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| Bill Parcells |
Written by Tom Callahan with the help of former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi the book -- to be released later this month -- appears to be full of interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits about the Giants.
The juiciest? The various flirtations between the Giants and Bill Parcells during the past decade.
There is apparently one story about how Parcells made it known he would accept the Giants GM job after Accorsi retired if the team was interested.
Another story details how the Giants would have given the coaching job to Parcells instead of Jim Fassel back in 1997 but the Mara family couldn't reach GM George Young fast enough to stop him from offering Fassel the job. Crazy stuff that would have changed the course of the Giants during the past decade.
Let's think about Parcells, 77-49-1 with two Super Bowl titles as Giants coach from 1983-1990.
You know as well as I do that his name will be at the top of everyone's list to replace Tom Coughlin should the Giants deem a change necessary at the end of this season. And you also know Parcells would say 'yes' in a split second.
Since leaving the Giants Parcells has been a vagabond -- an incredibly successful one, but a vagabond nonetheless. New England, the Jets and the Cowboys, with a couple of 'retirements' to TV land tossed in for good measure.
All this time I have wondered if deep down Parcells wished he had never walked away from the Giants in the first place. I believe that now more than ever.
Question is, as much of a heroic figure as Parcells is in New York -- and as much as he seems to want back in -- would that be the right thing for the Giants to do?
I have mixed feelings about that. A Parcells return would likely be an incredibly popular move -- the storied coach returning to the scene of his greatest success.
The Giants, undoubtedly, would have good teams. Yet, Parcells has not truly won big in a long time. I believe he would have if he stayed in Dallas, but we will never know.
GM Jerry Reese obviously has his own plan for the Giants, and Parcells would probably want a significant chunk of Reese's authority. Would the Giants be willing to give it to him? Should they? Could Reese and Parcells work together?
I think maybe the Giants -- and Parcells -- would be better off staying away from each other. The memories of the late '80s glory days are still strong, and the temptation to try to re-capture the magic is there.
But, as Joe Gibbs is finding out in Washington, past success does not guarantee future success.
If the need to replace Coughlin arises, Parcells will loom large. But, in the end, I think the Giants should look elsewhere.