Bill Walsh once admitted to headset “gamesmanship” with Bill Parcells
In the 1980s, former Giants coach Bill Parcells suspected the 49ers of consistently pulling the plug on the communications early in the game. Under the late Bill Walsh, the offense scripted the first 15 plays, making the ability of the coaches to talk to each other unnecessary. So Parcells finally decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Getting ready to play them again . . . in the playoffs, and I said to Bill [Walsh], ‘These phones go out again to start the game, I’m gonna expose you,'” Parcells explained to NFL Films in the Football Life documentary devoted to Walsh. “He looked at me with a little wink and says, ‘Just a little gamesmanship.'”
In the 1980s, former Giants coach Bill Parcells suspected the 49ers of consistently pulling the plug on the communications early in the game. Under the late Bill Walsh, the offense scripted the first 15 plays, making the ability of the coaches to talk to each other unnecessary. So Parcells finally decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Getting ready to play them again . . . in the playoffs, and I said to Bill [Walsh], ‘These phones go out again to start the game, I’m gonna expose you,'” Parcells explained to NFL Films in the Football Life documentary devoted to Walsh. “He looked at me with a little wink and says, ‘Just a little gamesmanship.'”
