METAIRIE, La. -- Bill Parcells paused, searching for the perfect word, as he was trying to describe the difference between former assistants Sean Payton and Mike Zimmer.
"I really think they’re the same guy in a lot of ways," Parcells said of their drive, intensity and mastery of the offensive and defensive games, respectively.
"Now, Mike is a little more ... uhhh ... let’s say ‘verbal,’" Parcells said of the fourth-year Minnesota Vikings coach, who is known for his direct, blunt personality, compared to the more gregarious one Payton has displayed in his 12 years as coach of the New Orleans Saints.