Bill Parcells stays mostly in the shadows now, letting coach Tony Sparano and his players perform in the spotlight on NFL Sundays. But make no mistake: Parcells has made his imprint on the Miami Dolphins with the same bold and authoritative flourish as he did when he led the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys during a Hall of Fame-caliber coaching career.
Parcells has been at the epicenter of the stunning transformation of the Dolphins from a 1-15 team a year ago to a team that will win the AFC East title if it beats the Jets today at the Meadowlands.
After spurning an offer to become the Falcons' director of Football operations, Parcells took over as the Dolphins' vice president of Football operations. He immediately went to work tearing apart the worst team in Football and setting the stage for one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history.
Parcells first hired two former associates in Dallas - general manager Jeff Ireland and former Cowboys offensive line coach Sparano. Sparano's only previous head coaching experience was at his alma mater, the University of New Haven.
"Coach Parcells has taught me the most, prepared me the most for this job," Sparano, 46, said at the time of his hiring. "He's taught me a great deal and I'm going to continue to learn as much as I can."
They now speak on a daily basis.
"He's great to work with," Sparano said. "We bounce stuff off each other all the time."
Parcells keeps a low public profile - he declined requests to be interviewed in advance of today's game - but interacts with players and coaches on a regular basis. He often shows up in the team's weight room to chat with players, and even chides them the way he once did as a head coach. Trust me, there's nothing like a Parcells tweak to get a player motivated.
And there's nothing like a Parcells-constructed team to endure the rigors of an NFL season. He, Ireland and Sparano immediately dived into the roster overhaul and made several bold moves. They released veteran linebacker Zach Thomas in one of the first moves, then began a staredown with venerable defensive end Jason Taylor, who decided to participate in "Dancing With the Stars" rather than join the team's offseason conditioning program. Taylor eventually was traded to the Redskins.
Parcells signed 49ers guard Justin Smiley only hours after the start of free agency last March and made Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long the first overall pick in last April's draft. Parcells also made the controversial decision to retain running back Ricky Williams, who had been suspended repeatedly for marijuana use and rarely had lived up to expectations during his checkered NFL career.
Parcells also thought veteran linebacker Joey Porter, who had only 5 1/2 sacks last year, could benefit from his version of the 3-4 defensive alignment. Porter now has a career-high 17 1/2 sacks.
Still, Parcells' roster wasn't complete until the Jets' trade for Brett Favre on Aug. 6 led to the release of quarterback Chad Pennington the next day.
Parcells had drafted Pennington as one of four first-round picks in 2000 during his only season as the Jets' general manager. The quarterback struggled with injury and ineffectiveness last season, but Parcells was undeterred. He signed Pennington within days, adding a veteran presence at the team's most important position.
Had Pennington not joined the Dolphins, they would have started either second-year pro John Beck or rookie Chad Henne. It is highly unlikely either player could have added the necessary stability to lead the Dolphins on the sort of run they've enjoyed.
The Dolphins' offense has featured Pennington's trademark timing passes and also has included a heavy dose of the "Wildcat" formation, in which the running back - most often Ronnie Brown - takes a direct snap and either runs or passes out of the formation. It has been instrumental in many of the Dolphins' victories, particularly a 38-13 win in New England on Sept. 21. Brown scored four touchdowns out of the formation, threw a touchdown pass and completely fooled the Patriots' usually reliable defense.
The formation is partly the brainchild of offensive coordinator Dan Henning, another of Parcells' former associates with the Jets, for whom he was the offensive coordinator from 1998-2000. The Dolphins are expected to run a handful of plays out of the formation in today's game.
"They still run it a bunch," Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We've got to be ready for it."
The Dolphins surely will throw a few more surprises the Jets' way. Parcells hopes it will be good enough to pull off the win and get Miami into the playoffs.
But don't look for him to take any credit for the turnaround. At least not publicly. He's content to stay in the background, watching the team he built perform on Sundays.
For his latest reclamation project, today is the biggest Sunday of all.
