Phil Simms and Todd Haley were on Mike Francesa’s WFAN NFL NOW Sunday radio program. And for all of you guys in Giants-land who eat up tidbits on Bill Parcells, there is stuff for you too.
Phil Simms commented on two of today’s matchups..
1) CLE-NYJ. The Jets offense has good players and good plays, but it is not coming together in strings. But hanging in there, winning close games. Simms says both Ryans are hard to decipher their blitz intentions before the snap. Guys like Wilson and Lowery need to step up and play better; they are the weakest link on 3rd down and are the ones getting picked on. Simms criticism (paraphrased): “Jets are going for the kill shot on 3rd and long, just let them throw underneath, make the catch, tackle them short of the first and get off the field.”
Confidence is tremendous in CLE after beating NO and NE. CLE’s tough and athletic OL is probably the most impressive part of this team. Colt McCoy has been managed well by Cleveland. The coaches narrow the focus down for him and play a safe offense when he is in the pocket, setting up one receiver option for him to find. And when McCoy gets out of the pocket he can run and improvise well. (Wonder, while not high on McCoy in the draft, feels McCoy has a very good oppty to be a fixture in CLE.)
2) NE-PITT. I cannot be a believer in the NE defense. Manhandled physically by the Browns. Does not see the speed. PITT cannot rush the passer.
Todd Haley spoke with Francesa earlier about how he is going about rebuilding the KC Chiefs franchise. He is focused on the smaller things, “laying a foundation, trying to get better” one play at a time, one player at a time, small steps.
The name of Bill Parcells came up over and over again. The impact that Bill Parcells has had on Haley is not only obvious, it is nothing short of stunning. His name must have been mentioned on the 13 minute interview at least a half dozen times. As a refresher, Haley was the offensive assistant/quality control coach under Charlie Weis while both worked for Parcells and the NY Jets. He then became the WR coach under Parcells. 4 years later he served again under Parcells at Dallas as the WR coach for 3 seasons until Parcells left.
Haley cited the Parcells wet-ball drills in helping the Chiefs immeasurably for the opening game of the year vs SD. Haley has ex-Giants Maurice (“Mo”) Carthon, who has been key in the development of Charles and the running game. Also on Haley’s staff are Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis. Haley cites having those guys underneath him as instrumental in letting him supervise and have his involvement on all three phases of the game, due to the implicit trust and experience they bring to the coaching staff. He looks back on his days working with Parcells and could never tell where Parcells’ (defensive) lineage came from. All Haley saw from Parcells was a head coach who was actively involved in all three phases of the game. Lastly, Haley tries to model himself after Parcells to be not only a good coach but also to be a good evaluator of talent, understanding that you need to have both skills in order to be successful.
Editorial remark: As a reminder, let me get my digs in… one of the reasons why OC Todd Haley became a head coach and another OC we know all about did not can be seen with this revisit. Let’s hope that Steve Smith comes back healthy in a few weeks, but if he does not, will this team’s offense be able to make the adjustments with LESS THAN A PERFECT hand?
Lastly, as a heads up to all of you loyal UltimateNYG NY Giants blog visitors, get your DVRs set for Friday night, 8PM on the NFL Network. “Bill Parcells: Reflections on a Life in Football” will be aired, and it promises to have yet more inside the mind of one football’s great architects. No, we won’t deify the man who left our franchise in the lurch in May of 1991, but he delivered two of those three titles you see on the banner at the top of this blog. His sound bites are as good as it gets for anyone who loves the NFL.
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