By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, Globe Columnist, 2/2/2002

EW ORLEANS - It's not a warm and fuzzy relationship anymore. In fact, they probably haven't spoken since Bill Belichick left the Jets after Bill Parcells had named him his handpicked successor.

But Parcells, who will learn of a possible Hall of Fame selection today, did get the following accolades from Belichick, who served Parcells well for many years with the Giants, Jets, and Patriots.

''In working with Bill, one of the things I really appreciated was the opportunity that he gave me to coach the way I wanted to coach,'' said Belichick. ''He never asked me to coach the way he coached, and I probably wouldn't have been very good at it anyway. He gave me a lot of latitude. There were certainly parameters we worked in, and I knew what he wanted and I wouldn't do anything outside of those boundaries. But he gave me the flexibility to do what I thought was best in the areas I had responsibility for.''

Parcells has strong supporters for a nomination to Canton, Ohio. But there's still a feeling among voters he may return to coaching, which works against him.

Belichick will soon be looking for a new contract for offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, whose two-year deal expires after the Super Bowl. Weis is believed to be asking for what former San Diego offensive coordinator Norv Turner earned, in the $500,000 range. Atlanta signed Wade Phillips to a $750,000 deal yesterday to be its defensive coordinator.

''No. 1, Charlie is smart,'' said Belichick. ''He's a very bright guy. He picks things up quickly. I think he really understands concepts and offensively can put a lot of things together, which you need to be able to do being an offensive coordinator. He's imaginative and can do things to keep the defense off balance, and I think he's good on game day, which requires quick thinking, making adjustments and analyzing what's going on on the other side of the ball, and how to defend us.

''The other thing about Charlie is he's not afraid to take a chance. He's not afraid to roll the dice. I'm not talking about just blind luck, but here's a situation that we've got a pretty good chance to be successful on. He does it with confidence and most of them work out.''

The only other Patriots coach whose contract is expiring is strength coach Mike Woicik.

Seattle running back Shaun Alexander could have been a Patriot. The trade-off would have been not giving up a No. 1 pick to the Jets to free Belichick from his contract. The Patriots likely would have taken Alexander, who played at Alabama. ''I know. I've heard the stories,'' said Alexander, who had a breakout season with 1,318 yards rushing. ''Bill Belichick is a great coach and he's shown that he's worth the pick.'' ... Familiar faces in the French Quarter: Former Red Sox John Valentin and Bret Saberhagen... Small World Dept.: Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington is represented by David Dunn, agent for Drew Bledsoe. Harrington is from Portland, Ore., and recalls, ''years ago my little brothers were the altar boys at Drew's wedding.'' Harrington, expected to be a high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, said Bledsoe has been very helpful in offering career advice ... Small World II: Rams defensive end Grant Wistrom's father, Ron, coached Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek in Little League in Orlando, Fla. ... Hingham's Cara McDonough, daughter of Globe columnist Will McDonough, was chosen as this year's recipient of the Pro Football Writers Association scholarship. Cara is a freshman at Harvard.

As the Patriots made their improbable surge to the AFC Championship this season, the citizens of Hartford could only imagine what it would be like to be preparing to welcome the team to their city next season. ''I'm still peeved,'' said former mayor Michael Peters, who left office Dec. 4. ''There was always the risk that they were using us to get a better deal, but I don't think anyone has the right to pull the heartstrings of any community like they did.'' Owner Robert Kraft, upset that the Massachusetts government wouldn't contribute public money to a new football stadium, signed a preliminary agreement in November 1998 to move to Hartford and play in a new $350 million stadium. Kraft pulled out the following April, after last-minute negotiations with Massachusetts and the NFL produced an agreement to help build CMGI Field, which opens next season. ''It's too bad how that went down,'' said linebacker Ted Johnson. ''The people of Hartford got the raw end of the deal. But let's face it, Boston is where the team should be.''

Material from wire services contributed to this report.