Retired Patriots OT Praises Bill Parcells on HOF Induction

His best season was in 1993 (Parcells' first season), as Chung started all 16 games and was a main reason that third-year running back Leonard Russell was able to rush for a career-high 1,088 yards.

Following his third year where he played in just three games, Chung was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the expansion draft. He would later have stops with the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles until he retired in 2000.

While Chung wasn't on the team when the erosion of trust between Parcells and the Patriots began, he is well aware of it. When Parcells was the head coach for the 1996 season — where New England made it to its second Super Bowl ever — it was evident he would leave the job for the rival New York Jets. Following the loss to the Packers, Parcells rubbed the region the wrong way by taking a separate flight home.

It was all part of the journey Parcells had as a brash, outspoken head coach — something he touched on in his Hall of Fame induction speech and mentioned that he had regretted.

"It was his job to manage the fans and protect his team," Chung said. "Even if there was bad blood."

After his playing career, Chung became a coach, first in the NFL and now remains at the college level. He's currently in his first season on DeSean Jackson's staff at Delaware State as the offensive line coach. The lessons Parcells taught him in New England haven't left his mind.

"After coaching in the league, I appreciate what he was trying to accomplish, along with his process," Chung said. "I have taken some of his philosophies applying them to how I coach — adjusting it and making it my own style of coaching."

Parcells didn't mention Chung by name — or many of the players from his early seasons as the Patriots head man — when he was honored at Gillette Stadium, but he did give a special shoutout to those who played on his teams.

"So I want to thank, namely, all the players that were involved in that, because it was a real grind, ladies and gentlemen," Parcells said in his Hall of Fame speech. "It was a real grind physically, and it was a real grind mentally, and they withstood it and profited from it. The other thing, when (owner) Robert (Kraft) came, now we got the resources to compete, too. So now we were able to do those things that we hadn’t been able to do before. And so that’s what kind of made it and got it going."