Whitlock - Parcells behind two miserable franchises

[Hammock Parties]

Brilliant. Lombardi lays a turd, and Jason flushes it with a TRUTH BOMB.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/b...the-nfl-100611

Longtime readers of my column know I delight in sharing secrets the Worldwide Leader in Sports would rather not have discussed. Today I’m delighted. Tickled pink. Giddy.

Bill Parcells, the ESPN know-it-all and media darling, is responsible for producing two of the worst teams in the NFL today — the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.

This little-discussed fact occurred to me as I was reading Michael Lombardi’s column at NFL.com. Lombardi, a former general manager and a bright football mind, lamented the sorry plight of Chiefs general manager Scott “Egoli” Pioli. Lombardi expressed sympathy for Egoli because the 1-3, going-nowhere Chiefs have suffered several key injuries and because head coach Todd Haley acts like a 12-year-old most days.

I happen to think Egoli is a blowhard, a fraud, a bully and perfectly deserving of the comeuppance the 2011 season is delivering. He constructed a bad football team, empowered a childish, insecure head coach and implemented a top-down leadership strategy that relies on mean-spirited disrespect and intimidation from the front office and the coaching staff.

Where did Egoli learn this?

Not in New England. Not under Bill Belichick. The Patriots and Belichick rely on a core group of players for leadership. The players — even retired Patriots — police their own. That is why retired Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi verbally brutalized receiver Chad Ochocinco for innocent comments made on Twitter.

Again, so where did Egoli learn his leadership model?

From his father-in-law, “The Big Tuna,” the same man who birthed a massive coaching ego in Todd Haley.

As a member of the media, it’s important for me to mention that I like The Big Tuna. He’s a great quote. He’s good for my line of work. But his brilliance as a football genius might be a bit overblown because of his cozy relationship with the media in general and the New York media in particular. That is not written to diminish his two Super Bowl titles and his three Super Bowl appearances. However, The Big Tuna never coached in a Super Bowl without Belichick on his coaching staff. In fact, Parcells coached seven seasons in the NFL without Belichick on the coaching staff — three in New England and four in Dallas. Parcells’ record in those seven seasons was 55-57 in the regular season and 0-3 in the postseason.

Belichick’s career record without Parcels is currently 165-95, 15-6 and three Super Bowl titles.

Did I mention that Pioli married Parcells’ daughter more than a decade ago? Did I mention that Haley got his coaching start on Parcells’ New York Jets staff and considers Parcells his coaching mentor?

Pioli and Haley grew close to Parcells after The Big Tuna had won his two Super Bowls, after Mike Francesca and Mike Lupica convinced The Big Tuna he was God’s gift to Vince Lombardi.

Pioli and Haley — who joined Parcells and Belichick with the Jets — know the football cartoon caricature, the coaching legend whose ego told him to bolt New England after Super Bowl XXXI because it was unfair for owner Robert Kraft to ask him to “cook the dinner” without allowing him to shop “for some of the groceries.” Parcells was irate because Kraft overruled him on draft day in 1995 and made him select receiver Terry Glenn, who recorded a then-record-breaking rookie season and played a big role in New England’s Super Bowl run.

Parcells bequeathed his ego, bluster, arrogance and bully tactics to Haley and Pioli.

When Pioli landed the general manager job in Kansas City and couldn’t land Kirk Ferentz or Josh McDaniels and couldn’t stomach the idea of retaining Herm Edwards, Parcells bequeathed his son-in-law Todd Haley as head coach.

Pioli-Haley is a match made in football hell. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was the first media member to promote the marriage. I wrote about it in the aftermath of Arizona’s victory in the NFC Championship in 2009. At the time, I had no inkling of the size of Pioli’s ego and the irrational nature of Haley’s insecurity-driven false bravado. And I had no idea Pioli and Haley would both unveil bad Parcells impersonations.

I’m sure some of this sounds quite similar to the train wreck in Miami. Parcells fleeced the Dolphins for $16 million before quitting 2-1/2 years into his four-year rebuilding plan. As vice president of football operations and golf tee times, Parcells installed puppets Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano as general manager and head coach of the Dolphins.

Dollar Bill, who wrote himself a sweetheart, guaranteed-even-if-I-quit contract, bequeathed Ireland and Sparano ego, bluster, arrogance, bully tactics and little else. Ireland, if you remember, is the smooth operator who asked Dez Bryant if his mama was a ho. Ireland is also the clown who destroyed his relationship with Sparano by participating in the failed wooing of Jim Harbaugh.

The Dolphins are an irrelevant, winless mess. Why? Because you don’t build football franchises around the personalities of the men who don’t suit up. You build franchises around the players.

Since leaving New England, Dollar Bill Parcells has been trying to build a football franchise in his image. It hasn’t worked. And now his disciples are failing in Kansas City and Miami. The Chiefs, for my money, are the worst team in football. The Dolphins have no identity. Their identity quit and took his ego to ESPN for additional stroking.

It’s rather comical watching Parcells bloviate from Bristol. He pontificates from the pretense that he represents an old-school, traditional-values approach to team and winning. Dollar Bill is more hey-look-at-me than his “Countdown” colleague Me-shawn Johnson.

[Amnorix]

JFC. This article is even more reeruned than Fatlock's usual.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

JFC. This article is even more reeruned than Fatlock's usual.

Enter the The Patriot Way apologists!

[Dragonocho]

Whitlock is to sports reporting what Whitlock is to anything else, except dinner. He rules there.

[BigRock]

If the Chiefs do knock off the Ravens in the first round, the primary credit should go to Pioli.

Pioli is the son-in-law of Bill Parcells and, from his days in New England, has mastered a Bill Belichick impersonation. And I mean that as a compliment. From his general manager’s office, Pioli has re-created some of the New England environment in Kansas City.

When I watch the Chiefs play, I see Pioli’s vision and fingerprints everywhere.

Haley was blessed with Pioli’s vision. In building Patriots West, KC’s general manager has stocked his roster with the kind of high-character, responsible players other teams talk about acquiring but rarely have the discipline to do so.

The Chiefs, like the Patriots and the Falcons, play a responsible brand of football. It’s not a coincidence the Patriots (10), the Chiefs (14) and the Falcons (17) led the league in fewest giveaways. Pioli and Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff learned the game working for Belichick.

January 2011: Jason Whitlock declares that Pioli learned the game working for Belichick, has mastered a Belichick impression, and is building "Patriots West".

Where did Egoli learn his leadership model?

Not in New England. Not under Bill Belichick.

October 2011: Jason Whitlock declares the complete opposite.

[Hammock Parties]

Learning the game /= learning a leadership model

[BigRock]

Originally Posted by Gif Horse

Learning the game /= learning a leadership model

Pioli’s vision and fingerprints

Bill Belichick impersonation

building Patriots West

re-created the New England environment

What the hell do you think he's talking about?

Should I pile on further and quote the parts where he fawned over not only the 2010 draft of Team Captain All-Stars, but also the savvy free agent signings of guys like Jones and Lilja because of the leadership they brought to the team? The kind of player leadership and build-franchises-around-players lessons that now Pioli apparently didn't learn?

Because I can if you want.

[MahiMike]

I really wish Jason could just get over us and leave KC alone...

[PunkinDrublic]

Wow Whitlocks insecurities are really showing in this article now more than ever before.

[Jaric]

Hell hath no fury like a Whitlock scorned. He's still pissed at us because Jeff George sucked and that was like 15 years ago.

[Chiefnj2]

Instead of a 600 word article, Whitlock could have simply said "The Chiefs and Dolphins are screwed because they missed on their 'franchise QBs' and need to get one ASAP."

[CoMoChief]

Besides Eric berry and lilja ....what has pioli done while he's been here?

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Besides Eric berry and lilja ....what has pioli done while he's been here?

obviously he did your mom, to be this bitter....

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Besides Eric berry and lilja ....what has pioli done while he's been here?

Is this a joke? Or are you truly this ignorant?

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Is this a joke? Or are you truly this ignorant?

Its CoMo.... consider the source...