Parcells Downplays Rough Image

Just because Bill Parcells is friends with Bob Knight doesn’t mean he has the same approach to dealing with college athletes.

While Knight seems to relish his image as an ogre, Parcells thinks he has been portrayed inaccurately as a Knight clone. In fact, he can be a player’s best buddy, if necessary.

“They are expecting what you guys have created, which is not reality,” Parcells said at a news conference Wednesday as he discussed the NFL draft, in which the New York Jets have the No. 1 pick. “I raised three daughters; there is some compassion.”

And some understanding of what the future pros are facing when they come into the league. After more than two decades of coaching, Parcells knows what the rookies are facing.

“You want be able to talk to players and get a feel for their personality,” said Parcells, who spoke with several potential top choices in the past few days. “Maybe you sting them a little bit to see how they respond to that, or try to determine their sensitivity level. But it is not an interrogation.

“What I try to do is tell a player what it will be like if he comes here, so there aren’t any surprises. I tell him what I expect, when I expect him to relocate, our schedule, the testing he’ll go through prior to training camp, what my expectations for him would be as a player.

“I say, ‘It’s in my best interest that you succeed and in your best interest that you succeed, so we should be on the same page in trying to accomplish the same thing. So here’s what I think the road to success in this league is.”’

Of course, he speaks from experience, something most young players should appreciate.

“I tell them things that have set rookies back,” he said. “I tell them about prospects for drug dealers, real estate hustlers … there are a lot of people coming at them and they should be suspicious and wary of it all.”