An unsatisfying end
In a world where people are judged every day, most football fans would probably assess Bill Parcells' career and say it peaked 16 years ago. They would be right.
It's always sad to see an accomplished figure tarnish his legacy, unless you happen to be someone who embraces schadenfreude. So watching Parcells wince, frown and at times offer surprisingly wan expressions during his forgettable four-year tenure as coach of the Dallas Cowboys wasn't exactly fun. Parcells didn't ride off into the sunset when he announced he was walking away from the NFL again this week. He limped.
Thirty years from now, people will look back at what Parcells accomplished and they will likely consider him to be a great coach. But they will also see the diminishing returns his teams produced as he went job-hopping . Two championships with the New York Giants. A conference title with the New England Patriots. An AFC Championship Game appearance with the New York Jets. And finally zero playoff victories with Dallas.
Parcells' only true failure came at his last stop. Up until his tenure with the Cowboys, he was known as an expert driver — the man you wanted behind the wheel. He had built a reputation for guiding teams to new heights even if that didn't always mean he could bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
But in Dallas he was unable to turn around and revitalize America's Team. A franchise that seemed to have lost its way still isn't headed in the right direction now that Parcells has up and left.
And for once, Parcells wasn't hailed as a savior when he announced his "retirement" on Monday. He was seen as just a coach with a big name who couldn't get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.
It's not the storybook ending we had all hoped it would be. In some ways, you wish the latest chapter wasn't written in the first place. It certainly didn't have to be. Parcells could have been remembered not as a mercenary who ultimately failed to replicate the level of success he achieved in his first campaign but as a loyal general for the only franchise where he won the biggest prize.
To this day, the most indelible image taken from Parcells' career remains a pack of Giants players carrying him off the field at Tampa Stadium following New York's 20-19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The victory in that game would be the defining moment in his career. Relying on a backup quarterback and a merciless defense, he somehow figured out a way to overcome the Bills and their prolific K-Fun, no-huddle offense.
At 49, he was regarded as perhaps the best coach in the game. He seemed destined to lead New York to several more championships. But he left the Giants in May 1991, five months after beating the Bills. Sixteen years later, Parcells still has the same number of Super Bowl titles to his credit he had when he walked away from the Giants.
Parcells will still be considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. But even he must wonder if it could have turned out better. After all, nobody wants to go out at the bottom.
Photo Sources: msnbc.com., cnnsi.com
It's always sad to see an accomplished figure tarnish his legacy, unless you happen to be someone who embraces schadenfreude. So watching Parcells wince, frown and at times offer surprisingly wan expressions during his forgettable four-year tenure as coach of the Dallas Cowboys wasn't exactly fun. Parcells didn't ride off into the sunset when he announced he was walking away from the NFL again this week. He limped.
Thirty years from now, people will look back at what Parcells accomplished and they will likely consider him to be a great coach. But they will also see the diminishing returns his teams produced as he went job-hopping . Two championships with the New York Giants. A conference title with the New England Patriots. An AFC Championship Game appearance with the New York Jets. And finally zero playoff victories with Dallas.
Parcells' only true failure came at his last stop. Up until his tenure with the Cowboys, he was known as an expert driver — the man you wanted behind the wheel. He had built a reputation for guiding teams to new heights even if that didn't always mean he could bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
But in Dallas he was unable to turn around and revitalize America's Team. A franchise that seemed to have lost its way still isn't headed in the right direction now that Parcells has up and left.
And for once, Parcells wasn't hailed as a savior when he announced his "retirement" on Monday. He was seen as just a coach with a big name who couldn't get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.
It's not the storybook ending we had all hoped it would be. In some ways, you wish the latest chapter wasn't written in the first place. It certainly didn't have to be. Parcells could have been remembered not as a mercenary who ultimately failed to replicate the level of success he achieved in his first campaign but as a loyal general for the only franchise where he won the biggest prize.
To this day, the most indelible image taken from Parcells' career remains a pack of Giants players carrying him off the field at Tampa Stadium following New York's 20-19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The victory in that game would be the defining moment in his career. Relying on a backup quarterback and a merciless defense, he somehow figured out a way to overcome the Bills and their prolific K-Fun, no-huddle offense.
At 49, he was regarded as perhaps the best coach in the game. He seemed destined to lead New York to several more championships. But he left the Giants in May 1991, five months after beating the Bills. Sixteen years later, Parcells still has the same number of Super Bowl titles to his credit he had when he walked away from the Giants.
Parcells will still be considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. But even he must wonder if it could have turned out better. After all, nobody wants to go out at the bottom.
Photo Sources: msnbc.com., cnnsi.com
posted by Rainer Sabin @ 7:53 PM
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