Parcells Is a Mile High Kind of Guy

Bill Parcells was nothing special while working in Colorado.

Parcells, now considered a giant in professional coaching, went 3-8 as head coach of the Air Force Academy in 1978, quit to become linebackers coach with the New York Giants, but then quit again only a few weeks after joining the Giants.

He said he wanted to spend more time with his family, so he returned to Denver and worked for the real-estate division of the Gates Rubber Co.

In his autobiography, he wrote about going to Denver Bronco games at Mile High Stadium. “My wife and I would sit in the same seats every Sunday, like a perfect football couple. The seats were in the end zone. . . . You could fill up that stadium right now, leave just those two seats open, and I could walk right to them without missing a beat.

“That’s how indelibly those Sundays in 1979 are imprinted on my brain.”

Twenty years later he’s on the opposition’s sideline with a chance to send all those people sitting in the stands home unhappy.

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Jet defensive coordinator Bill Belichick also has Colorado roots, working for the Broncos and Coach Red Miller in 1978 as an assistant special teams and defensive coach.

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Parcells said cornerback Aaron Glenn, who has been bothered by a sore ankle for more than a month, is questionable for the game after injuring it again in practice. And he didn’t seem happy about it.

“I didn’t think it was too serious,” Parcells said, “but he’s not getting around very well.”

Glenn led the Jets with six interceptions and was the team’s top kickoff returner with 24.4 yards a return. Ray Mickens, who started three regular-season games and last week’s playoff encounter with Jacksonville, will assume his defensive duties.

“It’s not going to be a factor,” Parcells said, “because we’ve been doing that for the past five or six weeks.”

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Knowing how Parcells likes to employ every psychological trick that he can, the city of Denver might have done him a favor. The Jets woke up Saturday morning to read reports about the city already making plans for a Super Bowl parade.

The Broncos already have a championship party scheduled for a local restaurant here Sunday night.

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While this might be John Elway’s last game in Mile High, it will be Gary Kubiak’s. Kubiak, who came into the league in 1983 along with Elway and worked as his backup before becoming his boss as offensive coordinator, reportedly already has accepted a job to become head coach at the University of Colorado. The appointment is expected to be announced Monday.

“I know from CU’s perspective they couldn’t get a better guy,” Elway said.

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Denver running back Terrell Davis was the 196th player taken in the 1994 draft, Jet running back Curtis Martin the 74th. The two became friends at the Blue-Gray Classic after their final years in college, and have remained so.

“I think we have a pretty good rivalry going as far as different accomplishments,” Davis said. “He beat me to the Pro Bowl, and he beat me to the Super Bowl, and he beat me to rookie of the year. But I’m going to beat him by doing some other things.”

Davis has won a Super Bowl, and Martin hasn’t. Davis has won league most-valuable-player honors, and Martin hasn’t.