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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/625231.html

Parcells knows his stuff, but he can't do it alone

By ARMANDO SALGUERO
Miami Herald

Bill Parcells doesn't like ''yes'' men. He appreciates, maybe even enjoys, a good football debate and respects anyone gutsy enough to challenge him and suggest another way of doing things.

But that is as far as it goes now.

And that isn't necessarily good.

Ask Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, by all accounts a tough guy who isn't shy about challenging anyone, how often he wins a disagreement with Parcells, and you will get a clearer picture of how the Dolphins are now run.

''I am not going to lie to you,'' Sparano said. ``The score is a lot to him and a little to me. . . . When I win one, I like to go out and celebrate.''

That doesn't mean Parcells is a whole lot smarter than Sparano. It does mean his voice is louder, his position is higher and his will is law.

For that reason, you can safely assume the idea to work out troubled quarterback Quincy Carter was approved, if not hatched, by Parcells. For that reason, you can bet the Dolphins are seriously debating the addition of Terry Glenn because Parcells is on board.

For that reason, you can bet Miami's seemingly blind loyalty to all former Dallas Cowboys is a result of Parcells' loyalty to his people.

That is fine in most instances because Parcells is great at identifying talent and squeezing it for every ounce of production.

He gets it.

But what about when he gets it wrong?

It does happen, you know.

TWO EXAMPLES

Glenn, 34, is the player Parcells didn't think the New England Patriots should draft out of Ohio State in 1996. But Patriots owner Robert Kraft overruled Parcells and compelled him to pick Glenn instead of a defensive player.

When Parcells was the Cowboys' coach, he hated the idea of adding Terrell Owens because Owens was troubled despite all his obvious talents. It was owner Jerry Jones who vetoed Parcells and signed Owens.

That acquisition has worked out pretty well for the Cowboys. Owens has had 28 touchdowns in the past two seasons, the same number the Dolphins' passing game has produced in that span.

So the question in Miami is, what courageous man will serve as the check and balance to Bill Parcells? Who wins an argument so the Dolphins don't miss out on a young Glenn or a dynamic Owens?

Sparano is a candidate, but he is pretty busy on the field trying to turn a young team around. General manager Jeff Ireland, an up-and-coming personnel star before being hired by the Dolphins, can try, but Parcells remains his boss, and insubordination is not a good way to keep a job.

Managing partner Wayne Huizenga? Please, no.

It is a puzzle the Dolphins must solve.

''I think with Bill and I -- and Jeff and I or Jeff and Bill, that triangle -- we have had those kind of conversations,'' Sparano said. ``We haven't always agreed one way or another. But it's healthy, and it's important, I think.''

Parcells should recognize that with every team he has turned around, he always has had a foil to help him get it right. It was George Young with the New York Giants, Kraft and others with the Patriots and Jones in Dallas.

Parcells should give Ireland and Sparano a voice in Miami so they can eventually serve as a balance to his weighty opinion. That might come with time, but that time is not now. Not yet.

TURNING TO WOLF

Parcells recognizes that, and he also recognizes he doesn't know it all.

Perhaps that is the reason he has enlisted the help of former Green Bay Packers architect and general manager Ron Wolf to look at these Dolphins and give his opinion.

Wolf sat with Parcells in a private Dolphin Stadium box and watched the debacle that was the 2007 Dolphins finish the season. He also attended the first few days of training camp practices, and is expected to look in on the team quite often, including some exhibition games.

Wolf's presence has gone largely unnoticed by the media. But it is brilliance that he is helping Parcells as a friend and a respected former personnel man while also serving because of what he is not:

A ''yes'' man.

Wolf sat with Parcells in a private Dolphin Stadium box and watched the debacle that was the 2007 Dolphins finish the season. He also attended the first few days of training camp practices, and is expected to look in on the team quite often, including some exhibition games.



I didn't realize Wolf was still offering input to Parcells.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2008/08/who-will-tell-b.html

Who will tell Bill Parcells when he is wrong?

I wrote in today's Herald that Bill Parcells is great, but not infallible. Breaking News!

Seriously, it is good he is here and is engaged. But as I wrote in the column, it is highly important that Parcells find someone he trusts that can eventually win arguments against him.

Why?

So when he defaults to ideas like: Let's not draft Terry Glenn in 1996 or Let's not sign Terrell Owens in 2006 or Let's bring in Terry Glenn to the Dolphins in 2008 or Let's sign Quincy Carter in 2008, somebody says, "Whoa, there big man. Let's think about this thing."

He had people like that with the Giants, Cowboys and Patriots. He doesn't have that yet in Miami although I believe he realizes it and that is the reason he's brought former Green Bay architect Ron Wolf to camp.

Anyway, please read the column if you can and let me know if you think getting a foil for Parcells is a good thing or not. Meanwhile, I'll be out at practice and will report back afterward.

this is why I have a problem with his cronie-ism.  He has everyone in his pocket and no one will ever disagree with him.  At what point do we stop trusting this guy blindly based on winning what, like 1 super bowl ever?

I know that Parcells looks a certain way because of his history of having a hardline attitude which makes it look like he is an ego maniac that everyone bows down to.  Is this totally accurate?  Although I do think that Parcells has a pretty big ego, I have seen enough of him to believe that his smarts include being perceptive.  What does that mean?  It means that I think that he knows when people are feeding him lines, he knows when he is getting real advice and seeks advice from the best sources available.  I believe that he probably has a system in place to keep his decision making in check.

In the end he does what he feels is best, but it likely includes legitimate input from others.  He makes no excuses after the decision has been made which is fine in my book.

What is and what appears are often two very different things.

Dolfan-
Since this blog makes mention of the article Saguero wrote (which you also posted), I'm going to merge the threads. They basically cover the same topic and people can reference the article before commenting.