Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
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Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:35 pm
Bill Parcells laments decision to part ways with Patriots
Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports 9:14 a.m. EDT June 24, 2013
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Parcells converse during the team's 1995 training camp, a year before New England won the AFC.(Photo: Mark E. Johnson, AP)
Story Highlights
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Bill Parcells has one haunting memory from a coaching career that will culminate with his Aug.3 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: his bitter post-Super Bowl XXXI divorce from the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft after the 1996 season.
"I regret leaving New England. Had we done things differently ... " Parcells recently told USA TODAY Sports. "I had a good young team there. I hated to leave that team, because I knew what we could do.
"I was absolutely too headstrong. And he might have been a little headstrong, too. I think both Kraft and myself, retrospectively, would have done things a little differently."
And the course of NFL history would have changed.
Parcells was succeeded in New England in 1997 by Pete Carroll, who coached the Patriots for three seasons before he was replaced by Bill Belichick in 2000.
The Patriots have won three Super Bowls and reached two others under Belichick, who, without the New England job available, might have remained head coach of the New York Jets for more than a day before resigning to move up the road to Foxborough, Mass.
Parcells and Kraft have made their peace, getting over a breakup caused by Parcells' lack of final say on building the roster, which was decided by then-director of player personnel Bobby Grier. That power struggle led Parcells to taunt Kraft with the famous line: "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Kraft recalled the truce, which happened about 10 years ago.
"At a Super Bowl, Bill was standing there as I approached, and he just said to me, 'If I had to do it all over again. I would have done things differently.' And I said, 'So would I,'" Kraft told USA TODAY Sports.
"It would have been pretty special," Kraft said. "We were just coming at it from different times. And so much in life is timing. But in the end, we have a great relationship today. I have great respect for him. He did a great deal for our franchise. And I will forever be grateful for that."
Parcells didn't fly home with the Patriots from New Orleans after the Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers, and he abruptly left for an advisory job with the Jets that soon became the head coaching gig.
Then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue had to broker a deal between the AFC East rivals, with the Jets sending four draft picks to New England in return for Kraft releasing Parcells from his Patriots contract.
From the perspective of retirement and tranquil setting of Saratoga's historic horse country, where he owns a home and several race horses, Parcells said he wished he and Kraft had managed their anger better.
"We both have talked about that," Parcells said.
Kraft said the fundamental stress on their relationship was that he was a naive owner who had just purchased the team in 1994 and inherited a veteran, Super Bowl-winning coach — twice with the New York Giants — who was set in his ways and setting his year-to-year timetable.
"Look, I was a new owner," Kraft said. "I had a lot of debt. I had stardust in my eyes. I had a Hall of Fame coach. I was green and new. And I don't think Bill had ever dealt with someone like myself. He had a contract that said he'd coach year to year. And that didn't make me feel secure.
"When I bought the team in 1994 ... he was coaching year to year, making personnel decisions. He used to drive down to (his home in) Jupiter, Fla., at the end of the year and he'd say he'd decide whether he was coming back to coach. That didn't inspire confidence in me."
Parcells, who will be 19 days shy of his 72nd birthday when inducted, went on to coach the Jets to the 1998 AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Denver Broncos. He stepped down as Jets coach after the 1999 season.
But his departure from the Patriots still leaves Parcells reminiscing.
He ticked off the names of a team that lost to Brett Favre's Packers in that 1997 Super Bowl. "You know who I had?'' Parcells asks rhetorically. "Curtis Martin, Ben Coates, Tedy Bruschi, Terry Glenn, Willie McGinest, Drew Bledsoe, Shawn Jefferson, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown and Adam Vinatieri. Nobody knows that I signed him.''
And few remember it was Parcells who turned the Patriots, who were 9-39 from 1990 to 1992, into a Super Bowl team.
"I think we would have been a great team together at a different time," Kraft said, "me understanding what I understand now, this being my 20th season as an owner, and him being seasoned. I wish it could have worked out differently."
***
Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports 9:14 a.m. EDT June 24, 2013
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Parcells converse during the team's 1995 training camp, a year before New England won the AFC.(Photo: Mark E. Johnson, AP)
Story Highlights
- Parcells bolted for New York Jets after 1996 Super Bowl season when Kraft wouldn't let him shop for groceries
- Bill Belichick eventually succeeded Parcells in 2000 after leaving Jets staff
- Parcells rues leaving a club with so much talent, including Drew Bledsoe, Curtis Martin, Willie McGinest and Adam Vinatieri
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Bill Parcells has one haunting memory from a coaching career that will culminate with his Aug.3 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: his bitter post-Super Bowl XXXI divorce from the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft after the 1996 season.
"I regret leaving New England. Had we done things differently ... " Parcells recently told USA TODAY Sports. "I had a good young team there. I hated to leave that team, because I knew what we could do.
"I was absolutely too headstrong. And he might have been a little headstrong, too. I think both Kraft and myself, retrospectively, would have done things a little differently."
And the course of NFL history would have changed.
Parcells was succeeded in New England in 1997 by Pete Carroll, who coached the Patriots for three seasons before he was replaced by Bill Belichick in 2000.
The Patriots have won three Super Bowls and reached two others under Belichick, who, without the New England job available, might have remained head coach of the New York Jets for more than a day before resigning to move up the road to Foxborough, Mass.
Parcells and Kraft have made their peace, getting over a breakup caused by Parcells' lack of final say on building the roster, which was decided by then-director of player personnel Bobby Grier. That power struggle led Parcells to taunt Kraft with the famous line: "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Kraft recalled the truce, which happened about 10 years ago.
"At a Super Bowl, Bill was standing there as I approached, and he just said to me, 'If I had to do it all over again. I would have done things differently.' And I said, 'So would I,'" Kraft told USA TODAY Sports.
"It would have been pretty special," Kraft said. "We were just coming at it from different times. And so much in life is timing. But in the end, we have a great relationship today. I have great respect for him. He did a great deal for our franchise. And I will forever be grateful for that."
Parcells didn't fly home with the Patriots from New Orleans after the Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers, and he abruptly left for an advisory job with the Jets that soon became the head coaching gig.
Then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue had to broker a deal between the AFC East rivals, with the Jets sending four draft picks to New England in return for Kraft releasing Parcells from his Patriots contract.
From the perspective of retirement and tranquil setting of Saratoga's historic horse country, where he owns a home and several race horses, Parcells said he wished he and Kraft had managed their anger better.
"We both have talked about that," Parcells said.
Kraft said the fundamental stress on their relationship was that he was a naive owner who had just purchased the team in 1994 and inherited a veteran, Super Bowl-winning coach — twice with the New York Giants — who was set in his ways and setting his year-to-year timetable.
"Look, I was a new owner," Kraft said. "I had a lot of debt. I had stardust in my eyes. I had a Hall of Fame coach. I was green and new. And I don't think Bill had ever dealt with someone like myself. He had a contract that said he'd coach year to year. And that didn't make me feel secure.
"When I bought the team in 1994 ... he was coaching year to year, making personnel decisions. He used to drive down to (his home in) Jupiter, Fla., at the end of the year and he'd say he'd decide whether he was coming back to coach. That didn't inspire confidence in me."
Parcells, who will be 19 days shy of his 72nd birthday when inducted, went on to coach the Jets to the 1998 AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Denver Broncos. He stepped down as Jets coach after the 1999 season.
But his departure from the Patriots still leaves Parcells reminiscing.
He ticked off the names of a team that lost to Brett Favre's Packers in that 1997 Super Bowl. "You know who I had?'' Parcells asks rhetorically. "Curtis Martin, Ben Coates, Tedy Bruschi, Terry Glenn, Willie McGinest, Drew Bledsoe, Shawn Jefferson, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown and Adam Vinatieri. Nobody knows that I signed him.''
And few remember it was Parcells who turned the Patriots, who were 9-39 from 1990 to 1992, into a Super Bowl team.
"I think we would have been a great team together at a different time," Kraft said, "me understanding what I understand now, this being my 20th season as an owner, and him being seasoned. I wish it could have worked out differently."
***
guppy- 1st Round Pick
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by George1963 Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:08 pm
Interesting story. There's one tortured piece of logic in there from the writer that jumped out at me though. If the Pats job hadn't been open in 2000, BB would have stayed as the Jets coach? How? Wouldn't he have been taking over for BP in New England at that point?
George1963- 3rd Round Pick
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:26 pm
George1963 wrote:Interesting story. There's one tortured piece of logic in there from the writer that jumped out at me though. If the Pats job hadn't been open in 2000, BB would have stayed as the Jets coach? How?
I think the writer means that BB would have stayed as the HC of the NYJ because Parcells would not be there because he would have still been with NE instead of departing NE and moving on to the Jets. Thus, since there would have been no Parcells in NY because he did not part ways with Kraft and stayed in NE, BB would have stayed NY instead of "resigning" after one day. The only reason BB left NY was because BP was now there. BB did not want to be under BP. BB wanted to go to a place where HE would be top dog. Now with Parcells out of NE, that job was wide open for him to take.
Any errors of the above account and description may be corrected by Lloyd.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:31 pm
George1963 wrote:Interesting story. There's one tortured piece of logic in there from the writer that jumped out at me though. If the Pats job hadn't been open in 2000, BB would have stayed as the Jets coach? How? Wouldn't he have been taking over for BP in New England at that point?
I miss Bill Parcells' press conferences in NE. They were classic. Imagine going from Parcells' entertaining press conferences ("That's a dumb question. I can't believe you asked me that question.") to Belichick's boring press conferences ("We'll do what's best for our team.")? Total opposites.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by George1963 Mon Jun 24, 2013 3:39 pm
guppy wrote:George1963 wrote:Interesting story. There's one tortured piece of logic in there from the writer that jumped out at me though. If the Pats job hadn't been open in 2000, BB would have stayed as the Jets coach? How?
I think the writer means that BB would have stayed as the HC of the NYJ because Parcells would not be there because he would have still been with NE instead of departing NE and moving on to the Jets.
But if BP never left the Pats, why would BB be with the Jets? He wouldn't be. He'd still be with BP in NE. Then he could have quit on Pats after BP stepped down, taken a job with the Bengals, not lucked into a QB, been fired in his third season, and be a journeyman position coach today.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by LRJets Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:29 pm
The only reason BB left NY was because BP was now there. BB did not want to be under BP. BB wanted to go to a place where HE would be top dog. Now with Parcells out of NE, that job was wide open for him to take.
Rags and I (and others from both teams) had this out for years.
Gup, your above words still make me observe yourPatriot bias, understandable, but not objective.
Allow me to go once again down memory lane.
Firstly, you make it sound as if BB was surprised to find out Parcells was there. He signed the contract to be the head coach less than 24 hours prior to his resignation. 24 hours.
At his introduction to the press (his first press conference) Jets management found out about BB's move to resign at the same time the rest of the world did. Ok, here goes, he resigned using a napkin to write it on. (More creative I guess than Pat Riley resigning the Knicks coaching position via fax).
It shows at least Riley planned his resignation.
As I always mentioned to Rags and Fern, this is my main distaste for BB as a man.
Your words make it appear that BB as coach was in place, and then Parcells popped into the picture.
Simple question, does it seem chronologically reasonable that the HC job at NE became availlable after, and only after BB was offered and accepted the Jets HC job?
I believe Kraft had to give up draft choices to the Jets to complete the deal. More proof.
As I recall, in America people have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. As some fellow Jets fans echoed it was the way BB did it that makes it look fishy.
How many incidents over the following years were acts committed by BB and the Pats that were similarly unsmooth? Can't be coincidences.
Rags and I (and others from both teams) had this out for years.
Gup, your above words still make me observe yourPatriot bias, understandable, but not objective.
Allow me to go once again down memory lane.
Firstly, you make it sound as if BB was surprised to find out Parcells was there. He signed the contract to be the head coach less than 24 hours prior to his resignation. 24 hours.
At his introduction to the press (his first press conference) Jets management found out about BB's move to resign at the same time the rest of the world did. Ok, here goes, he resigned using a napkin to write it on. (More creative I guess than Pat Riley resigning the Knicks coaching position via fax).
It shows at least Riley planned his resignation.
As I always mentioned to Rags and Fern, this is my main distaste for BB as a man.
Your words make it appear that BB as coach was in place, and then Parcells popped into the picture.
Simple question, does it seem chronologically reasonable that the HC job at NE became availlable after, and only after BB was offered and accepted the Jets HC job?
I believe Kraft had to give up draft choices to the Jets to complete the deal. More proof.
As I recall, in America people have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. As some fellow Jets fans echoed it was the way BB did it that makes it look fishy.
How many incidents over the following years were acts committed by BB and the Pats that were similarly unsmooth? Can't be coincidences.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:37 pm
George1963 wrote:guppy wrote:George1963 wrote:Interesting story. There's one tortured piece of logic in there from the writer that jumped out at me though. If the Pats job hadn't been open in 2000, BB would have stayed as the Jets coach? How?
I think the writer means that BB would have stayed as the HC of the NYJ because Parcells would not be there because he would have still been with NE instead of departing NE and moving on to the Jets.
But if BP never left the Pats, why would BB be with the Jets? He wouldn't be. He'd still be with BP in NE.
I don't think BB was with BP in NE at all, was he? All I remember is Parcells here, and then BB here. Not both at the same time. I could be wrong. It was definitely screwy the way things went down.
Then he could have quit on Pats after BP stepped down, taken a job with the Bengals, not lucked into a QB, been fired in his third season, and be a journeyman position coach today.
Ha ha. Other than that, how do you feel about him? Just think. Due to a little twist of fate, he became a HOF coach instead of a journeyman position coach.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by George1963 Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:44 pm
But if BP never left the Pats, why would BB be with the Jets? He wouldn't be. He'd still be with BP in NE.
I don't think BB was with BP in NE at all, was he? All I remember is Parcells here, and then BB here. Not both at the same time. I could be wrong.
Yea. BP hired BB in '96 after Modell shitcanned him. Gave him a job when he was absolutely toxic. Then he took him along to the Jets. Then BB repayed the loyalty of the only guy in football who would have touched him in '96 by..... well, you've read Lloyds post.
I don't think BB was with BP in NE at all, was he? All I remember is Parcells here, and then BB here. Not both at the same time. I could be wrong.
Yea. BP hired BB in '96 after Modell shitcanned him. Gave him a job when he was absolutely toxic. Then he took him along to the Jets. Then BB repayed the loyalty of the only guy in football who would have touched him in '96 by..... well, you've read Lloyds post.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:50 pm
George1963 wrote:But if BP never left the Pats, why would BB be with the Jets? He wouldn't be. He'd still be with BP in NE.
I don't think BB was with BP in NE at all, was he? All I remember is Parcells here, and then BB here. Not both at the same time. I could be wrong.
Yea. BP hired BB in '96 after Modell shitcanned him. Gave him a job when he was absolutely toxic. Then he took him along to the Jets. Then BB repayed the loyalty of the only guy in football who would have touched him in '96 by..... well, you've read Lloyds post.
I know. I realized too late that the above statement of mine was incorrect. When I said, "I could be wrong", guess what? I was. First time for everything I suppose. LOL. Relax. Just kidding.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:55 pm
What happened to a whole pages of posts? They're gone.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:57 pm
LRJets wrote:The only reason BB left NY was because BP was now there. BB did not want to be under BP. BB wanted to go to a place where HE would be top dog. Now with Parcells out of NE, that job was wide open for him to take.
Rags and I (and others from both teams) had this out for years.
Gup, your above words still make me observe yourPatriot bias, understandable, but not objective.
Allow me to go once again down memory lane.
Firstly, you make it sound as if BB was surprised to find out Parcells was there. He signed the contract to be the head coach less than 24 hours prior to his resignation. 24 hours.
At his introduction to the press (his first press conference) Jets management found out about BB's move to resign at the same time the rest of the world did. Ok, here goes, he resigned using a napkin to write it on. (More creative I guess than Pat Riley resigning the Knicks coaching position via fax).
It shows at least Riley planned his resignation.
As I always mentioned to Rags and Fern, this is my main distaste for BB as a man.
Your words make it appear that BB as coach was in place, and then Parcells popped into the picture.
Simple question, does it seem chronologically reasonable that the HC job at NE became availlable after, and only after BB was offered and accepted the Jets HC job?
I believe Kraft had to give up draft choices to the Jets to complete the deal. More proof.
As I recall, in America people have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. As some fellow Jets fans echoed it was the way BB did it that makes it look fishy.
How many incidents over the following years were acts committed by BB and the Pats that were similarly unsmooth? Can't be coincidences.
Damn. I must have screwed up. I did a fairly comprehensive reply to this, but its not here. In haste to hit "send" I must have done something else.
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Re: Parcells regrets how he left Patriots
by guppy Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:14 pm
Wasn't the reason BB resigned from the Jets within 24 hours was because he either misjudged or failed to understand Parcells' role with the Jets once he retired from being HC? I seem to have a memory that when Parcells picked BB to succeed him as HC, BB thought that Parcells was retiring from all football operations with the Jets. However, that turned not to be the case. Parcells was moving upstairs to upper management, either president or GM or whatever. When BB realized this, he realized that Parcells was going still be above him, looking over his shoulder and still kind of controlling things. This is not what BB wanted. He wanted to being running the whole show himself. Now, he had been talking to Kraft all along, and he knew he could have the job in NE if he wanted. So what did he do? He did a 180 degree about face. He "resigned as HC of the NYJ" wrote on a scrap piece of paper. He held a bizzare press conference, in which the GM of the Jets said, he was a man "clearly in conflict". Then he moved on to NE where Kraft promised him complete control of the football operations. Since he actually had been the HC of the NYJ, and abruptly quit, Tagliabue ruled that NE must pay compensation to NY for BB. NE then had to surrender a first round pick to NY as compensation.
The whole episode was weird. And I totally understand the bad feelings NYers have towards him. All I'm saying is what was his motivation? I believe at its core, it was a misunderstanding, maybe through his own misjudgement, or whatever, of what role Parcells was moving on to have with the Jets once he resigned as HC. BB initally thought he was going to be free of Parcells. But he was wrong. When he realized he was wrong, and that Parcells was staying on as GM, and would still be BB's boss, BB then decided he did not want to stay, and did his abrupt about face.
The whole episode was weird. And I totally understand the bad feelings NYers have towards him. All I'm saying is what was his motivation? I believe at its core, it was a misunderstanding, maybe through his own misjudgement, or whatever, of what role Parcells was moving on to have with the Jets once he resigned as HC. BB initally thought he was going to be free of Parcells. But he was wrong. When he realized he was wrong, and that Parcells was staying on as GM, and would still be BB's boss, BB then decided he did not want to stay, and did his abrupt about face.
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