Patriots Pursuit of Belichick Finally Ends, "Little Bill" Now Head Coach

FOXBOROUGH — Little Bill. What did Patriot Nation really mean by this moniker?

To those families out there (fathers in particular) who want to name their sons after their fathers, the word “little” ranks right up there with the word “junior” as the “most uttered word in the household”. That’s how you tell Dad and son apart. You never know for sure whether or not the kid appreciates it, but since you hang it on him at birth, it just sticks and no one says anything.

This is not quite the same thing with Bill Belichick.

Usually, when there is a “Little Bill”, it means that somewhere close by there is a “Big Bill”. It just so happens that Belichick had a very, very Big Bill in his life (except for 1991 to 1995), so a distinction had to be made.

But Belichick and Bill Parcells are both adults. How come Parcells got the “big” and Belichick the “little”?

Well, Parcells is older. Parcells is taller. Parcells is fatter. Parcells is louder. Sounds pretty conclusive right there, doesn’t it?

Not to Patriot Nation. To them, the term “Little Bill” cut much deeper. Rather than simple one-word comparative adjectives, the “little” label was a badge of high dishonor.

Next to Big Bill, Belichick was called little because “he’s better as an assistant whereas Parcells is the better head coach”. Or, he’s called little because “Parcells is higher profile, and Belichick is basically a nobody who happens to be a great defensive coach”.

But the worst smack on Belichick was his role in following Parcells to Exit 16-W in 1997. The guy was willing to be a figurehead coach for the 1997 season while Parcells hung out as a “consultant”. As soon as Parcells was free of the Patriots, Belichick would dutifully step aside and let Big Bill take right over. In this scenario, Belichick was as little as a Little Bill could get.

But in the year 2000, Belichick has turned the tables. He quit on the Tuna. And he got Bob Kraft to cough up a first round pick for him. Now, Belichick is in charge of the Patriots. In New England, he’s now Big Bill. No more of this “little” stuff anymore.

No question, he’s big now. Belichick is now the biggest Bill in the area. Exactly how big won’t be known for a while, but he had better be big enough to shoulder all the scrutiny and expectations that will befall him.

Belichick has a lot to prove. Everyone has brought up his previous coaching stint in Cleveland. His career coaching mark sits at 37-45. He had the audacity to drive Bernie Kosar out of Cleveland. He went 4-12 in his final year and was driven out of Cleveland himself.

Of course, there is more here than meets the eye. In the playoffs, he is 1-1, the one win over this team coached by Joisey’s Big Bill, a game in which Parcells admits he was outcoached and gave Drew Bledsoe too complicated a game plan. He replaced Kosar with some guy named Vinny Testaverde, who singlehandedly ruined the 1999 Jets with that heel of his. Oh, and you blame Belichick for the ’95 campaign? When your franchise is about to abandon their beloved dawg pound for a city that should still have the Colts, see how well your players handle that situation.

Belichick is also vilified for his poor relationship with the media. His rambling resignation speech on January 4 prompted him to open his press conference today with “I hope today’s press conference goes better than my last one!” Belichick’s diatribe three weeks ago caused people to view him as a confused, detached and a mentally sick man.

Shoot Parcells up with truth serum, and he’ll tell you that those qualities are ideal for an NFL head coach. He said as much in his 60 Minutes interview.

Okay, what next? Oh yes, his poor draft record. Now there, you have a point. His draft record at Cleveland yielded Eric Turner, Touchdown Tommy Vardell, and not much else.

Well, if you all were paying close attention today, Kraft hired himself a “head coach”, not a “head coach/general manager”. In fact, this “power” we all thought Belichick craved may be a non-factor.

Kraft was asked today why he hadn’t named Belichick as GM, and he replied “We’ll think about that. Thank you for suggesting it.” Belichick himself deflected the control issue, saying that “This is not a one-man band here. I can’t play all the instruments…I don’t think it’s important who’s right. I think it’s important what’s right.”

Translation: Check for any Charlie Armey sightings in Boston next Monday. Or maybe even Tom Donahoe, if the Dolphins don’t nibble.

What is left is the job that Belichick has to do in the most important area of all: on the playing field. Defensive coordinator? None finer. Head coach? Back again to “a lot to prove”. Sorry, folks, but he does.

Belichick figures to bring Charlie Weis back to New England as his offensive coordinator. Weis, wide receivers coach under Parcells here, ran the Jet offense down in Joisey. He did quite well in 1999 despite the key injuries to Testaverde, Wayne Chrebet and Leon Johnson, plus the free agent defection of Kyle Brady. Bledsoe, presumably thrilled to death with the new coaching situation, figures to turn 2000 into a personal revival.

Bledsoe isn’t the only player presumably “thrilled to death” at the hiring of Belichick. A few days ago, Shawn Jefferson was quoted as saying that he “guarantees a division title in 2000 if Belichick is hired” (this is a UFA saying this, mind you). Jefferson may not exactly be a Joe Namath, but his words ring true.

Many players were vocal in their support of Belichick. The players figure to play hard for him. Transition will be smooth, as Belichick still knows many of the players. The soft approach of Pete Carroll is out, and the old school discipline is back in. Back a player you want on your ball club into a corner, and he’ll admit that he’d prefer the hard guy over the soft guy any day.

Parcells was quoted once as saying “Football players will only do what you make them do.” Belichick will be a return to that thinking, and Carroll’s laissez-faire approach, which obviously didn’t work, is history.

Will this cause free agents, such as Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown, Tedi Bruschi, or Jefferson to want to stay? Those close to Milloy have said that he would love to work for Belichick. Bruschi may feel the same way, and is not interested in breaking the bank. Will Weis entice Brown to stay on board? If free agents bolt, it most likely will be because of the salary cap and not because of Belichick.

The best thing to come of all of this is at least the Patriots have a coach. Position filled. The rest of you may take your resumes and go on home now.

If Kraft can settle the GM position by Tuesday at the latest, then things can finally get down to business. If Kraft is holding out for Armey, thank goodness it’s only one week between conference championships and the Super Bowl.

But Belichick begins his new “Big Bill” legacy here in Foxborough starting tomorrow. He’ll get his staff. Then he’ll get his GM. Then he’ll get the most important thing of all: busy.

Busy figuring out who to keep and sign. Busy figuring out who to take in the second round. Busy thinking about how quickly he can restore the pride and excellence his former boss instilled here a few years back.

And he’ll be busy making sure no one ever calls him “Little Bill ever again.

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About Bob George

Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139

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