Bill Parcells Issues Strong Message On Patriots Tenure

The New England Patriots had a big day on Saturday, as they inducted former head coach Bill Parcells and wide receiver Julian Edelman into their team’s Hall of Fame. While the induction of Edelman was more exciting for many fans, it was also great to see Parcells get recognized for his contributions to the team.

Parcells spent one season with the Patriots in 1980 as their linebackers coach before eventually returning in 1993 to be their head coach. When he returned, Parcells was widely considered one of the top coaches in the league, having previously led the New York Giants to a pair of Super Bowls.

When Parcells arrived, New England wasn’t very good, but he helped put them back on the map, setting the stage for one of his proteges, Bill Belichick, to come in and eventually turn them into the dynastic team we have all come to know and love.

In 1996, Parcells led the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI, but they ended up losing to the Green Bay Packers. Due to tension between him and Robert Kraft, that would end up being the last game Parcells coached in New England.

Time heals many wounds, and Parcells eventually settled his differences with Kraft. When looking back on his stint with the team, though, Parcells admitted that he wished he’d handled things differently during his time with the Patriots.

“This place has a place in my heart. It always will,” Parcells said during his speech. “We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently. Well, when I come back here, and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently.”

While losing Parcells was a blow at the time, it inadvertently set the wheels in motion for Belichick to find his way to the Patriots. And as history will tell us, things ended up working out quite well for New England once Belichick arrived in town.

He may not have won a title with the Pats, but Parcells made the team relevant again, and that’s a very important stepping stone that often gets overlooked in all the franchise’s championships. On Saturday, he got his due praise, and his place in Patriots history is officially secure now.