Will Parcells coach the Saints... again?

While it now sounds like there might be some truth to the idea that Sean Payton is recruiting Bill Parcells to coach the New Orleans Saints this year as Payton serves a one-year suspension, let's get one thing straight: The Tuna has already helped the Saints win a Super Bowl.

It was a little over two years when the Saints were preparing for Super Bowl XLIV against the Colts in South Florida. On Monday of Super Bowl week, I had the privilege of moderating a live chat on NFL.com with Parcells, then an exec with the Miami Dolphins. We conducted the chat at the Dolphins facility. The third question Parcells fielded was one about the offensive play-calling of Payton, a former Parcells assistant who remained good friends with his mentor.

After Parcells answered the question, he offered an aside: "That guy's been trying to call me all week."

Payton was calling Parcells, he explained, to see if the should-already-be-in-the-Hall-of-Fame coach would speak to the Saints players. After all, Parcells had taken three teams to the Super Bowl in his coaching career and carried off the Lombardi Trophy twice with the Giants.

As fate would have it, the Saints arrived in South Florida right around the time that live chat was taking place. Their first stop: a news conference at the Dolphins' facility. So after his chat with NFL.com readers, Parcells went downstairs and spoke to Payton's boys about what to expect on Super Bowl Sunday and how to prepare for the biggest game of their lives.

Oh, and he imparted some advice to his friend Payton. He stressed the element of surprise -- the importance of planning to throw a curveball or two at the Colts. This was, after all, the same coach who called a flea flicker in Super Bowl XXI and a ballsy fake punt that helped the Giants win the 1990 NFC title game over the heavily-favored 49ers.

Thus was born the idea to try an onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV. Even if it had already been worked on, Parcells' advice cemented the idea for Payton. Trailing 10-6 at halftime, Payton called for the onside kick to open the second half. The Saints recovered and scored the go-ahead touchdown six plays later.

Thank you, Coach Parcells.

There are still many players on the Saints roster who played in Super Bowl XLIV. If Parcells does come out of retirement to coach them, they'll have no trouble following the man who helped them win their first title. Of course, Parcells may be a little tougher on them than Payton was.

Top draft pick to Hall of Fame? Not in the '90s

Interesting note courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s web site, listing the 13 members of the Hall who were first overall draft picks. Did you think that number would be higher? Let’s take a closer look.

From 1960-1989, the first overall pick produced exactly three Hall of Famers per decade. That meant that the teams picking first overall in those 30 years had a 30 percent chance of landing a future Hall of Famer. Any GM would take those odds, right?

It’s the dreaded ‘90s that water down the numbers. As of now, there are zero top picks from the ‘90s in Canton. That will change as soon as Peyton Manning (1998) becomes eligible. And eventually, 1997 top pick Orlando Pace might give the ‘90s two No. 1 Hall of Famers. After that, however, none of the remaining eight top picks is even close to consideration.

There’s still plenty of history to be written for the top picks of the 2000s, but the first 10 years of this century don’t look much better than the ‘90s in terms of first overall picks. Two Super Bowl MVPs for Eli Manning (2004) put him in the mix. The jury is still way out there on Michael Vick, Mario Williams and Matt Stafford, but that’s about it.

Interestingly, while there have been 13 No. 1 picks to reach the Hall, a total of 12 Hall of Famers were No. 2 overall picks. The most recent was Marshall Faulk (1994) and there are two more that have a decent shot (Julius Peppers, 2002, and Calvin Johnson, 2007).

Look, picking at the top of the draft by no means guarantees you a Hall of Fame player. The problem is not missing out on a superstar; it’s passing on a superstar in favor of a bust. And when you look at this list of the top two picks since 1990, you find more busts than winners. Forget about Hall of Fame… Pro Bowl would be nice.

Year	No. 1 Pick	No. 2 Pick
1990	Jeff George	Blair Thomas
1991	Russell Maryland	Eric Turner
1992	Steve Emtman	Quentin Coryatt
1993	Drew Bledsoe	Rick Mirer
1994	Dan Wilkinson	Marshall Faulk
1995	Ki-Jana Carter	Tony Boselli
1996	Keyshwn Johnson	Kevin Hardy
1997	Orlando Pace	Darrell Russell
1998	Peyton Manning	Ryan Leaf
1999	Tim Couch	Donovan McNabb
2000	Courtney Brown	LaVar Arrington
2001	Michael Vick	Leonard Davis
2002	David Carr	Julius Peppers
2003	Carson Palmer	Charles Rogers
2004	Eli Manning	Robert Gallery
2005	Alex Smith	Ronnie Brown
2006	Mario Williams	Reggie Bush
2007	JaMarcus Russell	Calvin Johnson
2008	Jake Long	Chris Long
2009	Matt Stafford	Jason Smith
2010	Sam Bradford	Ndamukong Suh
2011	Cam Newton	Von Miller

Quick thoughts on Tebow and the Jets

When Antonio Cromartie declared Tuesday that the New York Jets didn’t need Tim Tebow, it was a foregone conclusion that’s where America’s quarterback was headed. And now, the Jets must go all in on a ground-and-pound attack.

Forget for a moment the circus-like atmosphere that Mike Tannenbaum has created. Mark Sanchez won’t be able to throw an incomplete pass without hearing it from the Tebow-maniacs. But hey, who better to lead a three-ring circus than the ringmaster himself, Rex Ryan?

Here are some quick-hit thoughts about what to make of Tim Tebow in the Big Apple:

• The folks that run the Jets, Tannenbaum and Ryan, have been doing this long enough to know what they have brought on themselves. They cannot be so blind as to think Tebow is like any other quarterback they could have brought in to provide “competition” for the embattled Sanchez. Right? 

• Wildcat or no wildcat, new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano at least has some good experience mixing in a hybrid attack with a guy like Tebow. I assume Sparano was consulted on this trade before it was made, and I can see Sparano and Tebow working well together. 

• Now, what happens if Tebow does end up as the starting QB for the Jets? The Jets are only two years removed from reaching the AFC title game with a dominant rushing attack. They staggered to 22^nd in the league last season, averaging 105.8 yards per game, thanks to a number of reasons. First and foremost was that they lost their identity. With Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress, they suddenly thought they could air it out, and that was a colossal mistake. Of course, a weakened offensive line also had a lot to do with it, as did Shonn Greene taking a step back in his development. Can the presence of Tebow in the backfield help Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson? Sure. If the Jets can improve the line, then it’s possible the Jets can once again become a force on the ground with Tebow at the helm. Of course, the passing game will be almost nonexistent. 

• Which brings us to Ryan’s raison d’etre. Defense. The offense will be conservative this year no matter who is running the show. What the Jets need in order to win is for that defense to be a monster again. The only reason Tebow won as many games as he did in Denver last year was because the Broncos defense was stout. The Jets must field a top five defense in order to win. They did rank fifth in yards allowed last season, but 20^th in points allowed per game (nearly 23).

• What are the chances Sanchez rises to this challenge, becomes a true franchise quarterback and relegates Tebow to backup and change-of-pace Wildcat? Anything’s possible. But this is the least likely scenario.

Let the circus begin!

Quick thoughts on the Manning news

Five quick thoughts on the news today that Peyton Manning will be a Bronco:

• If you think a Denver Broncos team led by Peyton Manning -- even if he's not at 100 percent -- isn't dangerous, just consider this: John Fox got the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII with Jake Delhomme at quarterback, and then he led the Broncos to an AFC West title last year with Tim Tebow. I think it's safe to put a Manning-led Broncos team in the title hunt.

• Is Alex Smith really insulted that the 49ers would have preferred Manning over him? I'm guessing that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh will make it clear to Smith that his pursuit of Manning had nothing to do with Smith and everything to do with trying to sign a future Hall of Famer with gas in the tank. If Smith doesn't understand that he's just a few notches below Manning, then he's delusional. And money aside, would he rather play for a staggering Dolphins squad than return to the cream of the NFC West? That's the definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

• Speaking of the Dolphins... Given owner Steve Ross' desire for star power in Miami, Tebow to the Dolphins a no-brainer.

• It was just a few months ago the Oakland Raiders might have been considered the most talented team in the AFC West. They still have the best kicking game, but does anyone think they won't finish in last place?

• I'm still depressed that we won't get to enjoy a season of Peyton Manning and Larry Fitzgerald together in Arizona. Sorry, Peyton, but you missed the boat here. That would have been more awesome than anything you do in Denver. Unless, of course, you win the Super Bowl.

Giants' signing of TE Bennett: Will it affect the 'C' word?

When you’re team is coming off a Super Bowl victory and setting out to defend the title, the offseason can be tricky. Obviously, there aren’t many holes to fill, although it’s inevitable some players will be moving on and need to be replaced. But when you don’t have to worry about wooing uber free agents like Peyton Manning and Mario Williams, the blueprint is a little clearer. There’s really just one major philosophy to adhere to: Don’t screw up the team chemistry.

Which brings us to Martellus Bennett.

After losing both of their pass-catching tight ends – Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum – to significant knee injuries in the Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots, finding a short-term solution for the position was a key task for Giants general manager Jerry Reese. He accomplished that goal by signing Bennett.

The 24-year-old Bennett showed some flashes of being a dangerous tight end in his four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. But he hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since he scored four times as a rookie in 2008. More of a concern, though, might be that “c” word. Bennett is not exactly a wallflower. So how will he fit in the Big Apple?

I just wonder if Reese, when doing his research on Bennett, happened to read this NFL.com story. It’s a quiz from by buddy Adam Rank, who challenges readers to guess the source of some outlandish quotes – and the only two choices are Bennett or Charlie Sheen.

You’re in the same boat as Charlie Sheen. That means you’ve got some talent… and it also means you’re a little crazy.

The big winner here? Why it’s the New York press corps. They no longer have running back Brandon Jacobs as a go-to guy in the Giants’ locker room. It says here that Bennett will fill that role admirably.

If all he has to talk about is “chic farts” and Kim Kardashian’s butt (I’m giving it away some, but just check out the NFL.com link), then it’s all in good fun. But who knows? New York is not always a kind media market for loose cannons.

Will Bennett be comedy relief or bad chemistry? It remains to be seen, but when you’re the defending NFL champ, is that even a risk you want to take?

Peyton paired with Fitz would be legendary

If you’re a fan of pro football, how can you not root for Peyton Manning to sign with the Arizona Cardinals?

The prospect of Manning throwing to Larry Fitzgerald is delicious. Simply put, Manning-to-Fitzgerald has the potential to be the best passing tandem in NFL history.

Think about it. Manning had some outstanding seasons with Marvin Harrison, but who would you rather have in his prime, Harrison or Fitzgerald? Harrison is in the mix with a slew of potential Hall of Fame candidate receivers; Fitzgerald is above those guys. If Manning is healthy and can return to form, the connection with Fitzgerald would be unstoppable.

We already know the likes of Dan Marino, John Elway and Brett Favre never had a receiver as dynamic as Fitzgerald in their arsenals. Jim Kelly had Andre Reed, but he’s a notch below Fitzgerald.

The last time a future Hall of Fame QB and a future Hall of Fame WR teamed up? Well, that would be Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner, who was Arizona’s full-time starter from 2007-09. Here are Fitzgerald’s numbers for those three seasons:

293 receptions, 3,932 yards, 35 touchdowns

And that doesn’t include the record-shattering postseason numbers he notched during the Cardinals’ 2008 run to the Super Bowl.

And, oh yeah, there was another future Hall of Fame tandem in 2007, and their numbers speak for themselves. In 2007, Tom Brady passed for 4,807 yards and 50 touchdowns, with Randy Moss accounting for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns. The touchdown totals for both are single-season NFL records.

As far as players already enshrined in Canton, there are 10 modern-era QB/WR combinations in the Hall of Fame. As you go down this list, consider which of these dynamic duos would be more frightening to opposing defenses than Manning/Fitzgerald. Maybe one or two:

• Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry
• Joe Namath and Don Maynard
• Bob Griese and Paul Warfield
• Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann
• Terry Bradshaw and John Stallworth
• Dan Fouts and Charlie Joiner
• Joe Montana and Jerry Rice
• Steve Young and Jerry Rice
• Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin 

Fitzgerald caught 80 passes for 1,411 yards and eight touchdowns last season – with Kevin Kolb and John Skelton throwing him the football.

Of course, a healthy Manning will make any receiver look good wherever he goes. If he goes to Miami and Brandon Marshall remains focused, that pairing could be monstrous. If he goes to Denver, maybe Demaryius Thomas becomes a Pro Bowl receiver.

But if Peyton Manning goes to Arizona and is ready to play, then he and Larry Fitzgerald will be electric. All season long. It will be must-see football, and long-suffering Cardinals fans won’t be the only ones enjoying the show.

 Come on, Peyton. This needs to happen.