Parcells makes impact on the field

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/1262/story/622434.html

Parcells makes impact on the field

BY BARRY JACKSON
Miami Herald

For as much as Bill Parcells had tired of the daily grind of coaching, his interaction with Dolphins players -- coaching and guiding them -- appears to be making a meaningful impact.

''He's like a guardian angel, overlooking everything,'' said cornerback Nate Jones, who played for Parcells in Dallas. "Bill always pulls me to the side. It's constant teaching with him. He's still a coach at heart. I kind of knew that was going to happen. I knew he would be out here every day.''

Consider the case of Derek Hagan, who dropped several passes his first two seasons and spent months "working to figure out what the problem was. No coach had broken it down for me.''

The executive vice president of football operations not only pinpointed the problem this summer, but fixed it, Hagan said. Apparently, Hagan's hands ''were kind of apart,'' and Parcells taught him how to position them and keep them together when making a catch. Hagan has been terrific this offseason and hasn't dropped a pass in training camp.

''It's working -- what he taught me to do is perfect, and I'm back on my game,'' Hagan said. "It's great to have him around because he's always giving me pointers.''

Parcells has counseled numerous Dolphins, and has taken particular interest in the cornerbacks -- he stood on the sideline during Monday's second practice, telling Joey Thomas how to reach out with his outside hand in coverage to give him more extension. Travis Daniels said Parcells' tips on technique ``have helped me tremendously.''

Cornerback Andre' Goodman said Parcells told him he can play ''up on the line of scrimmage or off a little bit'' -- Goodman prefers the former -- but 'he told me, `Whatever I'm good at, do it all the time.' ''

Off the field, Parcells has mentored Ricky Williams. ''Every day, we have a brief conversation,'' Williams said. "He's very good at trying to make sure I don't get discouraged and keeping me motivated. He gives me [inspirational] stories when he thinks I need a little push. I always knew I would love to play for a guy like that.''

Williams said ''there's not a doubt in my mind'' Parcells cares about him as a person: "He's usually laughing at me for some reason.''

Coach Tony Sparano said, ``I'm glad he's out there and he can contribute any way he can. When you have it in your blood like he's had it in his blood for as long as he has, he has to do it. That's good and I love it.''

CHATTER

• Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, who attended a practice this week and some last year, said one problem with John Beck is he has not anticipated where the receiver will be ``as well as he has to. I guarantee he's scarred from last year.''

Beck has overthrown and underthrown receivers in camp, and Josh McCown has been the best of the quarterbacks, though Sparano insisted Tuesday there is no leader.

• Though Sparano said David Martin's blocking has improved, he has dropped several passes in camp, and tight end favorite Anthony Fasano continues to get the first-team snaps. . . . Rookie Jalen Parmele -- looking decisive and elusive as a runner -- is emerging as the the No. 3 running back, but Parcells told him he must work on ''catching the ball and my hands,'' Parmele said.

[fyo]

Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, who attended a practice this week and some last year, said one problem with John Beck is he has not anticipated where the receiver will be ``as well as he has to. I guarantee he's scarred from last year.''

This is exactly why Henne should not see the field this year. Rookie quarterbacks starting for bad teams... I cannot think of a single instance where that worked out.

[Rick]

This is exactly why Henne should not see the field this year. Rookie quarterbacks starting for bad teams... I cannot think of a single instance where that worked out.

  Troy Aikman started as a rookie for the 1-15 Dallas Cowboys and went on to have a pretty successful career!!

[fyo]

  Troy Aikman started as a rookie for the 1-15 Dallas Cowboys and went on to have a pretty successful career!!

Aikman SUCKED that first year. And the next. He had twice as many interceptions and touchdowns his first year and almost repeated the feat the second. He looked WAY worse than Beck did - and he had a better surrounding cast.

The point being... OK, maybe Aikman was an exception to the rule, but there's no way in hell a QB not drafted first overall is going to get a chance to work through two years of stink. He showed very brief flashes of brilliance during that first season (and most of the next), but overall displayed poor play, forcing throws, making bad decisions and - like has been said of Beck - looked like a deer in headlights.

It helped a lot that he had Emmitt Smith to hand off to that second season - and let's not forget he had Michael Irvin to throw to from day one. IOW, Aikman was surrounded by a PRO BOWL cast.

[Tenshot13]

Peyton Manning was another...I think Indy went  4-12 that year and although he threw a lot of INT's he stiff threw for a crap load of yards and TD's...but I do agree...Manning is an exception and most QB's don't do well their rookie year and sometimes don't recover from it....oh yea Big Ben was another

[fyo]

No, Big Ben was NOT another. He came in for a very solid team. They won 15 games that season. Sure, the season before they hadn't done especially well, but that was a one-off - the year before THAT, they won 10 games.

Roethlisberger had Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley at running back, plus Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, and Antwaan Randle El to throw to. The O-line was also OUTSTANDING.

Oh, and Pittsburgh also had one of the best defenses in football that year.

That's exactly the type of situation where you can throw your rookie QB out there: An o-line that gives him time, a powerful running game that keeps defenses honest, great receivers and a defense that can get the ball back and win games for you.

Peyton Manning is a better example, but he still had Marshall Faulk (whom Peyton checked down to all season - to the tune of almost a thousand yards) and Marvin Harrison.

[Tenshot13]

No, Big Ben was NOT another. He came in for a very solid team. They won 15 games that season

Sorry should have been more clear.  I meant that Big Ben was one of the few rookie QBs to have a good rookie year starting, and as good as that team was that year they started the season 0-4 i believe before he became the starter.

[fyo]

as good as that team was that year they started the season 0-4 i believe before he became the starter.

They won 15 games that season, so I'm pretty sure they didn't start 0-4 ;-)

Looking it up, they won the first game with Maddox behind center. Midway through the second, Roethlisberger came in. They lost that one (Big Ben threw 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions)... I don't recall if Maddox was injured or just getting hammered (it's not listed as an injury in the play-by-play, but his last play was a sack).

[Tenshot13]

You are correct my friend...I guess my memory isn't what I thought it was lol....oh well can't remember them all right?