New Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano took a timeout to have a Q&A session with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: What’s the biggest thing you learned working for Bill Parcells?
A: I can’t really point to one thing, but I would say to you, how to deal with different personalities would be one of the things I learned from him, and then putting together a 53-man roster, and some of the things that you should be looking for when you get down the road a little later in player 49 and 50 and 51, and the way that they’ve gone about those things, player evaluations. I think it’s neat with what Bill and Tom Coughlin and these people have had to do, because the game has changed so much, and the players have changed so much, and they were able to change with the players, but still kinda keep their own spin on things.
Q: How would you say you motivate compared to the way Parcells motivates?
A: I would say it’s a similar style, I’m more vocal, obviously. When I say more vocal, I’m probably a little more out there with the players that way. Bill motivated so well, he really did, and he had a unique style of motivating a player.
Q: One anecdote.
A: (Chuckle) He had a bunch of sayings. I would say that one of the greatest sayings that he always had for me is, “If they don’t bite when they’re puppies, they don’t bite.”
Q: What was your experience like coaching under Coughlin in Jacksonville?
A: It was outstanding. Coach Coughlin was without a doubt one of the bigger influences for me in my coaching career. It was a short eight months that we were together, but I just learned so much from him during that time, and we’ve always been friends — obviously owners’ meetings, league meetings as head coaches. … My wife and his wife Judy are friendly.
Q: What impressed you most about him?
A: His organizational skills … his passion for the game … the way he went about his process in breaking down a team in front of the team, all those things … very thorough that way. I kinda grew up in that system with Tom, with Bill Parcells, with even a Marty Schottenheimer. I’ve been fortunate to work for a lot of great head coaches.
Q: How did the Wildcat originate?
A: One of my assistant coaches, David Lee, who is coaching quarterbacks in Buffalo right now, was with me in Dallas. And then he left Dallas and went to Arkansas, and they were there with [Darren] McFadden and that group of guys, I think it was McFadden and Felix Jones. They started doing some things there, and I’ve had some past experiences with that myself. … It was my first year [as Dolphins head coach], and we had gone and played Arizona, and we got the pants beat off of us there. We just couldn’t generate yards and first downs. And my two best players at the time — beside my quarterback, which was [Chad] Pennington — were Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, and I needed to figure out as way to get those two guys on the field at the same time, and we had this plan in place. It was just; “Are you gonna put yourself out there to do this?” OK? It’s a risk. I’ve always said that you gotta take risks to gain reward.
Q: That’s why Parcells said “he’s not fearful” when asked about you.
A: I tell the players here, and I mentioned this [Thursday], that we don’t want to be want to be prisoners of the system. In other words, you don’t want to say, “This is the system and this is it.” And now you find this unique player, whoever it is, you have to … he can’t do this. Well if he can’t do it, then we need to find out what he can do. That’s something else I learned from a Bill Parcells — don’t tell me what the player can’t do, just tell me what he can do, and make him do it over and over again.
Q: What’s your definition of toughness?
A: Well, first of all, it’s mental. There’s some false toughness out there, and I think that the guys that are mentally tough are usually pretty physically tough.
Q: What drives you?
A: There’s two things that drive me in this business, and when they go away, then I need to go away. There’s always a chase to achieve what a lot of people in our business never achieve, is to be the world champions. And the other thing that drives me is watching players do it right. Watching players do what you’re asking them to do. And when you see that on film, there’s a tremendous reward for me that way. That, to me, really drives me. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Mark Sanchez or … some young guy that just came in on a tryout. You want to see him do it right, and see the smile on their face.
Q: What drives you crazy, what won’t you tolerate?
A: Turnovers … lack of effort … those things drive me crazy. When I know a player has ability, and I don’t see it coming out of them, that’ll frustrate me. Because I want to be able to reach ’em. I want to be able to help ’em. And I think in this business, the parade can pass you by really fast, and I don’t want that to happen to anybody under my watch.
Q: Do you realize offensive coordinator in New York can be a thankless job?
A (Chuckle) Well, I’m thankFUL, for the opportunity that Rex [Ryan] and Mike [Tannenbaum] and Woody [Johnson] have given me. But the opportunity to be back home and to be here with this organization has really … there was a point last season where … where it really wasn’t good for me, OK. And to have this opportunity right now has just been a real shot of adrenaline for me, and to be in this environment has been tremendous.
Q: How difficult was last season for you?
A: I know how hard my coaching staff worked at that time, and how hard my players worked. So the biggest disappointment for me was me feeling like I let my coaches and players down.
Q: Quick opinions — Vladimir Ducasse.
A: He’s got a lot of ability. I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far as to what he’s accomplished.
Q: Wayne Hunter.
A: This is a guy that I really liked two years ago when he was available in Miami. I like to let my eyes do the talking. As Coach Parcells would say, “This is a ‘show me’ game,” and right now, everything I’ve seen from him to date, I’ve liked watching.
Q: Shonn Greene.
A: Physical … strong … built the right way.
Q: Dustin Keller.
A: Talented player … that scared me when I was on the other sidelines.
Q: Santonio Holmes.
A: Really talented player that scared me when I was on the other sidelines (chuckle).
Q: Stephen Hill.
A: Stephen Hill has a ton of ability, and I think can be a really good player.
Q: Mark Sanchez.
A: Hard worker … passionate. And as guy that has a burning desire to succeed.
Q: Tim Tebow.
A: Hard-working, passionate guy as well … a football player.
Q: Rex Ryan.
A: People’s person … tremendous passion … and just tremendous fire inside him to want to be the best.
Q: Have you ever teased him about you getting the Miami job over him after Parcells ?
A: (Laugh) No way. I’m not going there!
Q: What was your reaction when the Jets traded for Brett Favre?
A: Uh-oh (smile). One of the things Bill always was a stickler about is knowing everybody’s roster, and making sure that you take care of the division. When Brett came in the division, I just have so much respect for him as a player … another playmaker at that time.
Q: What did you learn about Chad Pennington when you got him later that month?
A: Chad Pennington taught me more than I could have taught Chad Pennington. I would tell you that the biggest thing that I learned from Chad Pennington is that when you’re looking at a player, and you want to draw him up with the big arm, and this kind of body and stature and all those things, that what’s inside a player’s head and what’s inside a player’s chest sometimes can outmeasure that, and that guy has it.
Q: You handed him the game ball when you clinched the division against Favre and the Jets at Giants Stadium.
A: I remember that day, and I knew how much New York meant to Chad. … It was a lot of pressure at that point because you’re going into that game, and I can remember the game kinda like it was yesterday. To see the smile on his face at the end of it, was just the right thing to do.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Tom Landry, Red Auerbach, Joe Torre.
Q: Why Landry?
A: Just spending time in Dallas for as long as I was there, the stories I heard about him and his approach to the game I think was really unique, and being around some of those players, and getting a chance to know some of the people who played for him, I think this would be something I’d like to do. I’ve had a chance to sit down with Don Shula on many occasions, and that was so valuable to me.
Q: Why Torre?
A: I think dealing in the market that he had to deal in here in New York for so many years, watching him put together some of the teams that he put together, I would just love to get in his head a little bit and talk about player evaluations and dealing with the personalities that he’s dealt with that way. It just seemed like he always had a really good grasp of his teams.
Q: And Auerbach?
A: The dynasties, those type of things. Getting in his head a little bit about those things, overconfidence and how he approached some of those seasons that way. I’d really like to dig into his head. I’ve had a chance to obviously being side by side with somebody like Bill Parcells … getting to know Pat Riley, those type of people. … I just love that kind of interaction, that fascinates me a lot more than talking to an actor or somebody like that.
Q: You’ve had eight knee operations.
A; I’ve had five on my left, and three on my right. The left one is not great right now, obviously. Somewhere down the road, the left one needs to be replaced, but I’m not allowing that to happen, and that’s where the whole weight-loss thing came in. I lost 90 pounds probably … since that whole thing. I had to be operated on when I was in Miami at the end of the season, and that’s when they told me, “We need to replace it.” I didn’t want to do that. The best way for me to get around that was get the weight off and take some of the wear and tear off.
Q: You weighed 285 pounds?
A: Yeah, I was up as high even maybe as 290, somewhere in that range.
Q: As a boy growing up, what was your dream?
A: As a boy growing up honestly my dream always was to coach in the National Football League. I knew I wasn’t gonna be a player. It didn’t take me long to figure that out. Didn’t have the God-givens. … My goal wasn’t college, it wasn’t any of those things — it was to coach in the National Football League, and to be a head coach in the National Football League.
Q: Biggest early football influence?
A: Probably one of the biggest early influences was my high school history teacher. A guy named John “Buddy” Chernovitz. He was really instrumental in me, and the college I chose and the path that I took.
Q: Who are you more like, your mom or your dad?
A: I’m probably a little bit more like my dad than my mom. I would say that my dad can juggle a lot of things that way, and … his demeanor. But I have my mom’s passion and fire.
Q: Your dad liked the New York Football Giants?
A: We’d go to a few games, but we would watch every game. Once Monday Night Football came around and it was a school night, he would let me take an early nap and then wake me up for the Monday night and watch with him.
Q: Did you become a Giants fan?
A: Yeah I actually did. … Giants, Jets, Knicks, Mets … I’ve always just been a New York fan.
Q: Favorite Giants player?
A: Tucker Fredrickson. When I was younger, I worked at the Yale Bowl when the Giants were playing at the Yale Bowl. I was an usher at the games. Doug Kotar … Bob Tucker, the old tight end, those guys, I used to enjoy watching them play.
Q: Did you make good tips as an usher?
A: I did, yeah (smile).
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “The Godfather.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Al Pacino.
Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?
A: Kenny Chesney.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Anything that has my wife’s sauce on it.
Q: What’s so special about her sauce?
A: She makes a great Italian sauce.
Q: What do you want Jets fans to say about your offense?
A: I want them to be able to watch our offense and feel our identity. To not wonder what it is that we are, but to completely understand that’s what they are.
Q: And what will they be?
A: They’ll be physical, and they’ll be explosive.
steve.serby@nypost.com