Steven M. Sipple: Parrella gets high grades from NFL mentor

Tom Gannam St. Louis Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle instructs defensive back Kendric Burney (42) during a 2012 training camp practice.John Parrella was a run-stopping kingpin for the 2002 Oakland Raiders team that reached Super Bowl XXXVII.

So, when he burst past blockers and sacked Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair in the AFC Championship Game, the Raiders' sideline went wild.

Parrella also went wild, then-Raiders defensive line coach Mike Waufle recalled Tuesday with a hearty laugh.

"There was so much energy in his celebration — it lit up the whole stadium," Waufle said.

Now in his fifth decade of either college or NFL coaching, Waufle is perhaps Parrella's foremost mentor.…