COMMENTARY : Is This a Network or Just a Way Station?

Bill Parcells has become the Mario Cuomo of pro football broadcasting.

“I think I will. I think I won’t. I think I might, but maybe not.”

And, in the meantime, NBC is left holding a bag full of his “I don’t knows” and spends half of its time reporting on itself.

“I don’t envy their situation,” said Ted Shaker, the executive producer of CBS Sports. “I really don’t. Things kind of come to a screeching halt when you’re supposed to be covering one thing and you become totally self absorbed.”

After eight seasons as coach of the New York Giants, Parcells is finishing his first year as a regular on NBC’s “NFL Live” pregame show. Now, it seems as if he might be headed back to coaching, although even Parcells doesn’t know for sure yet.

When a network hires famous coaches, the object is to “avoid the appearance of being a waiting room for the next job,” Shaker said.

NBC hasn’t managed to do that recently.

Last year, the network went through this with former San Francisco coach Bill Walsh, now in his third year with NBC. Walsh decided to stay in TV, but now he is being wooed by the 49ers. Earlier this year, NBC lost the services of former Laker coach Pat Riley to the New York Knicks.

Hugh Culverhouse thought he had lured Parcells away from NBC to his NFL team in Tampa last week, then accused him of reneging on their agreement. Parcells said he never had a deal with Culverhouse.

It has been a long time since anyone has aroused sympathy in Tampa for Hugh Culverhouse, but Parcells managed.

Now, Parcells is supposed to be meeting with his old buddy, Green Bay General Manager Ron Wolf, about the possibility of taking up where Vince Lombardi left off. Wasn’t it Parcells who once said: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing--I think, maybe.”

The way things have been going for NBC, CBS probably will get the scoop.

Parcells is supposed to be using his contacts to give NBC inside information, but he wouldn’t even tell them last week that he had met with Culverhouse. In fact, he told them he hadn’t met with Culverhouse. Now, what does that do to Parcells’ credibility if he stays with NBC?

“We had a gentleman’s agreement to maintain confidentiality about that meeting,” Parcells said Sunday on NFL Live. Pardon the folks at NBC if they don’t buy that excuse and, while pointing a finger at Parcells, utter the classic lament of the scorned: “That, sir, is no gentleman.”

Reporters who wanted to speak with Parcells on Sunday were told by NBC that the studio was closed at Parcells’ request. No interviews. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a job where you could lie to your boss, then tell him what to do?

Hiring former coaches as broadcasters probably never will become totally taboo, but the Parcells situation will make networks more cautious.

“You have to have an honest discussion with the person as to whether they’re stopping in for a cup of coffee or this is something they want to do,” Shaker said. “We try to look for people who are interested in our business, the business of television.”

It takes time and effort to train broadcasters and gain viewer identification for them. And it costs money. NBC spent a lot grooming Riley.

“You go after the big names, the big stars, and they’ll bring a certain notoriety to your network,” Shaker said, “but the whole question becomes: Who’s using who, and where does it go from there?”