“Will you shut up?” Phil Simms reveals how Bill Parcells coached the New York Giants in the 80s

Phil Simms and Bill Parcells enjoyed huge success together, winning two Super Bowls as quarterback and head coach of the New York Giants in the 1980s. However, the two didn’t always see eye to eye, the former QB has revealed.

Simms, who spent his entire NFL career with the Giants between 1979 and 1993, was a recent guest on Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams” show and offered some insight into his relationship with Parcells, who coached in New York from 1983 to the end of the 1990 season before spells with the New England Patriots, the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.

Inside Phil Simms and Bill Parcells’ relationship

“He yelled at me so much in practice. It was every day. You never really get used to it,” Simms explained.

“One day he’s yelling at me and I just turned to him and I said, ‘Will you shut up?’ I said, ‘All you do is complain,’ and I said some other words, which I won’t say to you.

“And he stops and he turns, or looks at me, backs up, he goes ‘Ooh, Simms is mad. Ooh, do you want to hit me, Simms? Is that what you want to do?

The pair, however, didn’t come to blows, with Simms putting the heated discussions down to Parcells’ fierce competitive streak and drive to succeed.

“And I just go,’ What is wrong with you?’ That’s who he was. He was always on top”.

Lawrence Taylor the subject of Parcells’ wrath

Simms also revealed that even Lawrence Taylor, seen by many as the greatest defensive player of all time, was unable to avoid being the subject of Parcells’ wrath. The linebacker, however, had his own way of dealing with his demanding coach.

“He called out Lawrence as much as or more than anybody on the whole team. They had a great relationship. So Lawrence is like, ‘Yeah, OK, yeah, all right. I got you’.

“He’s the only one play it off a little bit and go ‘OK, Bill, I got what you’re trying to do’”.

Simms and Parcells, along with Taylor, teamed up to lead the Giants to victories over the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XXI (January 1987) and against the Buffalo Bills at Super Bowl XXV (January 1991).

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