After winning a pair of Super Bowls with the New York Giants throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Bill Parcells had established himself as one of the NFL’s premier play-callers. Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to the New York Jets.
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In being asked to recall his time with both Parcells and the Jets’ organization, the New York legend, Keyshawn Johnson, didn’t have many good things to say about either party. During his recent appearance on the Games with Names podcast, Johnson and the show’s host, Julian Edelman, noted that the NFL head coaches club has a distinct, almost mob boss-like feel to it.
After Johnson noted that Parcells was directly responsible for the end of Bobby Houston’s NFL career, the former New England Patriot promptly noted that “Those coaches are mafias.” Given the implication of Parcells’ past message to Johnson, there’s likely more truth to that than some may be willing to believe.
“He started the OTAS… He called my agent… He said, ‘You tell him, if he’s not here on this date, it’ll be the worst mistake he’s ever made.’ So, I go… I go in there, I’m in his room. He’s got a dark room, he’s got one little light on, like the mafia like you just said… He said, ‘How much do you weigh?’ Like 225ish. He goes, ‘What was that guy in the Rose Bowl?’ I said I was probably 210. He goes, ‘That’s the guy I want.'”
Once Johnson put in the work and showed up weighing in at 208 pounds, he was a “made man” in the eyes of Parcells. “For the rest of my life, he got me, because I did everything he asked me to,” he explained. For better or worse, Parcells ran a tight ship.
While it may not have worked out for him in New York, his resume has more than enough accomplishments to hide those blemishes. Despite starting off his head coaching career in the NFL with a 3-12 record, Parcells eventually made a routine of defining the odds.
By the time he found himself in New York, he had already amassed two Lombardi trophies and an AFC Championship. Even though there was a lack of playoff success, which would ultimately prove to be his undoing, Parcells still managed to net a 29-19 record with the Jets throughout his three seasons with the franchise.
Considering that he’s received an NFL Hall of Fame nomination and a pair of AP Coach of the Year honors, perhaps that lack of playoff performance has more so to do with the organization than the head coach himself. Parcells won 11 playoff games throughout his career, nearly double the six playoff games that the Jets have won since his departure, painting a rather bleak picture of what has since been considered to be a destitute franchise.
Nevertheless, stories such as these about Parcells’ old-school ways harkens back to a time when football was much more brutal. While his coaching style would have little impact on a player from today’s era, it was mandatory to the success of team’s in the 80’s and 90’s.
A product of his time if there ever was one, Parcells will continue to be remembered for being one of the winningest play callers in NFL history. That factoid alone should be enough to make up for having to deal with a team as disorganized as the New York Jets.
