MEDIA BLITZ
By John Molori
DeOssie sets the Belichick-Parcells record straight
One coach already has two Super Bowl rings. The other is three wins away from his second such ring. The two men are eternally linked through victories, style and passion for the game.
While Bill Parcells’ Dallas Cowboys have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs, his legacy lives on in his former assistant; Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick.
Steve DeOssie of Sportsradio 850 WEEI and WBZ-TV 4 played for both men. He won a Super Bowl and was the defensive signal caller for the New York Giants (1989-93) when Parcells was the team’s head coach and Belichick was the defensive coordinator. He again played for Parcells when the Tuna came to New England.
DeOssie describes the current relationship between these two coaching giants. “It’s all about professional respect. They don’t call each other to go socializing, but both understand that each is at the top of his game.”
Belichick led the Patriots to a franchise-best 14-2 regular season mark while Parcells led a 5-11 Dallas team to 10 wins and the playoffs.
DeOssie says that the supposed hatred between Belichick and Parcells is media driven. “The media try to pick any soap opera angle that we can. It’s the easy way out. Both of these guys are intelligent enough to know what each has meant to the other.”
Belichick and Parcells share an inherent mistrust of the media. Says DeOssie, “They realize that the media is the enemy. Let’s face it, the media cannot do anything positive for a team, but they can put stuff out there that could lose a game. The bottom line with both guys is whether it helps his team win.”
According to DeOssie, the similarities between the two coaches are striking. Both men expect players to go above and beyond normal practice and film work hours. Preparation is a key aspect of success in a Parcels or Belichick system.
“They want every player to be a part of the team’s success. In football, there is nothing worse than sitting on the sidelines. Neither guy is afraid to rely on his players.”
It is clear that both coaches have a strict set of rules for their players. When his grandfather passed away earlier this season, Richard Seymour took an excused absence from a practice.
Belichick still forced Seymour to sit out the first quarter of that week’s game. Some members of the media felt that the coach was being unreasonable.
DeOssie disagrees stating, “You can’t have different rules for different guys. I remember when Pete Carroll succeeded Bill Parcells in New England. Some guys said, ‘Now, we’ll be treated like men.’
“If you spend any time in this league, you come to realize that it’s all about winning. Guys might get ticked off at a Belichick or a Parcells, but they know that they give the team the best chance to win.”
Success is the key for DeOssie. “You never outgrow a successful coach,” says the ex-Boston College defensive standout. “It was common for Parcells to come in and make you feel like dirt one day and the most important man on the team the next day. All they ask is that you work hard.”
DeOssie, a former Dallas Cowboy (1984-88), analyzes the Parcells’ turnaround in Big D. He states, “It wasn’t about personnel. Jerry Jones hired (ex-coach) Dave Campo so that the owner could be the star of the team. Campo is a good coach, but the players knew that he wasn’t really in charge.
“Parcells is in charge in Dallas. Jerry said that it was his decision to get rid of Emmitt Smith, but that was Parcells’ call all the way. And don ‘t be fooled. Bill Parcells’ goal was to get into the playoffs this year.”
One would think that the demonstrative Parcells has given some rousing pregame speeches, but that’s not the case according to DeOssie.
“You can’t flip a switch on Sunday morning and expect guys to be ready to play. Parcells and Belichick give their speeches during practice all week. In all my years playing for Parcells, I saw no pregame speeches and only one halftime speech.”
That halftime speech was in 1994 when the Patriots were being soundly thrashed by the Vikings after two quarters. Says DeOssie, “Parcells walked into the locker room and said, ‘I just hope I’m around when you guys decide to fight back.’” The Patriots won that game, eventually propelling them into the playoffs.
DeOssie states that Belichick and Parcells are similar in approach, but different in action. “Belichick is not as glib as Parcells, but the players know that he is as ruthless as any coach in the league, and I mean that in a good way. If you can’t help him win, you won’t be around. Guys appreciate that straightforward criteria.”
When asked if he ever talked back to Parcells or Belichick, DeOssie relates an anecdote from training camp 1994. He states, “I was having a horrible day long snapping the ball. Parcells stood there for forty-five minutes standing over me yelling out the names of other long snappers around the league.
“Finally I shouted, ‘If I thought you could bend over and touch your toes, I’d tell you to do this yourself. So, leave me the (expletive deleted) alone!’ He said that he was paying me too much and I swore at him again.
“The thing is that if you come back at a Belichick or a Parcells, you better be prepared. I knew I was a good long snapper, so I was prepared to jaw with Bill that day.”
According to DeOssie, the main difference between Parcells and Belichick is media related. “Parcells loves the camera and the camera loves him. He enjoys that part of the business, Belichick does not.”
Despite resurrecting a dormant Patriots franchise, winning an AFC Championship and drafting players like Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown, Adam Vinatieri, Ty Law, Ted Johnson, Willie McGinest, Drew Bledsoe and Curtis Martin, Parcells is still vilified by many in the New England media.
DeOssie explains, “The media can spin it any way they want, but Parcells re-energized the Patriots. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly and a lot of media types didn’t like being called out in press conferences.
“There are also feelings of abandonment with Parcells. Some guys even blame him for losing the (1997) Super Bowl to Green Bay. Most coaches just bluster about this and that. Guys like Parcells and Belichick speak the truth.”
John Molori’s Media Blitz column is published in The Boston Metro, The Providence Journal, The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, The Lowell Sun, Patriots Football Weekly, BostonSportsMedia.com and MethuenOnline.com. John can be reached via E-mail at JOMOL3@aol.com.
