Pro Football Hall of Fame 2013: The case for Bill Parcells

There are 21 coaches enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When the 2013 Hall of Fame class is announced Saturday night, former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells should make that number 22.

Parcells should have been enshrined last season, when he was a finalist for the third time but was not inducted. Here is part of what I wrote after Parcells was snubbed by the 44 members of the Hall of Fame voting committee a season ago:

No offense to Curtis Martin, Jack Butler, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf, Chris Doleman and Dermontti Dawson, who were voted in, but not one of that gang of six deserved to go into the Hall of Fame before Parcells.

I thought it was a no-brainer that Parcells would be elected. I was stunned Saturday night when the legendary Giants coach was left off the list of finalists.

None of the six players elected holds the status in the game that Parcells does. None has accomplished more, or affected the entire NFL in such a positive way.

Once again, no offense to any of the 15 finalists on this year's list -- including Michael Strahan -- but I don't see anyone on the list of finalists more deserving of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than Parcells.

Parcells was the Giants' head coach from 1983-90. He was 77-49-1 in the regular season and 8-3 in the postseason, including victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. He later coached the New England Patriots, the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. He also reach the Super Bowl with New England and is the only head coach to take four different teams to the playoffs. His 183 career regular-season and post-season victories would place him seventh among Hall of Fame coaches.

Parcells' coaching tree includes Tom Coughlin, Bill Belichick and Sean Payton.

"Bill Parcells is a great football coach," Coughlin said. "He has tremendous instincts. He has the ability to say the right thing at the right time, always did. He was a guy who set a very, very high standard and then held players to it."

Gary Myers of the Daily News is beating the drum for Parcells' enshrinement:

Parcells absolutely deserves to get in. Here’s just one of the many arguments that should open the door to Canton: He was 2-1 against Bill Walsh in the playoffs. He beat Joe Gibbs in the NFC Championship Game. He beat Marv Levy in the Super Bowl.

Walsh, Gibbs and Levy are all in the Hall of Fame.

Now it’s Parcells’ time.

I agree. Vote in the poll and let us know if you think Parcells should be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is also among the finalists. Here is the complete list:

• Larry Allen - Guard/Tackle - 1994-2005 Dallas Cowboys; 2006-07 San Francisco 49ers
• Jerome Bettis - Running Back - 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams; 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
• Tim Brown - Wide Receiver/Kick Returner/Punt Returner - 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders; 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Cris Carter - Wide Receiver - 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles; 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings; 2002 Miami Dolphins
• Curley Culp* - 1968-1974 Kansas City Chiefs; 1974-1980 Houston Oilers; 1980-81 Detroit Lions
• Edward DeBartolo, Jr. - Owner - 1977-2000 San Francisco 49ers
• Kevin Greene - Linebacker/Defensive End - 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams; 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers; 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers; 1997 San Francisco 49ers
• Charles Haley - Defensive End/Linebacker - 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers; 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
• Art Modell - Owner - 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns; 1996-2011 Baltimore Ravens
• Jonathan Ogden - Tackle - 1996-2007 Baltimore Ravens
• Bill Parcells - Coach - 1983-1990 New York Giants; 1993-96 New England Patriots; 1997-99 New York Jets; 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
• Andre Reed - Wide Receiver - 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills; 2000 Washington Redskins
• Dave Robinson* - 1963-1972 Green Bay Packers; 1973-74 Washington Redskins
• Warren Sapp - Defensive Tackle - 1995-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2004-07 Oakland Raiders
• Will Shields - Guard - 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
• Michael Strahan - Defensive End - 1993-2007 New York Giants
• Aeneas Williams - Cornerback/Safety - 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals; 2001-04 St. Louis Rams