Opinions About Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots

In trying to assess Bill Belichick’s obvious bottom line greatness as a football coach, I also want to give the New England Patriots their proper high ranking among all-time football teams, and their (2001-2014 and likely at least a bit into the future) span, as one of the best in any North American major professional sports league.

Following this weekend’s Super Bowl XLIX, Bill Belichick’s 4 Super Bowl wins ties Chuck Noll, the late great Pittsburgh Steelers coach for that record.

The first three Super Bowl wins were by three points, two on game ending Adam Viniatieri field goals. This fourth triumph, achieved by a four point margin, truly is significant in Patriots’ emotions and achievement.

This year’s accomplishments for Belichick and the Pats:

They struggled in the divisional playoffs vs a Baltimore Ravens franchise that is (2-2) vs the Patriots in playoff games all since 2009. (The two Ravens wins were “far, far (cue Ronald Colman) “better”/easier than the two Pats wins, each a monumental struggle).

Next came the AFC Title game, where the Pats’ demolition of the Indianapolis Colts whose kicker is Viniatieri, was overshadowed by the pressure in the footballs.

Finally, an incredibly close Super Bowl win vs the defending champion Seahawks.

Mr. Belichick also has 2 Super Bowl wins as an assistant coach with the New York Giants, the 1990 season win clearly more to do with his defensive unit than any other aspect of the Giants’ play.

Once when Belichick was undefeated as much as (10-0) with the Pats in the playoffs, and (11-1) all-time, he was compared favorably to the immortal Vince Lombardi as the NFL’s greatest coach.

I opined no to that then, and most eventually changed to that thought as time moved inexorably forward.

Bill Belichick is one of the best NFL coaches ever, but not the greatest. This Patriots era is one of the best ever, not the greatest.

“You know what they say about opinions, they are like posteriors– everyone has one,” is one of the best maxims ever. Alas, even that is an opinion.