The Final Season: My Last Year as Head Coach in the NFL

William Morrow, 2000. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. As unflinching, candid, and tough as the man himself, The Final Season is B ill Parcell's swan song as head coach in the NFL. During 1999, a grueling, difficult season, Parcell's found his resolve and coaching ability tested a t every turn. It wasn't supposed to be like that, though. The two-time champion coach who had guided two different teams to the Super Bowl was expected by fans and pundits to drive the New York jets all the w ay. After all, they had reached the AFC Championship the year before. But f ate would not allow it. In the preseason, respected and longtime owner Leon Hess died, casting a season-long pall of uncertainty over the organization . During training camp, two players were arrested after a bar fight. In the final game of the preseason, Wayne Chrebet one of their top receivers, was injured. Then a huge blow-in the season opener Vinny Testaverde, the Pro B owl quarterback, ruptured his Achilles tendon and was out for the year. Thi ngs grew progressively worse-at one point Parcells had lost nine starters. He also endured personal suffering when his dear friend and agent Robert Fr aley died in the same plane crash that killed Payne Stewart. Parcells struggled to keep his team on track, trying to maintain their confidence in the face of enormous odds. "When you're losing, you coach better. You're on top of every detail. You scrutinize yourself, your coaches, your players, and the system you're using." He became his own fiercest critic: "No matter how long you have coa.