Tag: Bill Parcells

Bill Parcells’ horse, Maple Leaf Mel, euthanized after collapsing at Saratoga

Maple Leaf Mel, a three-year-old filly belonging to Bill Parcells, was euthanized on Saturday following a collapse at the Saratoga Raceway.

Tragedy unfolded at the Saratoga Springs Raceway on Saturday during the $500,000 Test when Maple Leaf Mel, the three-year-old undefeated filly belonging to retired New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells, collapsed just inches from the finish line.

Maple Leaf Mel suffered a catastrophic injury to her right front leg and was quickly, and humanely, euthanized on the track.

Jockey Joel Rosario was unseated during the collapse and suffered injuries to his face and gums. He was taken to a private vehicle for stitches and then transported to Albany Medical Center.

“I feel so bad for the connections of Mel. It’s hard to enjoy this one thinking about that. My condolences go out to their team. Hopefully, they’re able to get through this and God bless them,” the winning jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, said via ESPN.

Maple Leaf Mel was named after her trainer, Melanie Giddings, who has who survived Stage 4 endocervical and ovarian cancer. The filly was unbeaten in five starts before making her Grade 1 debut on Saturday.

“The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority and one that stands above all other considerations,” said Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president of communications. “NYRA, HISA and the New York State Gaming Commission will closely review the circumstances around this incident to ensure we are providing the safest possible environment for racing and training at Saratoga Race Course.”

Prior to the race, Maple Leaf Mel passed the required prerace veterinary inspection.

Since 2009, there have been more than 200 horse deaths at the Saratoga Springs Raceway.

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Ranking 8 best assistant coaches in Giants history

From Marty Schottenheimer to Vince Lombardi, Giants Wire ranks the eight best assistant coaches in New York Giants history.

The New York Giants are closing in on a century of existence and many famous and powerful names have worn the blue over that time.

When it comes to head coaches, the Giants have had some great ones — Bill Parcells, Tom Coughlin, Jim Lee Howell, and Steve Owen — and some notable ones in Allie Sherman, Jim Fassel, and Alex Webster.

But what the Giants are really known for is grooming head coaches; men who worked for the club and went on to become some of the great head coaches in NFL history.

Here are eight of those names.

Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux aced a Bill Parcells test

Bill Parcells gave Kayvon Thibodeaux a pop quiz during his visit to New York Giants minicamp and the edge rusher aced it.

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During the team’s mandatory minicamp earlier this month, legendary former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells made an appearance and addressed the team.

Parcells also had the opportunity to go one-on-one with a few players, including second-year edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.

During their quick conversation, Parcells gave Thibodeaux a pop quiz. And although it caught the 22-year-old off-guard, he ended up getting a nod of approval from the Hall of Famer.

“It’s funny. I had one conversation with him and we talked about football,” Thibodeaux told Good Morning Football. “I think that what he said to me was, well he asked me a question. He said, ‘What is the worst position for a defensive end to be in?’ I was kind of confused because that’s kind of an open-ended question, but I just said, ‘Past the quarterback,’ right?

“He stood up, he gave me some dap because he said I had the right answer. But that just goes to show that over how many years he’s been coaching and now, the new day and age, football is still the same. So, it was amazing to see him. He’s still sharp as a tack.”

Of course, Parcells knows a little something about defensive ends and edge rushers, having coached the greatest of all time in Lawrence Taylor. And while KT is still a long way off from that level of play, it’s encouraging for the Giants to see him blossom as an intelligent football mind.

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Giants legend Bill Parcells explains importance of ‘hidden yardage’

Retired New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells breaks down the importance of “hidden yardage” and how it can change the outcome of a game.

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New York Giants Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells is widely known as one of the foremost coaches in the history of the NFL.

That didn’t happen in a vacuum. Parcells took knowledge from almost every coach, player, executive, and scout he rubbed elbows with on his way up the ladder.

In a piece for The 33rd Team published last September, Parcells explains his philosophy about ‘hidden yardage’ and how it affects the outcome of the game. It was something he picked up from Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman by way of another longtime head coach and friend, Dan Henning.

The premise is that 100 yards of field position should equate to seven points. The more I thought about it, the more I asked myself, “If this yardage is so important, where is it coming from? Let’s take the entire scope of the yardage and evaluate it.” So, I did.

To explain what I found, we’re going to start with the obvious: total offense and total defense. So, let’s say a team has 350 yards of offense in a game. According to that premise, it should have 24 points. Let’s say that same team’s defense gives up 300 total yards. Based on that premise, the opponent should have 21 points.

Those are the obvious yards. Where do the hidden yards come from? Parcells explained.

Now, here is how the hidden yardage affects the outcome, especially when you consider half the games are decided by seven points or less, and a quarter are decided by three points or less. People don’t look at the penalty differential or the net-punting differential. People don’t look at the average start of possession either.

Those are hidden yards, and they all equate to points.

Parcells went on to elaborate and broke things down mathematically. He explained how the aforementioned penalty differential, net-punt differential and starting field position could equate to more or fewer points for teams who had the same amount of total yards.

If each team had 350 total yards but one side had worse differentials and starting field position, odds are they would lose the game.

This explains why Parcells always talked about the game in thirds — offense, defense and special teams — and why he built his rosters the way he did. He would always stress the importance of each and how a team can lose games if just one of them fails to perform.

That is why individual statistics never meant much to Parcells. Just his team’s performance as a whole. He was the one to coin the NFL Scouting Combine the ‘underwear Olympics’ and that it was not the determining factor it is now.

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Giants minicamp: Notes, videos and highlights from Day 2

News, notes, highlights and a few videos from Day 2 of the New York Giants’ 2023 mandatory minicamp.

The New York Giants were back on the field for their final practice of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. They will now head into summer break and are not required to return to East Rutherford until the start of training camp in late July.

The day began with offensive assistants meeting with members of the media before head coach Brian Daboll took the podium for a press conference. Then it was off to practice.

Here is some news, notes, highlights and videos from Day 2 of minicamp:

Bill Parcells, Michael Strahan and Brandon Jacobs visit Giants during minicamp

The Giants had a handful of visits at camp on Tuesday, including Brandon Jacobs, Michael Strahan and Bill Parcells, who addressed the team.

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The New York Giants were out on the field on Tuesday afternoon, the first of their two mandatory minicamp sessions this week that will be open to the media.

Star running back Saquon Barkley was not in attendance as he is not currently under contract but several other notables were, such as Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan and two-time Super Bowl champion running back Brandon Jacobs.

Former Giants public relations man, Avis Roper, who is now a member of the league office, also stopped by.

Parcells, 81, has been retired from the NFL since 2011. His last job was as the Executive Vice President of Football for the Miami Dolphins. One of his top scouts was a young man by the name of Joe Schoen, who is now the general manager of the Giants.

Schoen accompanied his former boss around the practice field as the Giants ran through some drills.

Parcells also stepped by to converse with the current Giants head coach, Brian Daboll.

After practice, Parcells addressed the team as a group on the field. His main message: unity.

 

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Giants minicamp: Notes, videos and highlights from Day 1

News, notes, highlights and a few videos from Day 1 of the New York Giants’ 2023 mandatory minicamp.

After canceling their final two practices of organized team activities (OTAs) due to poor air quality, the New York Giants were back at it on Tuesday. This time for their mandatory two-day minicamp.

Running back Saquon Barkley, who has not yet signed his franchise tender, is not permitted to take part in team-related activities and was not in attendance per NFL rules. He will not be fined for his absence.

On the schedule were press conferences with the team’s defensive assistants, head coach Brian Daboll and assistant general manager Brandon Brown. Select players also spoke with members of the media following a two-hour practice.

Here’s a look at some notes, highlights and videos from Day 1.

Bill Parcells’ influence helped shape Sean Payton’s view of the offensive line

“Bill [Parcells] felt the offensive line was one of the most important positions on your roster, Sean Payton said of his coaching mentor.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton comes from the Bill Parcells coaching tree.

Payton served as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach under Parcells with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-2005, and Hall of Fame coach had a big influence on Payton’s coaching philosophy.

One of Parcells’ beliefs that were passed down to Payton is that building up the offensive line is imperative for success. That became obvious when Payton’s first big moves during free agency were signing guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey.

“Bill felt the offensive line was one of the most important positions on your roster because it permeated the building,” Payton said during his pre-draft press conference last week. “He didn’t say it had to be done in the draft or in free agency, but he just felt like that position group was important.”

Denver knew its offensive line needed to be improved before Payton arrived, and he and general manager George Paton were of the same mind going into free agency.

“Regardless of his philosophy and my exposure to Bill — when George and I started —and George even had mentioned this in an earlier press conference prior to free agency — that was a focus for us in upgrading and getting our team better.”

The Broncos made big improvements to the line by adding Powers and McGlinchey, but the team could still use an upgrade at center and more depth across the board. With that being the case, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver add additional offensive linemen during the draft this week.

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2023 finalists for Patriots Hall of Fame announced

The three finalists for the Patriots Hall of Fame have been announced.

The New England Patriots have announced the 2023 finalists to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. On Thursday, they revealed former coach Bill Parcells, linebacker Mike Vrabel and offensive guard Logan Mankins could be permanently enshrined with the other franchise all-time greats.

Mankins, a seven-time Pro Bowler and former first-team All-Pro offensive lineman, was a key cog along the Patriots’ offensive front and even made the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. He helped keep legendary quarterback Tom Brady upright during some of the most prolific seasons of his career.

Parcells is already an NFL Hall of Famer and one of the greatest coaches in history. So it only makes sense for him to break into the Patriots Hall of Fame at some point.

Meanwhile, Vrabel would be a fun option as the current head coach for the Tennessee Titans. Even though he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s known more for what he did in New England side-by-side with Tedy Bruschi. He finished his career as a three-time Super Bowl champion and former first-team All-Pro linebacker.

Fans can cast their votes at Patriots.com for the next man to join former longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia as the 2023 Patriots Hall of Fame inductees.

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Giants great Phil Simms recalls being starstruck as a rookie QB

Retired New York Giants QB Phil Simms reflects on his career and Super Bowls, and recalls being starstruck as a rookie facing the Steelers.

It doesn’t take much to get former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms to open up about his career.

The Super Bowl XXI Most Valuable Player appeared on the podcast Games With Names, hosted by another Super Bowl MVP — Julian Edelman — and comedian Sam Morril, this week to talk about his career and the Super Bowl.

Simms played 15 seasons for Big Blue from 1979 through 1993 and was the seventh overall selection out of Morehead State in the 1979 NFL draft.

At the time, Simms’ selection was a surprise but on this show, he revealed the Giants had told him weeks before they were going to draft him.

“Back then, thank God, ESPN and everybody weren’t going over every player so the fans really didn’t know the players. I wasn’t surprised I went seventh,” Simms said.

“There was talk of you going earlier,” Morril questioned.

“No, I think I knew all the teams that were probably going to draft me, and I knew the Giants. They basically said two weeks before the draft ‘We’re taking you!’ They told my coach that too,” Simms said.

Years later, it was revealed that San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh also coveted Simms but did not have a first-round draft pick that year having traded it away to Buffalo for O.J. Simpson.

Simms’ career didn’t fully get off the ground until 1984 due to injuries and inconsistent play. In the beginning, it did not go smoothly for him. He recalled being starstruck in a preseason game against Pittsburgh in his rookie year.

“I get under the center and there’s Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood. It was unbelievable…it was eight Hall of Famers. I have great stories about that game, but there’s me and Joe Greene. Let’s stop the game because I need some autographs. I idolized Terry Bradshaw growing up and there I was playing against him,” he said.

Simms went on to rave about the great Lawrence Taylor, who the Giants drafted second overall in 1981. Taylor made an immediate impact on the club.

“His rookie year, we had a scrimmage,” said Simms. “They had to take him out after ten plays. Had to take him out. He was sacking the quarterback every play. And I go, this guy is really everything they said he was.”

Simms was known for his public ‘debates’ with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells, a person who still has a huge impact on his life.

“He yelled at you and then he would allow you to yell back if you knew the situation was right, and everybody on the team would laugh,” recalled Simms. “It was his way of sending a message to the whole team through players and he was great at that. He was the greatest manipulator of people I’ve ever been around in my life.”

Simms led the Giants to a 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI and recalled the 1986 NFC Championship Game in the wind at Giants Stadium — a 17-0 win over Washington.

“Washington Redskins at the time made a huge mistake. We kicked the field goal on our first drive, it was third-and-long, we had a penalty, and we had to kick another field goal. Joe Gibbs accepted it to take us out of field goal range, he thought. Well, the next play I threw it down the middle for a huge gain, got a first down and we scored. Literally, that was the game. It was over in the first quarter,” he said.

Simms is currently a studio analyst for CBS Sports.

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