Parcells might be available to Saints -- but why would they want him?
 

Just a hunch, but commissioner Roger Goodell upholds Sean Payton's suspension, and the Saints are back where they were a week ago -- which is looking for Payton's replacement.

The popular choice is and has been Bill Parcells, mostly because Payton is close to him, has spoken to him and Parcells has acknowledged he's considering the idea. But the Tuna-to-New Orleans rumor seems to have lost momentum, and that's not all that bad, New Orleans.

In fact, I'd suggest if you're serious about having your team and the Super Bowl in the same place this season, you want someone other than Parcells coaching it.

Because Bill Parcells hasn't won a playoff game in 13 years.

Yeah, I know, the guy is experienced and successful and one of the game's all-time luminaries and all that, but he hasn’t coached since 2006, turns 71 this year and last won a playoff game in January 1999, when he coached the New York Jets.

That was Peyton Manning's first season in the NFL, and if you think that's a long time ago, it's because it is. It was one season before Andy Reid took over in Philadelphia and three before Tom Brady stepped into the New England huddle. He has been to five Super Bowls since.

Nope, Parcells is not a panacea for the Saints, not as an interim head coach he's not -- and let me count the ways.

First, he's not an aspiring young assistant trying to prove himself as head coach. Bill Parcells has nothing to prove. He won division championships, playoff games and two Super Bowls. But he hasn't won squat since the 1998 season when he took the New York Jets to the conference championship game, and you can look it up. In his last five years as a head coach, he's 42-38 and 0-2 in the playoffs.

OK, so he overcame the odds in '98 with Vinny Testaverde as his quarterback, and now he'd have Drew Brees. Big, big difference. But he also got there with Bill Belichick, and that counts for something, No, it counts for a lot, and here's why: With Belichick, he's 117-73-1 and 11-5 in the playoffs; without him, he's 55-57 and 0-3 in the playoffs.

Second, he hasn't been a head coach in more than five years, and that's nothing short of a handicap. When you ask someone to pick up things for one season, you want him to be up to date with your players, your assistants, your philosophy and the game itself. Tell me which one of those boxes Parcells checks off.

That's not a knock on the guy, simply a recognition of what happens when you grow older and step back from your profession. When Joe Gibbs returned to Washington, he was 6-10 in his first season and 30-34 in four. Granted, he took the Redskins to two playoff appearances, which was terrific. But the game had changed. I know Parcells hasn't been away as long as Gibbs, but he has been away ... and that's an issue when you're talking about a one-year deal.

Third, where's the motivation? In previous stops, it was in reconstructing doormats. The Saints are not a doormat. They're the defending NFC South champions. Parcells' job would be to make them Super Bowl champions, and I've already gone over the track record there.

Fourth, there's the impact the hiring of Parcells could ... and should ... have on the rest of the Saints coaching staff. Payton has assistants who are qualified to take over, and look no further than offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael or defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. I can understand if Spagnuolo's not interested. He has no background with the Saints and is trying to learn players' names and install a defense. But Carmichael seems a natural. Passing him or someone else over for a friend who hasn't coached in five years would invite internal friction.

"He's going to lose that coaching staff," said one source at last week's NFL owners' meetings. "Basically, it shows coaches they don't have his support."

I know some people out there who believe Payton doesn't want someone like Carmichael as interim coach because if he's successful -- if he takes the Saints deep into the playoffs or the Super Bowl -- they might want to retain him, meaning ... uh-huh, meaning Sean Payton could be out of a job.

So, instead, he chooses someone who always moves on.

Yeah, OK, so it's Bill Parcells, and that's why people say it makes sense: Because it's Bill Frickin' Parcells. Only that's my point. What he did as a head coach 10 or 20 years ago was wonderful. What he has done lately is not. I know he resurrected sorry franchises, but he's not blowing up the Saints and turning them into his team. He's simply keeping them on the tracks.

That's a challenge unlike any he has had to assume, and people tell me it should work because this team is better than Dallas and because he has Drew Brees as his quarterback. Except the Saints had Drew Brees last year, too, and they couldn't beat Alex Smith in the playoffs. They had him in 2010 and couldn't get past Seattle.

That was with Sean Payton. This is with someone who hasn't coached in five years and hasn't won a playoff game in 13. Bill Parcells-to-New Orleans is an intriguing idea, but it's one that will get the Saints and Parcells nowhere.

Parcells might be available to Saints -- but why would they want him? - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy

Didn't even bother reading all of that. I just read the title and went :whatever:

You should have read it; there are some interesting points.

Belicheck is OVERRATED!

I read it. Will see.

Nope. Those are the same misguided arguments others have made: and the rebuttal is still, Parcells would not come in to do any actual football coaching: Pete/Drew will handle the offense, Spagnuolo will handle the defense, Parcells will handle the media and chew out refs and umps and side judges during games.

How does a HC that gets his team to the playoffs year in and year out get to be overrated,lol. Hell, and they don't even have the weapons we do or a OC like SP. He's a miracle worker in my book.

The article is interesting but a perspective. I only need 1 perspective
.
#1 Parcells gives us the best chance to win.

I do agree with most of this article, the Tuna is really so 1990. I am having problems with its premise that Payton's going to have the first and last word as to who'll fill in for him. And even if he is the one who chooses, I'm also having a bit of an issue with the whole he'll only choose someone who won't threaten his job thing. You look at both Payton and Carmichael and neither one of those guys is going to have to look at having yard sales to pay the rent for a long, long time to come. What we're seeing in that article is the slime bag nature of the writer instead.

Sometimes I can't believe how stupid some people can be. I swear this country is being overran by stupid people.

The Tuna is the architect of the Patriots and the Saints.

These teams are run and things they do and how they prepare is EXACTLY what Parcells he implemented with his teams and what most coaches under him have also done.

So if you could get the architect who is the master of your plan to come in and take your place for the year that you KNOW who is going to do it the way you were taught... seems the most logical pick for me. That way things will be ran the same way the team is familar with the Saints or Patriots way because it is the Parcells way.

Exactly? Not quite. His talent was in finding some genius students who could take is ideas and really turn them into something amazing. The guy who set up the foundation is incredibly important, but there's a great deal more to the structure especially when you look at how things have changed over the last couple of decades.

You need to read Sean Payton's book. You need to know what Payton discovered when the Saints and Patriots held camp practices together.

Saints wanted to see the Patriot way and since both were students under Parcells they had a connection to get together and study what both teams were doing and what they were about...

You discover the answer and posted here please...

I embrace this kind of negative talk about Parcells...and in spite of this article making some rational, sensible points, it makes me want Parcells EVEN MORE to know that there are H8ers and doubters out there who say we should not do it!

Look...speaking personally, as a season ticket holder.... after all this mess broke, with Payton and Loomis suspended, players suspended, the team in shambles -- now I absolutely 100% WANT Parcells to coach the Saints...

Why? Simply because it's CRAZY, that's why, and the season would be ENTERTAINING! I mean WTF, everyone is saying we're toast, the season is supposed to be shot, no chance at the post-season, all those suspensions and penalties, "it's too much to overcome," not to even mention what the refs and opposing fans are gonna do to us....well as a paying fan in the stands, I would rather go down in FLAMES and be 5-11 with Parcells, and be ENTERTAINED each Sunday afternoon, than watch some up-and-coming young assistant coach earnestly struggle to get us to 9-7, nervously stumbling their way through the press conferences, and then see them leave for another team....

As a Saints fan, I don't WANT rational or sensible right now...I don't want what other people in the media say we should want, or to hear reasons why we're doomed to fail, or people somberly saying we should "promote from within," or do things by the book, or this or that...that kind of talk is just another way of people saying we should take our lumps and quietly go back to being the hapless, loveable, losing team with bags on our heads...screw Dat, I don't want what's "safe" or "the responsible thing to do," I don't want the Saints to be like the other 31 teams....I want something insane and inspirational, the football coaching version of the Bluto speech in Animal House, or the Bill Murray speech from "Stripes"....I want something old-school, and inspiring, to lead my team and entertain me on Sundays, and Parcells is THAT and more.

... and I reiterate, yet again, that Parcells will not be doing any changes to anything that's already in place.

Parcells will come in already knowing what's going on since Payton runs things in the mold of Parcells. He will not attempt to change things football-wise within the system; he will be able to talk to players and the players will get a familiar tone in the pep talks and the yelling in practice; and most importantly, he will be at ease being the face of the coaching staff and deflecting attention from Pete C. and Spagnuolo.

That's the idea behind Payton trying go Parcells to cover for him. Parcells is not going to come in and make people do things his way, they are already doing it.

Everything that happened or didn't happen when Parcells was with Dallas is totally irrelevant to me because that was under Jerrah and Dallas is a cursed franchise. In fact, Parcells' stamp is still on that team because the players he specifically drafted are still there - Jason Witten and Demarcus Ware for example.

I still want him. He doesn't have to do anything but the tough sideline calls and talk to the media. He can do it I believe.

I agree ... when it was first suggested I thought Parcells would be too old, but after seeing the arguments, it actually makes good sense. He'll come in, be the face of the coaching staff and lend some stability to the situation without shaking things up. As for being 'too old', Pete & Spags will do his heavy lifting.

Good luck with that, guys. I'd like to see it work out for you.

I'll reread it as soon as I finish my taxes.....bleh! My thoughts are that the game has evolved quite a bit since the Tuna was last stalking the sidelines. I really think the personnel we already have are more than capable of bringing us back to a home game next February.A figurehead to deal with the $@%@^!! talking heads and deflect the distractions would be okay though. Maybe Rush'll be available. Hahaha!
Okay, enough avoidance, back to the paperwork.

Seriously?

We know SP is in charge, and wants it to stay that way. Parcells is an easy choice: "Bill, take the keys to my sweet- a55 car and don't wreck it". Next year everything returns to normal

But, if Spagnula takes over HC and does well, that's a different story.

I personally don't see the need for Parcells. Part of SP's meeting with god on Thursday was to define the parameters of the suspension, and if he is allowed to communicate daily, or even weekly, then I really think we can pass

still hoping for 8 games

hmm...PC/DB handles the offense and SS handles the defense...Parcells handles the overall game management...

nothing to prove???? how about the first coach to win the SB with 2 teams...Bellicheat never did it, neither did Lombardi...If parcells is able to win it all, he becomes the GREATEST coach ever