Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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A few years back there was a strong uprising by fanatics of Bill Parcells for his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Parcells himself even fanned the flames by wondering aloud on ESPN how many other coaches had won multiple Super Bowls in different decades, then took another franchise back to the Super Bowl after finishing 6-10 the year before. Ultimately, the Tuna failed to get inducted, in no small part because most people failed to believe he was done coaching. They were proven correct when Parcells took over the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. Now that choice might haunt Parcells in his quest for Canton.
There is no arguing Parcells' record. A lifetime mark of 154-116, two Super Bowl titles with the Giants, 11-7 in the playoffs, taking 4 different franchises to the playoffs, those are some very impressive numbers. Compare that with a record of 45-51, 0-2 in the playoffs, and a defense that never ranked higher than 21st in the league. That's Bill Parcells' record minus lead lieutenant Bill Belichick, a coach favored to win his 4th Super Bowl title in 5 years. A record like that won't get you into Canton without buying a ticket.
A deeper look into those Giants teams headed by Parcells further illustrates how overrated the legend of the Tuna has become. Those teams featured the most dominant defensive player of the era, Lawrence Taylor. The quarterback throughout much of the time was Phil Simms, a borderline HOFer and Pro Bowl MVP. The Giants were stocked with mulitple-time Pro Bowlers like Leonard Marshall, Carl Banks, Bart Oates, Harry Carson, Mark Haynes, Mark Bavaro, and Pepper Johnson. The only other team featuring that many elite players is their chief rival of the time, the 49ers. I'll grant that some of that Pro Bowl recognition comes from winning, but the Giants many more consistently great players than almost every other team in the league. Notice that most of those Pro Bowlers played defense? Take a look at the defensive talent that was coached almost exclusively by Belichick. Their entire linebacking corps went to the Pro Bowl twice, as did linemen and backs that never approached success away from Belichick. Parcells deserves credit for building all that talent into a Super Bowl champion and delegating so much responsibility to his outstanding assistants. Yet it's hard to gauge just how much praise Parcells should receive. When you have that much talent you're supposed to challenge for the Super Bowl every season.
Jump forward to New England, 1993. Parcells takes over a dreadful 2-14 team that started 3 QBs and wound up in the bottom 10 of the league in every significant stat category. His first season they jumped to 6-10, thanks in part to rookie phenom Drew Bledsoe and an upgraded O-line. The next season was a 10-6 surprise, with a Wild Card playoff loss to a Belichick-coached Cleveland Browns unit, followed by another 6-10 campaign that saw the defense rank 28th. Then came the return of Belichick, which led the team to a Super Bowl loss. The 1996 Patriot defense ranked 14th despite few personnel changes, and an offense that featured 7 Pro Bowlers and ranked 2nd overall forced that defense to face desperate gunslinging offenses, trying to overcome the staggering point totals chalked up by the high-powered Patriots offense. The Legend of Parcells returns, and grows exponentially when he makes a MacArthur-esque return to the Big Apple to coach the Jets.
The Coaches Bill, Parcells and Belichick, took over a Jets team that might rate as the worst in the last 15 years. They had to rebuild a 27th ranked offense and a 29th ranked defense that gave up over 140 yards a game on the ground and 20 rushing TDs. Bringing in several key players helped the offense, Parcells' baby, to 12th. Belichick took almost the exact same defensive personnel that finished next to last and molded a unit that finished 7th overall and surrendered just 9 rushing TDs. If that doesn't display where the true coaching brilliance resides on that team, consider the following season. With newcomers Curtis Martin and Vinny Testaverde both making the Pro Bowl, as well as Pro Bowl wideout Keyshawn Johnson and 2 alternate Pro Bowl linemen, the offense ticked to 5th overall. Belichick's defense, with only one new starter, climbed upward to 2nd overall. In two seasons Bill Belichick took a unit from 29th to 2nd despite changing only 4 starters. Parcells took an offense from 27th to 5th by adding 10 starters, 5 of whom had made the Pro Bowl within 3 seasons of becoming a Jet.
What Belichick has done in New England, where he returned in 2000 when Parcells "retired", is unparalleled. Three Super Bowl titles in 4 seasons, building an interchangeable, selfless unit whose sum is far greater than its parts. The former Tuna Helper has proven his shaky Cleveland era taught him well, and he's now widely recognized as the best coach in pro sports.
Parcells unretired once again in 2003 to take over the 6-10 Dallas Cowboys, who ranked 31st in offense and 13th in defense when the Tuna landed. Two seasons later and Parcells is 16-16 with a playoff loss, and heads into the 2005 season hopeful of contending for a Wild Card despite having a 28th ranked defense sans Belichick and (very) old friends Bledsoe and Keyshawn trying to jump start a 25-ranked offense. That's not exactly great progress under the legendary coach. Without his "Helper" he's put up a record very close to Wayne Fontes and Jerry Glanville, two other guys who would need a driver on I-77 and a ticket to get to the Hall of Fame.
So the ultimate question becomes: just how much credit does Parcells get for those great Giants years? Does his inability to win without Belichick keep him out of the Hall of Fame? This upcoming season with the Cowboys should help answer those questions. This is a Cowboys unit that has enough talent to win a playoff game in a watered-down NFC, but also has enough variables that it could struggle to repeat their 6-10 2004 season. Parcells is the difference, and a trip to Canton just might hang in the balance.
