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Title: Ex-coach remains loyal to those who have been productive for him Post by: DolFan619 on August 17, 2008, 01:24:05 am http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-flspparcellsguys17sbaug17,0,6905812.story?page=2
Parcells has his kind of players BY Ethan J. Skolnick South Florida Sun-Sentinel August 17, 2008 It had been a while since Keith Davis' girlfriend had seen him smile so big. So why was he so giddy on that 2006 evening? "You'll never believe what happened today," he told her. What happened was that Davis, then in his second stint as a Dallas Cowboy, had finally let his frosty feelings fly. Davis let them fly at his coach, Bill Parcells, on the practice field, in the presence of teammates, at great employment risk. "Oh man, Bill and I had some choice words for each other," Davis recalled after a recent Dolphins practice. "We just got in a situation where the frustration just got so much, I just got so much frustration in my head, I was like, 'Man, I just got to let it loose, I can't take it anymore.' And once I did that, I felt better, I felt much better." And Parcells? "I think he respected me even more for standing up and letting him know how I felt about the situation," said Davis, who acknowledged the dispute was related to playing time but wouldn't specify further. "He let me know how he felt about the situation at the same time. I think we had a mutual respect after that." Enough that, two years later, Parcells used his power as the Dolphins' vice president of football operations to sign the safety and special-teamer again. Davis is one of eight players on the roster who played for Parcells. Chad Pennington, who signed Aug. 10, is one of four possible starters. Parcells drafted him in 2000 when he was the Jets' general manager, then left the organization before Pennington became a starter. Still, Pennington learned something. "One thing about Coach Parcells, he's going to tell you the truth," Pennington said. One Parcells truth is he often goes with guys he knows. Parcells has worked for the Giants, Patriots, Jets, Cowboys and now the Dolphins, and at every stop he has filled the locker room with familiar players to fill roles large and small. When he joined the Jets, one of his first moves was to sign former Patriots running back Curtis Martin to a huge offer sheet and give up first- and third-round picks. In Dallas, he reunited with Terry Glenn, Drew Bledsoe, Richie Anderson, Keyshawn Johnson and Vinny Testaverde. Before training camp, Parcells said that while former players can "be helpful" in relating his philosophies, every team is unique and "teaches itself." So even longtime favorites must produce. "If there's something he likes or something he sees you doing wrong, he's going to tell you," said defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, now in his third Parcells organization. "There's no beating around the bush, it's all the way down the middle, and I believe in that more than anything else." And even if you don't believe in everything Parcells does, and have a history of heated encounters with him, that doesn't disqualify you from becoming one of his guys. It may even be a prerequisite. Parcells never wanted to draft Glenn for the Patriots and, after owner Robert Kraft overruled him, Parcells called the rookie receiver "she" in 1996. A dozen years later, Glenn is a free agent and has expressed interest in joining Parcells for a third time. George Martin and Lawrence Taylor only played for Parcells on one team: the New York Giants. Each would have gladly followed him anywhere. What makes a Parcells Guy? "In a word, I can tell you: selflessness," said Martin, a defensive end who retired in 1988. "If you are selfless, if you work hard, and are dedicated, and are willing to give for the cause, the organization, the team, Bill Parcells will walk through Hades in gasoline underwear for you." Even if you play with fire off the field. Taylor has admitted to a cocaine addiction that started in his second season, a year before Parcells took over as head coach. Taylor was suspended, and held out, several times. Still, once they survived the start of Parcells' first Giants training camp in 1983, Parcells offered unwavering support. "Now, the first couple of days, Bill was brutal," Taylor said. "I mean, I tell ya, it was like a fight almost every day. He was really, really brutal. One thing about Bill, if you prove to him that you can play the game, and you can be one of his guys, one of the guys he can count on every Sunday, he'll have no problem with you." He might even take you with him. Keith Byars played against Parcells' Giants for several seasons as a fullback for the Philadelphia Eagles, then joined Parcells' Patriots in 1996 after getting cut by Jimmy Johnson's Dolphins. There, after one practice, Parcells berated him for icing his knee after a practice, unhappy with the example it set for the younger players. "Everybody is going to have a moment with Bill," Byars said. Byars made the most of his, firing back. "Curtis Martin was a second-year player at that time, and Curtis was really scared of Bill," Byars said. "He couldn't believe that I stood up for myself and defended my action. In retrospect, [Parcells] was right about it, but I just didn't like the way he approached me as an 11-year player." Byars started 16 games for the Patriots in 1997, and Parcells summoned him to the Jets in 1998. He thrived off Parcells' style: trying to break players in practice, to learn what they were and weren't, to show them what was expected. Not everyone thrives, however. Eddie George may be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, but he won't go in as a Cowboy. He spent his final season in Dallas, rushing for 432 yards. "I wasn't one of his guys," George said. Why? "I haven't really put my finger on that," George said. "I really can't figure out who are his guys and why, but for some strange reason I wasn't one of them. You've got to live, eat, breathe football and all that. And I did that, but I still wasn't one of his guys." Not like Ferguson, drafted by Parcells in 1997, and signed by Parcells in 2005 and traded for 2008. He called Parcells "a good dude," with whom he shares a relationship beyond football. Parcells often asks him if he's protecting his money and suggests he takes pills to keep his blood pressure down. "One thing about Bill, he's already got a story for every question," Ferguson said. If you have a sprained ankle, for instance, Parcells will boast about some other guy who broke his in three places and played the next Sunday. Ferguson's reaction? "Yeah, sure he did." Familiarity gives Ferguson credibility. But it also creates an issue. "The first thing you've got to fight [from teammates] is, 'Are you Bill's do-boy? Are you a snitch?'" Ferguson said. Ferguson assures them "it's not like that. I'm one of his guys, simple fact because he can count on me. That's the bottom line. Once the guys get to know me, they know I'm not the guy going upstairs saying, 'Hey, you gotta watch him, Bill.' I'm not that guy." Davis also insists he is his "own man." He showed it in 2006. His own man, yet a Parcells Guy. "I get that all the time now," Davis said. "People say, 'Oh man, you're a Parcells guy. Bill loves you, man. Bill loves you.' I'm like, 'What?' If that's what you want to call it, I mean, I have no problem with that." |