The Final Season: My Last Year as Head Coach in the NFL [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Now I am as sympathetic to the problems that he had in this last season as the next fan. When you lose nine starters including a top receiver and one of the game's best quarterbacks early in the season, you aren't going to do all that well in the NFL. Certainly, obtaining a record of 8-8 under those circumstances is nothing short of a miracle. If I were grading the season's record instead of the book, I would give him a five star review.

But there were some curious moments along the way that you may remember. When Vinnie Testaverde went down for the season in the first game against the Patriots with a torn Achilles tendon, Tom Tupa came in and moved the team very well. Then, inexplicably to many, Parcells chose to go with Rick Mirer as quarterback until late in the season when he began to use third stringer, Ray Lucas. Lucas was terrific, and helped the team achieve that improved record. Parcells primarily justifies picking and sticking with Mirer too long in this book as good football thinking. The loyalty is nice, but I find it hard to believe that he is expressing his real views here. If Lucas had come in sooner, the Jets would have made the playoffs.

The second problem with candor is that as the season moved on, he has less and less to say in the book. That's when the season just gets interesting. How does he coach the team to all those wins? You won't find out too much from the book in this regard. He does describe a few of his favorite head games of using the press to motivate the team, but there had to be more to the success than that. Of course, if he had gone with Ray Lucas sooner, the team probably would not have been 1-6 in the first place.

The third problem with the book is that Parcells tells you 10 stories of how players misexecuted a play for every one that he tells about how Parcells made a mistake. Why would a general manager and coach focus on building a team around such poor players? Hmmm.

The book's best parts are when he is in a good mood. During training camp he shares his standard speech, which is quite interesting for explaining his philosophies. He also tells some funny stories about players who didn't follow his rules, like the high draft choice who was found jogging wearing only in his sneakers one night. Other players are described as being caught for using steroids (even though they don't use them) because they are too dumb to be careful about which food supplements they eat.

The opening of the book is classic Parcells. "When I agreed to do this book, it was supposed to be the story of a . . . coach . . . as he goes through a winning season. The season didn't turn out that way. Our chance for a Super Bowl vanished in the first week when the team was decimated by injury." "To do the book after that was painful . . . ." "I'm not good at losing." This is from the introduction, yet he has much more to say in the book when he loses than when he wins. Figure that one out. My tentative explanation is that he quit on the book project part way through, and just went through the motions. He wouldn't accept that from a player. Why did he accept it from himself?

Parcells comes across very well when he shows his loyalty. He has only wonderful things to say about Leon Hess, the owner who died during the season. He is mostly complimentary about Lawrence Taylor. He avoids slamming Bob Kraft, the Patriots owner, whom he clearly detests. In fact, one of the better stories is about the defection of Bill Belachick from the Jets after Parcells retires as coach. Parcells decides to call Bob Kraft to see what can be worked out. When Kraft comes on the line, Parcells tells him that it's Darth Vader. That breaks the ice, and Belachick is able to come to the Patriots as general manager and coach. As of this writing, it's 0-2 for the Patriots under Belachick and the Jets under Al Groh provided one of those defeats. Darth Vader may get the last laugh on this deal.

When I read a book like this, I always wonder if Parcells knows how much he is hiding . . . or if he is even hiding from himself. You and I will never know. I don't think he'll let us get that close to his real thoughts.

After you read the book, I suggest that you ask yourself where you have overly rosy ways of describing your own performance as a person and in your working life. Those misconceptions can cause you to underperform. Then once you've spotted those areas, think about what would make you feel terrific about being more honest and candid about what is actually taking place. You'll feel a hundred pounds lighter before you're done.

That said, this book was disappointing. It started out well, the first portion of this book is riveting, and gives you real insight into his thoughts, and how he puts a team together. Where it goes downhill is after the Jets very first game of the '99 season where they lose multiple starters for the season, including the starting QB. Going into the season the Jets were considered by many people a favorite for the SuperBowl. If it were to follow the team through a season like that, it would've been a great read throughout. Instead, after those injuries, Parcells basically mails it in for the rest of the book, in my opinion. What could've been a great book instead becomes a mediocre effort.