Tag: Bill Parcells

It’s about time Steve Atwater made the Hall of Fame

Steve Atwater wasn’t known for this time with the Jets but still had a long and fruitful career in the defensive backfield.

It took 16 years, but “The Smiling Assassin” will finally grin forever in Canton.

Steve Atwater, the former Broncos and Jets safety, joined the class of 2020 as a Pro Football Hall of Famer 21 years after he retired from the league. Atwater made his hay as one of the hardest hitting safeties of the 1990s, terrifying offenses at the line of scrimmage and stopping even the mightiest of running backs.

Though he only played one nondescript season with the Jets, Atwater rightfully deserved the Hall of Fame induction after 16 years of eligibility and three as a finalist. Atwater retired the year after he signed with the Jets as a free agent in 1999, a season in which he only played 12 games and tallied just 63 total tackles and one forced fumble.

Atwater didn’t bring pain and terror to the Jets defense, but he racked up stats and accolades during his 10-year career with the Broncos. He earned eight Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections, won two Super Bowls and registered 1,000 tackles, 24 interceptions, five sacks, five forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

The Broncos used Atwater the way a lot of big-bodied safeties play now – at the line of scrimmage. There, he crushed running backs and played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ run defense. Two moments encapsulate Atwater’s career: His devastating hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye and his dominating performance in Super Bowl XXXII.

Atwater somehow derailed Okoye in Week 2 of the 1990 season, a feat now many could accomplish given Okoye’s 6-foot-1, 260-pound frame. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Atwater proved himself up to the task. Atwater played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins. He terrorized the Green Bay Packers offense in Super Bowl XXXII with six solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. 

Once his career concluded in Denver, Atwater joined the Bill Parcells-led Jets in 1999. Atwater played alongside Victor Green in the deep secondary with cornerbacks Marcus Coleman and Aaron Glen on the outside. The Jets went 8-8 in Parcells’ first year in New York and Atwater finished sixth on the team in total tackles with 63.

Atwater paved the way for safeties like Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Landon Collins to become staples of the defenses as imposing defensive backs. He won’t be remembered for his time with the Jets, but Atwater’s career as a whole certainly deserved Hall of Fame recognition.

Carlos Beltrán’s Mets tenure was short, but not Bill Belichick-Jets short

Former Mets manager Carlos Beltrán coached longer for a NY team than Bill Belichick.

If you happen to root for the Mets and the Jets, this one is going to be a tough read.

The two New York teams, often known for their dysfunction and second-fiddle status, can now both say that they have had top coaches depart far earlier than anticipated. Everyone knows the story of Bill Belichick and the Jets, but on Thursday, the Mets said goodbye to their own head man.

The Mets officially parted ways with first-time manager Carlos Beltrán after just 76 days as the team’s skipper. Beltrán was involved in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal while still a player in 2017; his name was mentioned in Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report on Monday. As a result, the Mets and Beltrán split before the latter could even manage a game.

The sequence of events reeked of typical Mets incompetence — though the team was in a difficult position after the Astros and Red Sox, another team under investigation — sent their managers packing. Still, it’s not worse than what happened to the Jets in 2000 with Bill Belichick.

After Bill Parcells retired from coaching, the Jets and Belichick arranged for him to be the next head coach of the franchise. However, an issue with who was going to be the next owner after Leon Hess died didn’t sit well with Belichick. So, on the day Belichick was to be introduced as the head coach, he officially resigned after just one day on the job.

Beltrán managed as many games for the Mets as Belichick coached for the Jets. Beltrán, however, was on the job far longer, relatively speaking.

There’s a black cloud hovering over these two New York franchises. Even when neither team does anything wrong, they still find themselves in a predicament. Not to mention the amount of losing that has gone on between the two as well.

The Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1968, while the Mets haven’t won a World Series since 1986.

For both of these franchises, things always manage to get worse just when their fans start to believe there are brighter days ahead. Think of the “Same Old Jets” mantra — but replace the “J” with an “M” for the baseball team in Queens.

Mike McCarthy looks to accomplish what 12 Super Bowl-winning coaches failed to do

Mike McCarthy is looking to become the first head coach to win Super Bowls with two franchises.

The Dallas Cowboys picked a coach with a Super Bowl-winning pedigree in Mike McCarthy. However, the Joneses are going to have to defy NFL history if the ninth coach in franchise history is to bring home a ring. No coach that has won a Super Bowl and either moved on to another team or returned to the team it won a championship  with (Joe Gibbs) his done it again.

Vince Lombardi

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers as they won the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi left the Frozen Tundra in 1968. He turned up as coach in Washington in 1969 and was 7-5-2 in his lone season.

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Dallas Cowboys coaching history: From Tom Landry to Jason Garrett

Jason Garrett is out and the big question is who will be the ninth head coach in Dallas Cowboys’ history?

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for the ninth coach in franchise history. What started with the legendary Tom Landry will move on now that the team has parted ways with Jason Garrett. The men who have run the show on the Dallas sideline.

Tom Landry

Twenty-nine years and two Super Bowl championships and five NFC championships put Tom Landry on the Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches. (Getty Images)

Tom Landry was remarkable in his reign as Cowboys coach. So often coaches of expansion teams never see success. Landry coached for 29 years from 1960-88. He was 250-162-6 and 20-16 in the postseason. Forty-six of those losses came in Dallas’ first five seasons, which tells you how incredible Landry was once the franchise was entrenched in the NFL.

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Could Dolphins’ history repeat itself in 2020 NFL Draft?

Could the Miami Dolphins choose to attack the 2020 NFL Draft the same way they did in 2008?

The Miami Dolphins are about to see their first round selection land at the highest draft slot the franchise has seen since securing the first overall selection in 2008. That is, of course, barring the regrettable trade-up for Dion Jordan back in 2013. In that 2008 draft, you may recall, Miami chose to address the trench play as priority number one — bypassing quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of Michigan left tackle Jake Long.

The Bill Parcells team building model focused on beefing up the trenches and often doubling down on positions of emphasis during the draft. It worked with his previous teams. That method did not, however,  work whilst Parcells was on his South Florida retirement tour. Parcells didn’t have the conviction to take Matt Ryan first overall, instead thinking he could get equal returns on second round pick Chad Henne despite Henne’s inconsistent college play.

Jake Long, though a tremendous talent, could not fend off the injury bug and wound up having a shortened professional career. The choice to pass on Ryan proved to be another blunder in a long list of failed decisions regarding Miami Dolphin QB play post-Marino.

For better or worse, the Parcells influence is very much woven into the DNA of this remade Dolphins brain-trust.

General Manager Chris Grier has spent his entire professional career with two organizations: The New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins. Who was the head man in New England when Grier got his start in scouting? Bill Parcells. When Grier received a prominent promotion to Director of College Scouting with the Dolphins, who were his bosses? GM Jeff Ireland and  football czar Bill Parcells.

Assistant general manager Marvin Allen got his start in the Patriots personnel department in 1993, the same year Parcells started his HC tenure in New England. The entire upbringing of head coach Brian Flores as an evaluator and coach was under Bill Belichick — the greatest coach in the Parcells coaching tree. That upbringing began as a scouting assistant back in 2004.

The “Big Tuna” only oversaw operations in Miami for a brief and lackadaisical three seasons. But his footprint with the team is as strong as ever.

All of this history is used to bring up one critical point: The Parcells system of thought coupled with Grier’s conservative nature to this point as a decision maker could prompt the Dolphins to pass on the likes of tremendously talented but seriously injured Tua Tagovailoa in favor of…an offensive lineman? Such a move would devastate Fins fans everywhere. However, building strong, nasty trench play has been a Parcells staple forever and should history repeat itself, there are options for a team needing five new starters along the offensive line in 2020.

Tank for Tristan (Wirfs)? Trash for (Andrew) Thomas? Wreck for (Jedrick) Wills? Crash for Creed (Humphries)? Bad for (Tyler) Biadasz? There are options for every flavor.

Unloading the roster at the magnitude the Dolphins have in 2019 just to draft an offensive lineman with a top five selection would be met with unanimous frustration. But unless Miami manages to secure the top selection in the draft in the final two weeks — a tall order that requires help of other teams — the only other quarterback worth of a top five selection is going to be a Cincinnati Bengal come April. That quarterback is Joe Burrow. The next biggest need is offensive line, followed by scheme specific defensive players.

Ohio State edge defender Chase Young is, of course, the belle of the ball in 2020 but recent speculation of a return to school paired with questions regarding scheme compatibility within Miami’s demanding system makes one wonder if they’d make that selection. That leaves offensive line as the next logical selection within the top five, assuming Miami stays there.

In this scenario, Miami would like to address quarterback at the back end of the first round, or perhaps trade back up with their ample draft capital. Perhaps Grier would be more comfortable drafting Tua later in the draft due to his unknown future after the hip injury. Names like Jordan Love, Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm or even Jalen Hurts would also be ones to watch in this scenario. Perhaps Miami chooses to punt on the quarterback in 2020 all together to instead ride with the ageless Ryan Fitzpatrick once more?

In 2008, this model backfired in spectacular fashion. Matt Ryan has gone on to have a nice career on a generally bad team, while Jake Long is out of the league and Chad Henne has been a backup post-Miami. Could history repeat itself in 2020, but with better success? Time will tell. These next few months will be fascinating to watch unfold. One thing is certain, however. Parcells still has a footprint in this league, and that footprint is as large as ever in Miami.

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Wisconsin played Air Force once, and almost played Bill Parcells

More on Wisconsin’s history against the service academies

On Army-Navy Game weekend, Wisconsin’s history with service-academy football programs is worth researching. Wisconsin has never played Army, but will do so for the first time on October 16, 2021. The Badgers have played Navy twice, but not since 1949. Wisconsin’s most recent service-academy football game came against Air Force. The date was September 15, 1979. One detail emerges from that particular year which many Badger fans might find interesting.

The 1979 season could have been a year in which a then-obscure head coach faced Wisconsin. Even in the late 1970s, it wasn’t common in the college football head coaching industry for coaches to last only one year at a given program. A first season had to really miss the mark — for the coach, the school, or both — for a head coach to leave after one year, but that is exactly what happened after Bill Parcells coached Air Force in 1978.

Air Force had been guided the previous 20 seasons by Ben Martin, who led Air Force to an unbeaten season in 1958 and piloted the Falcons to the Cotton and Sugar Bowls. Air Force’s 1970 season — culminating in a Sugar Bowl appearance — marks the last time any academy football team has played in one of the original five New Year’s Day bowl games (Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, Sun). Martin was a legend, so Parcells was filling big shoes. This also meant, however, that Parcells would get plenty of time to find his own way in Colorado Springs IF he was willing to be patient.

Parcells had been an assistant coach at Army, so he knew the world of academy football. He had been an assistant at multiple other college programs, so he was immersed in the college game entering 1978. Yet, his first season as a college head coach was not what he expected. Air Force might be an academy, just like Army, but the particular nuances of coaching in Colorado Springs were different from West Point. Parcells went 3-8 in 1978… and he resigned after the season. He never did get to coach against Wisconsin in September of 1979. One of the assistants he hired, Ken Hatfield, was promoted to head coach. Hatfield built the Air Force program into a winner and then turned the reins over to Fisher DeBerry, who became a great coach on par with Ben Martin. Air Force did just fine.

Hatfield did just fine, too. After leaving Air Force, he built a winner at Arkansas, making multiple Cotton Bowls as Southwest Conference champion. He won a fair amount of games at Clemson as well.

That Parcells guy? Yeah, his career was decent as well, with multiple Super Bowl rings and a track record for turning bad organizations into winners, never embodied more than when he took the New York Jets (!) to the AFC Championship Game in the late 1990s.

Wisconsin’s only game against Air Force could have been against Bill Parcells. The coach himself, and the workings of history, had other ideas.