the show, that Parcells was the boss, and ultimately, he would make the final decisions, and take either the credit, or the brunt of the responsibility for it. So, yes, Parcells did not merely enjoy top success because he lucked out and had Belichick there. If anything, I think that both men brought out the best in each other, and learned from one another. That, in part, is what helped each to enjoy such success to begin with.
There are some amazing clips in this program, including some rare interviews of both Parcells and Belichick, as well as some unique background looks of the times, particularly during the eighties and early nineties. There was one unique clip where Patriots owner Robert Kraft was saying that Parcells is the best coach in modern NFL history. This was after Parcells led the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI in 1996, just a few years after he had taken over, and New England had been the worst team in the league.
Considering what Belichick has done with and for the Patriots since, and that Belichick might rightly lay a claim to being the greatest, and certainly nowadays the most accomplished, coach in NFL history, that seemed like a truly remarkable clip.
In any case, it was a great program, and worth viewing if you are a sports fan. That is especially true if you are a fan of one of the teams that the two men were involved with in particular - the New York Giants, the New England Patriots, and/or the New York Jets.
Enjoy!
However, Parcells resigned again. Belichick was named his successor. However, Belichick stepped down literally the next day, not liking the situation. Perhaps he wanted to step out of Parcells shadow, although he was also quite annoyed that it was hidden from him that Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, had wanted to interview him for the head coaching spot there. It was the second time that Belichick was named head coach of the Jets, because he had been head coach for roughly six days in 1996, when the Jets had wanted Parcells, but the Pats had rights on him. As soon as that cleared, Parcells was named the head coach. So, Belichick was officially twice head coach of the Jets, even though he never actually coached one single game for them! That has got to be some kind of strange record, surely. At the very least, it is an interesting trivia question.
It was an awkward situation, and some words were spoken. Tensions between Parcells and Belichick existed, and some of that dirty laundry was aired publicly. The two would not really speak again for years afterward.
Of course, we know what happened next. Belichick took over for the Patriots. They were not great that first year, finishing 5-11 in 2000. But in 2001, a young quarterback named Tom Brady stepped in for the injured star quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. He stepped in admirably, and the Pats somehow kept winning. They had a showdown against the mighty Rams, with their so-called "Greatest Show on Turf" offense, which was explosive. The Rams won that Sunday Night Football showdown, which was a game that I actually went to. It would be the last defeat that the Patriots would suffer that season. They would go on to win all the rest of their games, in the regular season and the playoffs.
They have kept on winning ever since, becoming a model of success and consistency for all sports franchises. Five Super Bowls, eight overall Super Bowl appearances. Right now, the Patriots have enjoyed eight straight seasons with a record of 12-4 or better, surpassing the Colts, who had managed this remarkable feat for seven consecutive seasons. The Patriots have missed the playoffs only once since the 2003 season, and that was a year that they lost Tom Brady, and still went 11-5.
Belichick's resume with the New England Patriots has become the thing of legends. And since they just barely missed out on another Super Bowl win, it appears that there is a good chance that they can remain competitive for the foreseeable future.
One thing that a few former Giants players mentioned was this perception that while Belichick clearly enjoyed top success and Super Bowl wins without Parcells, Parcells himself never won a Super Bowl without Belichick. While that is technically true, I agree with the Giants players, who vehemently rejected this notion. After all, Parcells enjoyed some huge successes without Belichick. He took the New England Patriots, who at the time had been the worst team in the league, to the playoffs within two seasons. And he took the Dallas Cowboys, a team that had finished with 5-11 marks for the previous three straight seasons, to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Belichick also said himself, during the show, that Parcells was the boss, and ultimately, he would make the final decisions, and take either the credit, or the brunt of the responsibility for it. So, yes, Parcells did not merely enjoy top success because he lucked out and had Belichick there. If anything, I think that both men brought out the best in each other, and learned from one another. That, in part, is what helped each to enjoy such success to begin with.
There are some amazing clips in this program, including some rare interviews of both Parcells and Belichick, as well as some unique background looks of the times, particularly during the eighties and early nineties. There was one unique clip where Patriots owner Robert Kraft was saying that Parcells is the best coach in modern NFL history. This was after Parcells led the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI in 1996, just a few years after he had taken over, and New England had been the worst team in the league.
Considering what Belichick has done with and for the Patriots since, and that Belichick might rightly lay a claim to being the greatest, and certainly nowadays the most accomplished, coach in NFL history, that seemed like a truly remarkable clip.
In any case, it was a great program, and worth viewing if you are a sports fan. That is especially true if you are a fan of one of the teams that the two men were involved with in particular - the New York Giants, the New England Patriots, and/or the New York Jets.
Enjoy!
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