Focus on Parcells after appeals denied
The Bill Parcells watch intensified along with questions of how soon and how much 22 to 27 New Orleans Saints defensive players will be punished after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denied the bounty-related appeals of coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt.
Payton’s suspension for the 2012 season begins April 16 when the team’s offseason program commences, ideally with Payton’s interim replacement set.
Payton’s longtime mentor Parcells said two weeks ago that he was unsure about a return. He told USA TODAY Sports in an e-mail Monday, “Have heard absolutely nothing.”
Parcells, 70, last coached in 2006 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Getting Super Bowl XLIV MVP quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints franchise player, signed long term might be a mitigating factor.
“The question is, does Bill have the energy to do it?” CBS analyst Charley Casserly said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach who would be a great manager of people and of that team.”
Suspensions for Loomis of eight games and Vitt for six begin after the preseason. Up to 27 Saints players could enter Goodell’s cross hairs.
“I have been pretty clear that I hold coaches and executives to a higher standard,” Goodell said at the March owners meetings. “It is an important element of what the NFL is all about.
“It is clear from the information, though, that players enthusiastically embraced this and pushed this. That is troubling to me.”
Goodell said his emphasis on health and safety would guide him in determining Saints player discipline.
NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said the overall result was that behavior would change. “The game has been changed forever. And probably for the better,” Collinsworth said.
“If there was ever a complaint on the part of players, it was that the commissioner had been tougher on players than on coaches and management over various infractions. “That argument begins to fade . . . “The commissioner seems to have one brand of punishment for people who come in and come clean. And another for people who try to mislead him.”