Parcells Makes Right Moves: Walkout, Testaverde

It seems as if Bill Parcells’ walkout made all the difference for the New York Jets.

Parcells, not happy with the way things were going during the week following the Jets’ lackluster effort in a loss to the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 10, took his assistant coaches and walked out on the players at last Friday’s practice. That got his players thinking--and put them in the right frame of mind for Monday night’s 24-14 victory over the New England Patriots.

“After they left, we looked at each other and made it a rallying point,” said Kyle Brady, who caught two touchdown passes from Vinny Testaverde--including a decisive one-yarder with 8:54 to go. “The leaders on this team started running practice for us, and we decided, ‘Enough is enough, let’s get it going, we’ve put too much into this.’ ”

They certainly put plenty into Parcells’ second game at Foxboro Stadium since leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl in the 1996 season, then leaving them to become coach of the Jets. Parcells is 2-1 against the Patriots since then.

Not surprisingly, Parcells downplayed the Friday fiasco at practice.

“What Bill Parcells did Friday didn’t have anything to do with it,” he claimed. “Give them credit.”

Testaverde, who Parcells started in place of inconsistent Glenn Foley this week, was 22 for 32 for 294 yards and three touchdowns--the last a 44-yard play to Dedric Ward with 3:29 to go. He had no interceptions.

“We knew that if we played mistake-free football, we had a chance to win,” said Testaverde, also 2-0 as a starter when Foley was injured earlier this season. “A good team will continue to work at it to win.”

For much of the night, the game lacked the fervor and excitement of Parcells’ return to Foxboro last year, a 27-24 overtime victory for the Patriots.

Instead, it was a workmanlike victory for the Jets (3-3)--but still their biggest under Parcells, considered by some New Englanders to be a deserter.

“I have warm feelings for what’s happened here in New England,” Parcells said. “When I first got here, you could have held archery practice in the stadium.”

On this night, it was Testaverde who was hitting all the targets. And it was Brady--a tight end rarely involved in the Jet passing attack--who was the key target. Brady had five receptions for 40 yards after entering the game with seven for 47 yards.

“All of us knew how dire the situation was,” Brady said. “I’m glad I was one of the guys who could get it turned right.”

While Robert Edwards, the first-round pick from Georgia who has replaced Curtis Martin in the Patriots’ backfield, was setting an NFL record with touchdown runs in his first six games, Martin was just as effective for the Jets. Martin, signed as a restricted free agent in the off-season, rushed for 107 yards. Edwards had 104 yards rushing.