In those dark days immediately following the resignation of Bill Parcells as head coach of the Patriots in 1997, reporters huddled together in the chill of those late-January evenings to watch cars driving in and out of the old Foxboro Stadium's parking lots.

Much like the comings and goings from the Nixon White House as Watergate was about to end his presidency, it was believed by the media corps that a chance sighting of a familiar face might offer clues to the identity of Parcells' successor.

That vigil was believed to have paid off one night when team owner Robert Kraft pulled into the administration building parking lot in his black Lexus sedan with Bill Belichick, Parcells' former defensive backs coach and de facto defensive mastermind, seated in the front passenger seat.

"Belichick? But he was fired in Cleveland just a year ago," media members wondered.

Indeed, the Tuna's right-hand man for all those years with the Giants had gone his own way to take a top job elsewhere, and even beat his former mentor in a playoff game in the 1994 season. But his abrasive personality and sour demeanor, and the misfortune of coaching a lame-duck team that was going to be shipped out of Cleveland after the '95 season, put Belichick on the unemployment line - from which he was rescued by Parcells for a run to Super Bowl XXXI with the Patriots. As it turned out, we were close. But the timing just wasn't right.

"When I was thinking of hiring Bill," Kraft said this week during Media Day festivities at University of Phoenix Stadium, "I know a lot of people thought that I was making an error and they based it on how he dealt with the media. They sent me tapes from his experience in Cleveland. But in the end, I am into substance; I am not into lipstick and powder."

Kraft saw the substance in Belichick even then. But a combination of the reluctance of Belichick to return to the head-coaching ranks so quickly, and of Kraft's desire to find a player-friendly coach who might smooth ruffled feathers, put that relationship on the back burner.

Belichick went with Parcells to the New York Jets. Kraft hired Pete Carroll after the former San Francisco defensive coordinator knocked his socks off in an interview. It took three years, and more than a few wrong turns by both Belichick and Kraft, for the relationship to be renewed and cemented in place.

Today, on the eve of Super Bowl XLII, Kraft and Belichick represent the most successful partnership in the NFL. Kraft built a beautiful new stadium out of his own pocket and has become one of the league's most influential owners, having headed the negotiations for a new TV contract that made all 31 of his fellow owners filthy rich. Belichick has won three Super Bowls for him already, and is on the verge of completing a 19-0 season, once believed impossible in the age of free agency and the salary cap.

It's no wonder their statements about each other read like a romance novel.

"I appreciate what Robert did to bring me to the Patriots, giving up a No. 1 draft choice, and giving me a lot of support," Belichick said. "He has given me the opportunity to run the program the way I feel it needs to be run. Scott Pioli and I have been able to put together a roster and team that we feel like is competitive and Robert has given us a lot of support on that, both financially and upgrading our facilities tremendously with the stadium and training area.

"When I spent time with Bill in 1996 when he was on our staff," Kraft said, "I found him to be someone I could relate to, who I felt good about. Maybe part of it was his training in college in economics, but to be good in the business of football today - and good to me is not being good one year but trying to sustain it year in and year out - you have to understand economics, you have to understand value and you have to understand the salary cap and how it works and know that if you make bad decisions, you will be penalized for many years, not just quarters.

"I'm trying to put it in Wall Street terms," Kraft said. "You know how management is thrown out when they don't do well; you have the same thing here. What you have to guard against is if you have a management team with a short-term focus, they'll do whatever they have to do to win in the short term and maybe cripple your cap in the long term. If they leave or get fired, you are in deep trouble."

One of Belichick's favorite catch-phrases in regard to personnel matters is "value." He establishes values (both athletically and financially) for players and then finds players who fit the parameters, rather than trying to coax more (or accept less) from players who don't fit the mold. "I think every discussion I had with Bill, he understood value and players and how they fit under the cap," Kraft said. "And if we've had any success, I think a great part of it is his judgment in knowing players and how they fit in a system in the salary cap era."

That's not to say that the relationship hasn't endured its challenges. A reminder of that came Friday when it was learned that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., was dredging up the "Spygate" controversy from the beginning of the season by demanding that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain why the illegal videotapes made by the Patriots to steal signals from the New York Jets' defensive coaches were destroyed by the league.

Specter has apparently been convinced by his Philadelphia-area constituents that the Patriots' 24-21 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX is suspect because of the controversy. Goodell, meanwhile, is on the record in saying that he does not believe the Patriots tainted their three Super Bowl victories in any way, and that he did not believe the videotaping of the Jets in this year's season opener had any bearing upon that game, either.

Still, there has been an embarrassment "value" to the Patriots from the controversy - not to mention a $500,000 fine for Belichick, a $250,000 fine for Kraft, and the forfeiture of a first-round draft pick.

But, like his coach, Kraft just wants to move on.

"We had just won a great game and that was not my first choice of what would happen," Kraft said. "I am not sure all of the facts are out on that. We all know that it had no impact on any game this season. We have moved on from it.

"But it did do one thing I think in a way, it helped solidify the relationship that Bill and I have developed," he said. "And it has evolved because we did stand together and he explained it to me and he had my full support."

"We have a good relationship," Belichick said. "We spend time together in and out of the office. I think philosophically, we are on the same page and I appreciate the support that he has given me through the years I have been there and even the year in '96.

"That was an awesome year for me, coming from Cleveland," he recalled. "We came to play in the Super Bowl against Green Bay and come back with people like Al (Groh), Romeo (Crennel), Mike Sweatman, Charlie Weis and Bill (Parcells). I got to know Robert and the Patriots organization.

"I'm sure that had a lot to do with eventually my return in 2000," Belichick said. "He's a good man to work for and a good friend."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com