There are few coaches in NFL history who have garnered more respect than Bill Parcells. A two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer. He won 172 games and is responsible for some of the great upsets the game has ever seen. His coaching tree is also one of the most extensive, having produced three different future head coaches who would win a championship. It’s safe to say the man knows the game inside and out.
A man who also has his own philosophy about what it takes to build winning teams. One part that is sure to interest the Chicago Bears is how he approached identifying quality quarterbacks. In fact he had a set of seven parameters that needed to be met in order to draft them. They were eventually dubbed the “Bill Parcells Rules.”
- Be a three-year starter
- Be a senior in college
- Graduate from college
- Start 30 games
- Win 23 games
- Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio
- Tally a completion rate of 60 percent or higher
One can argue it might not include some necessary things, but it’s hard to argue with the results. That methodology produced Jeff Hostetler when he was with the Giants, the man who won Super Bowl XXV for him. It produced Drew Bledsoe, a four-time Pro Bowler in New England. It also was applied to a young undrafted free agent named Tony Romo when he coached at Dallas.
So here’s an interesting question. Which of the top Bears quarterback targets in the draft best fit these rules?
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