There's a poignant moment in ESPN Films's terrific new 30 for 30 documentary, "The Two Bills," in which Bill Parcells looks at longtime assistant Bill Belichick. Remembering their time with the Patriots in the late '90s, Parcells admits if he'd only been more "diplomatic" with Pats owner Robert Kraft, he might have been the one to lead the Patriots dynasty.
But diplomacy is not in Parcells' line. The 76-year old can only admire the "genius" of his protege as he guns for a sixth Super Bowl victory — all with the Patriots — against the Eagles on Sunday. Belichick, 65 and still the dutiful assistant coach after all these years, credits his 16-year apprenticeship under the Big Tuna for much of his success: “It was a really fortunate experience," Belichick admits, "for me to learn from Bill all those years."
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The marvelous new documentary — directed by Ken Rodgers and produced by NFL Films — features the first televised conversation between the two legendary coaches since 1991. It premieres 9 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN, delving into their long, tangled history and how they determined the fates of three NFL franchises over the past 20 years: the Patriots, Giants and Jets.
Among the many what-if questions viewers will ask:
What if Parcells hadn't bolted New England after losing Super Bowl 31? How many Super Bowls could the Pats have won with him and Belichick in tow?
What if Belichick hadn't famously resigned as the Jets' head coach after one day in 2000? Would the sad-sack Jets — not the Patriots — have become the terror of the NFL? The Jets somehow managed to hire him twice as head coach, without him ever coaching a single game.
And what if the proud Giants had promoted Belichick to succeed Parcells as the Big Blue head coach in 1991, instead of the bumbling Ray Handley (who vanished into obscurity two seasons later)? The Giants now have the unenvious distinction of letting Belichick, Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry leave as assistants without giving them a shot at head coach.
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To understand the two Bills, you have to go back to where it began for both: the swamps of New Jersey. That's what ESPN Films and Rodgers smartly did by taping the interview inside the Giants locker room at MetLife Stadium. It took Rodgers three years to get the two legends together in one place. The only time the stone-faced Belichick chokes up is when he muses about his early days with the Giants, riding the stationary bike on Saturday mornings and breaking down game film.
Then coaching at Army, Parcells first met a teenage Belichick through his father, Steve, a longtime coach and scout for Navy. We learn how Parcells recruited a green Belichick and quickly made the bright young assistant his "go-to" guy. But the youthful special teams coach — called "Doom" for his surly demeanor — was "disregarded" by players because he didn't look like an athlete. Eventually, though, Belichick earns the begrudging respect of one of the greatest to ever play the game: Lawrence Taylor.
"I cannot remember a game where we weren't mentally prepared," L.T. recalls. "He did prove to me that he knew what he was doing to the point where I became a Bill Belichick fan."
Said Romeo Crennel of Belichick: “He halfway liked that people were calling him 'Doom.' That way he didn’t have to be nice to anybody."
Sound familiar, sports fans?
All the time, Belichick's love-hate relationship continued with the volatile Parcells. NFL Films captures one hilarious moment during their stint with the Giants, when Parcells threatens to send Belichick to the "parking lot" outside Giants Stadium if he made one more mistake during a game — is that any way to treat the future greatest coach in NFL history?
To his credit, Belichick is as unperturbed now as he was when Parcells originally cussed him on the sideline: "There was no question about it. I worked for him. He was the boss," Belichick says.
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Given Belichick's pass-happy Super Bowl teams with quarterback Tom Brady, it's easy to forget he made his bones as a defensive wizard. Some of the best parts of this documentary chronicle exactly how Belichick earned his wunderkind reputation in the 1980s and '90s.
In the 1986 NFL playoffs, the Giants were set to face Joe Montana's 49ers, winners of two Super Bowls in five years. Belichick strongly recommended the Giants play man-to-man pass defense against Montana, Jerry Rice and Co., instead of their usual zone coverage. The result was a 49-3 beatdown of the 49ers that catapulted the Giants to the NFC championship game and an eventual Super Bowl 21 victory over John Elway's Broncos.
I was there that day at the old Giants Stadium. I've never seen a team beaten up so badly as that 49ers team — especially when Giants nose tackle Jim Burt sent Montana to the hospital with a concussion after a crushing hit.
During the 1990 playoffs, Belichick outwitted Bill Walsh and the 49ers again by playing an all-nickel defense against a team that had just won two straight Super Bowls. Later, against Jim Kelly's high-octane Bills offense at Super Bowl 25, Belichick again employed a bend-don't-break defense featuring only two down linemen. The Giants squeaked by the Bills, 20-19, earning Parcells his second — and final — Lombardi Trophy.
As the hot assistant of the moment, Belichick then earned his first head coaching job with the Browns from 1991 to '95. But he flopped. And once Belichick leaves his Browns disappointment behind, the documentary enters familiar soap opera territory. Retreating to the safety of Camp Parcells, Belichick again becomes the head coach-in-waiting with the Patriots and Jets. But when he finally gets the latter job, he has an epiphany.
He'll never be free of Parcells until he's out of the Big Man's shadow.
Like a son finally standing up to a domineering father, Belichick tells the Jets (and Parcells) to stuff it by resigning as "HC of the NYJ" on a napkin. That leads to a years-long rift between the two friends as Belichick achieves greatness in New England while Parcells' Hall of Fame career peters out with the Cowboys. The two eventually make peace on a Nantucket golf course, but former linebacker Bryan Cox gets off one of the best lines in the documentary when he notes: "This family is dysfunctional."
Belichick does come as close as he's able to an apology in the documentary when he tells Parcells, "I would say, from my standpoint, I wish I had gone directly to you and just cleared the air. … There was more silence than there needed to be.”
You said it, Bill.
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Is this latest 30 for 30 doc perfect? No.
ESPN forces one cringeworthy moment when interviewers urge the two old coaches to express their "love" for each other. What is this, "Dr. Phil"? What is the need from modern media to ask — no, force — adults to emote on camera? These are two field general coaches from the Lombardi school. As Parcells notes, "sensitivity" didn't play a big role in the success of the '80s Giants.
On the other hand, there's plenty of great TV moments in this doc. I came away with a renewed respect for Kraft, who somehow managed these two prima donnas. When Parcells jilted the Patriots for the Jets, Kraft could have hired Belichick. But he went with Pete Carroll — another eventual Super Bowl-winning coach with the Seahawks — because he wanted to clean house from the Parcells regime.
Still, Kraft wasn't just good — he was lucky.
When he came to his senses a few years later, Kraft went hard after Belichick while he was with the Jets. Calling Kraft under the alias of "Darth Vader," Parcells drove a hard bargain, demanding compensation Kraft was willing to give. Seven-going-on-eight Super Bowl appearances later, it was the best trade Kraft ever made.
Viewers will also get a kick out of seeing the late, great Stuart Scott and younger versions of Suzy Kolber, Chris Mortensen, Sal Paolantonio and other ESPNers. Speaking of media, ex-Patriots/Giants assistant Charlie Weis notes the "night-and-day" difference between Belichick and Parcells when it comes to dealing with reporters. Belichick, as we know, is horrible. But Parcells played the media like a fiddle in New York, New England and Dallas. They, in turn, shaped his legend.
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Early on in the documentary, there's a revealing moment when Rodgers asks Belichick about his relationship with Parcells. "Friend, mentor, competitor," murmurs Belichick.
Enemies?
Belichick ignores that question: "A competitor, yeah."
Don't ever change, you two Bills. I like you just the way you are.
