 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Following famous footsteps
Posted: Wednesday January 05, 2000 06:40 PM
Bill Belichick is a disciple of the master. He has sat at the feet of Bill Parcells, that cranky Yoda, on the sidelines and in the locker rooms of three different football operations, speaking when spoken to, running the defense, learning the vagaries of NFL life. He apparently has learned very well. Taking a walk from the New York Jets' job less than 24 hours after he'd received it, trying to work a loophole in his contract to secure an even better job, he clearly is following Parcells's Hall of Fame footprints. Look out for yourself, kid. Remember No. 1. Talk all you want about the team as a family, everybody in this together, but when opportunity knocks, well, you better have your sneakers laced and be ready to go. Parcells has pulled this little act once, twice, and I'm not exactly sure what he is doing now by, quote, "retiring" again. Each move has meant more money and power for Big Bill. Little Bill, called the "Tuna Sub" by the New York Post's headline writers, seems to be doing the exact same thing. Jobs are open. Offers certainly are out there. Maybe there is something else afoot. This was the man, remember, who gave a straight-faced press conference three years ago claiming he would be the Jets coach and Parcells would be an advisor before the last contractual wrangle was resolved. But for that we will have to wait and see. For now, just say that Big Bill and Little Bill are an awful lot alike. Hire either of them and expect hard work and expect performance. Maybe even a Super Bowl. Just don't expect loyalty. Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
