GIANT Shadow

January 27, 1991 was a historic day in Giants history. It was the night of Super Bowl XXV, which the Giants won 20-19 over the Buffalo Bills. In addition it was the last game that Bill Parcells ever coached for the franchise. He left citing health issues and feeling "burnt out." Giants fans were of course dissapointed, but they could not be angry. he brought the organization two Super Bowls and returned them to an elite level that they had not seen in decades. The NY media constantly needs to reinforce the fact that the franchise was at its absolute best when Parcells ran the show and that his shadow has loomed ever since. The Giants have gone through four coaches since Parcells, but have never seemed as satisfied as when he was in charge.

The New York media loves to play up this story. Parcells is a guy that, in addition to being a great coach, is tremendously gregarious and likable with the press. The media has continued to measure Giant coaches next to Parcells large shadow. This is something that really pisses me off. Parcells has been gone for 15 years! Get over it! In the time since he left he has never reached the same success that he did with the Giants either. He has been just as inconsistant as the Giants and has been to just as many Super Bowls as them in the time since he left. Yet the media constantly beings his name up and will always float it out there when the Head Coaching position is open. There are already bogus rumors that Coughlin could get fired if the Giants collapse and Parcells could be sick of dealing with Jerry Jones and return to where he started his coaching career. What a joke! The media needs to forget about Parcells, because the franchise has. The fans loved him while he was here, but now we could care less about him. When he left he encorsed Ray Handley to be the next head coach! That is almost unbelievable considering how bad Handley was and how great some of Parcells other former assistants have been. The Giants have definitely had their problems since his departure, but are still better off than most teams in this league.

In any event, many people are beginning to hypothesise that Tom Coughlin could lose his job. In addition, many of these same pundits speak of Parcells as some sort of Greek God. While I do not agree with either of these possibilities, I know what would be the perfect solution to both of these feelings. This is something that I actually would love to happen, even if I don't think that it is going to happen. The Giants should go to South Bend, meet with Charlie Weis and give him the same offer that the Dolphins gave Nick Saban when they got him to leave LSU. They should offer him a four or five year deal that would pay him in the top five head coaches in the league. Since the Giant GM, Ernie Acorsi, is retiring the Giants would have an opportunity to bring someone in t GM who has a strong relationship with Charlie as well.

Charlie Weis is a Jersey guy. He was born and raised in New Jersey and is a former assistant with the Giants under Parcells. Insiders say that the Giants head coaching position would be his ideal job in the NFL. In addition to being an assistant with the Giants, he was an assistant under Parcells in New England and the Jets. When Belicheck got the Head Coaching job in New England, Weis became his offensive coordinator. After winning three Super Bowls in four years, he left New England to be come the Head Coach at Notre Dame, his alma mater. He has been at Notre Dame only two seasons, but has reinvigorated the program with two straight BCS bowl bids and has them once again as a recruiting leader. He is loved both on and off the field in South Bend by everyone from the fans, to the media to the administration.

Charlie Weiss is one of the only people in football, and the only one potentially available, that could come to the Giants and be able to operate with full atonomy and have the personality to deflect any Parcells comparisons. First of all he has a superb resume. He won where ever he went as a coordinator, and learned under men affiliated with the Giants. He has lead a college program to success, and has groomed two succesful quarterbacks. He is from New Jersey and has a presense with the media. He can be both intimidating and likable, similar to Parcells. He is very well respected throughout the NFL and college and would have the ability to imidiately have the attention and respect of his players.

Do I think this is likely? No. First of all he has said time and again that he is commited to Notre Dame and wants to retire there. While I do no think this will happen, I do not think that he will bail on them after just two years. He has that program on the right track, and if he left now it would be premature. Notre Dame is his alma mater, and he has a young family. With that being said, if there is any job that could pull him away from Notre Dame it is his with the Giants. the timing just may not be right at the moment.

This all comes back to the Giants and the mishaps that have followed them in head coaching decisions. If you look around the NFL you see former Giant assistants littered through out. Romeo Crennel, Sean Payton, John Fox, Mike Nolan, not to mention Parcells and Belicheck. With the exception of Crennel, each of these coaches has their team still in playoff contention. This curse of Giants assistants leaving to become succesful head coaches elsewhere goes all the way back to the 1950's. From 1954-58 Vince Lombardi was an assistant with the Giants and ran the offense. During that same time, Tom Landry ran the defense. Lombardi left to coach the Green Bay Packers in 1959, and Landry left a year later for the Dallas Cowboys. Many people believe when speaking of the greatest head coaches of all time there is the "holy trinity" and then the next level. The three that are put in the trinity are Lombardi, Landry and Belicheck. All three are former Giant assistants, who were never given the opportunity to be the head coach.

People felt that when the Giants promoted Parcells to head coach from defensive coordinator they made up for losing out on Landry and Lombardi. For a period of time they were vindicated, but now the thought of it still stings with Belicheck being added to the list of legendary coaches they did not keep. That of course beings us back to Charlie Weis once again. He is a former assistant who many believe is one of the top offensive minds and overall motivators in the sports. If the Giants have the chance will they go all out for him, whether it is after this season or in the near future? I sure hope so. At least they would be able to say they tried, even if it was all for naught.

Hits

• I am not going to kill the Red Sox for their recent spending spree. What I will kill them for is their constant change in philosophy. One day their do not have the money to fully compete with the Yankees, and the next they are throwin $75m to JD Drew, $51.1m for a posting fee and $36m to Julio Lugo. One question Red Sox fans....would you rather have Johnny Damon for four years and $52m or Drew at five years and $70m. While we are at it, would you rather have Orlando Cabrera for four years and $32m or Julio Lugo at four years and $36m? This is all in addition to preaching a philosophy of developing young players and then turning around and trading two great ones for Josh Beckett. Look, this offseason has been a success on paper, but they need to be consistant in their philophy because it is costing them more money to not be.
• The Yankees and Mets have been quiet so far. Neither seems inclined to overspend or rush anything just yet. I honestly see Pettite staying in Houston and the Mets losing out on Zito and acquiring a starter via trade, probably Javier Vazquez.
• The Cubs seem to be in on multiple starting pitchers (Lilly, Meche, etc). THey will be better after spending all this money, but I do not like the dynamic of their ballclub with all righty sluggers and no young pitching.
• I like what the Blue Jays are doin in trying to acquire more pitching. If I was them I would trade Vernon Wells and move Alex Rios to center field. They could get back a ton (pitching), plus they already have improved their offense with Frank Thomas. Wells seems focused on getting a huge contract next winter, and the Jays will not be able to afford him.
• I am just starting The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam. It is all about Bill Belicheck and his development as a coach from whenhe was a little boy to now. Only 30 pages in or so, but it is great. I didn't think I would get into it so easily, but there is a lot of interesting stuff in it.
• http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/477511p-401759c.html Good Lupica article on the Knicks and the garbage Isiah tries to feed to us.
• Happy belated birthday to my mom (it was yesterday).

STKAFI