Bill Parcells Says Leaving Patriots Biggest Regret of His Career

Just more than a month before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bill Parcells told USA Today he has one regret: leaving the New England Patriots.

"I regret leaving New England. Had we done things differently... I had a good young team there," Parcells said. "I hated to leave that team, because I knew what we could do."

Parcells left the Patriots following the 1996 season when he and his team lost to Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. He said that he and Patriots owner Robert Kraft were both too headstrong to work out their issues.

"I was absolutely too headstrong. And he might have been a little headstrong, too," Parcells said. "I think both Kraft and myself, retrospectively, would have done things a little differently."

In 1996, Parcells was displeased with Kraft's decision to take away the coach's control over building the team's roster. Parcells retorted publically with one of his famous lines.

"If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries," he said.

Kraft said their relationship was repaired about 10 years ago at the Super Bowl.

"At a Super Bowl, Bill was standing there as I approached, and he just said to me, 'If I had to do it all over again. I would have done things differently.' And I said, 'So would I,'" Kraft said.

After Parcells departed, Pete Carroll took over as head coach for three seasons. In 2000, the same season Tom Brady was drafted with the 199th overall pick, Bill Belichick took over.

Belichick and Brady went on to win three Super Bowls in five appearances. They also set NFL records in regular season wins (125) and postseason wins (17) for all head coach and quarterback tandems.

Carroll is now the executive vice president of football operations and head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and took them to the NFC Divisional game last season.

Kraft is certainly not disappointed with the way things turned out for his team. Brady and Belichick have upheld the team's winning ways and Parcells has ended up in the Hall of Fame, but the owner is left not knowing what could have been.

"I think we would have been a great team together at a different time," Kraft said. "Understanding what I understand now, this being my 20th season as an owner, and him being seasoned. I wish it could have worked out differently."