Tuna Melt: Care for Sean could bring Bill back

Tuna Melt: Care for Sean could bring Bill back

SHANE BEVEL/AP

Bill Parcells (r.) may accept his fifth head coaching job, filling in for his friend Sean Payton with the Saints.

If Bill Parcells takes the job as the substitute teacher for the Saints during his pal Sean Paytons one-season BountyGate suspension and thats where this is headed one of the highlight games of the 2012 season will be the Giants vs. Saints at MetLife Stadium. We know the where, but we wont know the when until the NFL releases the schedule, expected sometime during the week of April 16.

Parcells would be the first coach since World War II to coach five different teams (hes coached the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys), not counting Wade Phillips, who had interim jobs with the Saints and Falcons among the five teams hes coached.

In speaking to Parcells last week, there was a discernible mood change from Monday to Tuesday regarding the Saints job. It came after he played a round of golf with the Saints group of Payton, GM Mickey Loomis and vice president of communications Greg Bensel. He seemed energized. Its important he became familiar with Loomis, who has been suspended for the first eight games. Parcells could pick up a lot of his responsibility the first half of the season.

Paytons suspension starts Sunday and he is expected to appeal Roger Goodells decision by Mondays deadline. That will buy him a few more days on the job, but it would be surprising if Goodell overrules himself on the length of the suspension.
Hiring Parcells would be a great move for the Saints and an interesting one for Parcells. This time I was really convinced he was done coaching. Now I think hes going to do it.

There are many fascinating questions:

Will Parcells be emotionally invested in the Saints?

He said he only knows one way to coach and thats to be all-in. I suggested to him last week that he could let coordinators Steve Spagnuolo (defense) and Pete Carmichael Jr. (offense) run their side of the ball and he could manage the team during the week and in the games. He could conserve energy by not staying after midnigh t in the office. He didnt like that idea. If he coaches, hes going to do it like hes always done it. Hes going to be Parcells. One potential problem: Spags plays a 4-3 defense and Parcells believes in the 3-4.

Will the players listen to him?

Everybody knows what its like when the substitute teacher walks into the room. The paper airplanes start flying around making it seem like LaGuardia at five in the afternoon. Parcells has always motivated by intimidation. But the players will know hes there for just one year. He will be 71 years old by the time the season starts. He hasnt won the Super Bowl in 21 years. That means most of the players on the roster were younger than 10 years old when the Giants beat the Bills. Do they know who Parcells is? Do they care? Will they wonder who this old guy screaming at them is? If they have a long-term contract are they going to listen to a short-term coach?

This is not his team. Its Paytons team. Payto n needs to tell his players they better listen to Parcells, just as parents tell their kids they better listen to the babysitter. But players cant start working out at the team facility until April 16, and Payton will be gone by then. Thats why it will be imperative for Drew Brees to be Paytons voice in the locker room.

Just to show hes the boss, Parcells may need to make a surprising cut early in training camp to get the players attention.
What about the money?

Parcells says its not about the money and you know what that means. Payton was to make $ 7 million this year, but will lose $ 6 million during the suspension (his suspension is not a full year). You have to figure Parcells doesnt take this job for less than $ 7 million.

What about the Hall of Fame?

Parcells very much wanted to get after his five-year wait. He didnt make the cut. If Parcells comes back to coach, the clock re-starts on his five-year wait, whi ch means he wouldnt be eligible until the class of 2018. If he wants the Saints job, hes not going to turn it down and wait for the HOF with no guarantee it will ever happen.

Why does Parcells feel so obligated to help out Payton?

Parcells, who hired Payton in Dallas in 2003, really looks at him as a son and when one of your kids is in trouble and needs your help, you do anything for them. Payton leaned on Parcells for guidance when the Saints were in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Parcells cares about Payton very much. Payton is the one who should feel obligated to Parcells. But Parcells says he owes it to Payton to help if asked.

How can Goodell stop Payton from talking to Parcells during the season to discuss team issues?

Unless the NFL monitors Paytons phone records or tails him when he goes out, what is to prevent Payton and Parcells from having dinner every Tuesday night in the French Quarter? Goodell said Payt on cant coach the team from home. What constitutes a violation? The league doesnt have a list, but will know a violation when they see it. By appealing, Payton will get his third audience with Goodell and plans to find out the parameters of his suspension. He wont be allowed into the training facilities and hes not expected to have contact with the team. But we will also have to be reasonable about that, Goodell said.

Saints owner Tom Benson could have brought clarity and closure to BountyGate if he did the right thing and just fired Payton.

A SNYD REMARK
I was sitting at a table in the hallway of The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday afternoon during the league meetings when Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, with a towel wrapped around his neck, came walking by. Snyder looked over and said, Hey, Daily News. He then Tebowed. If NFL owners are Tebowing, you know this is big.

WHAT LUCK
In j ust about any other year, Baylors Robert Griffin III would be the first pick in the draft. And despite talk that the Colts havent decided between Andrew Luck and Griffin, their mind is made up. They are taking Luck. As far back as two years ago, the Colts were having internal discussions on how they could position themselves to get Luck as the eventual successor to Peyton Manning. Never did they think they would earn the pick with a 2-14 recordTexas A&Ms Ryan Tannehill, the third-best QB in the draft, could go to Cleveland at No. 4 or Miami at No. 8. Mike Sherman, the Dolphins new offensive coordinator, was Tannehills coach at A&M. The Browns will likely decide between Tannehill and Alabama RB Trent Richardson.