'I wish I would have done things a little differently'

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Bill Parcells was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, saying the franchise will always have a place in his heart before referencing his acrimonious departure in 1997.

"We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently," Parcells, 84, said on a sun-splashed day in which hundreds gathered for a ceremony that also included the induction of three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman. "I come back here and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently."

Parcells coached the Patriots from 1993 to 1996, bringing credibility and championship pedigree to an organization that had been one of the NFL's worst at the time.

Robert Kraft, a longtime Patriots fan who was a season-ticket member, purchased the team in 1994. Parcells had a well-documented split with Kraft after leading the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season, becoming head coach of the rival New York Jets.

"Over the years, we've both mellowed," Kraft said in introducing Parcells. "We've shared laughs, swapped stories and reflected on the foundation we built together. I want to say, 'Thank you, Bill. Thank you for the fire. Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the foundation. And thank you for the many contributions you made to this franchise.'"

Parcells, wearing the traditional red jacket for inductees, spoke to the crowd for 12 minutes and shared why the moment was humbling and meaningful to him as he began his NFL coaching career as a Patriots assistant in 1980.

It was a full-circle moment for Parcells, who credited longtime executive Bucko Kilroy and former coach and executive Mike Holovak for teaching him how to evaluate players, saying they "probably had more influence on me than any other single people in pro football."

Parcells, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, had been a five-time finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame, whose inductees are voted by fans.

Edelman won this year's fan vote, but in April, the 84-year-old Kraft announced he was inducting Parcells as a contributor because he wanted to see him enshrined while both were alive.

Parcells' speech sparked numerous cheers from the crowd, including when he turned to Edelman and said, "I wish I could have got my hands on you [to coach]!"

That helped set the stage for Edelman's induction, as the wide receiver's clutch play in the postseason (second in NFL history in playoff receptions and yards) and spending his entire 12-year career with New England were highlighted by team president Jonathan Kraft in introductory remarks.

"Julian wasn't just clutch. He was chaos in cleats," Kraft said. "He made every kid in New England believe that it was about heart over hype and that being underestimated fuels greatness."

Edelman, a seventh-round draft choice out of Kent State in 2009, called his enshrinement surreal.

"For years I would drive up to this stadium praying it wouldn't be my last," he said. "There was so much uncertainty that comes with a late-round pick chasing his dream to play in this league. I'm so glad this place became my home. To stand here now, knowing I'm forever part of this organization's history, is the ultimate honor."

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