“Two elsewhere titles” involving New England Patriots’ coaches

I am going way out with esoteric notes because the hype regarding Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and its presentation with the usual loudmouthed suspects (if only we could not “round them up” but silence them/it) is too much.

A look at New England Patriots coaching history evokes thoughts of “Two elsewhere titles,” and perhaps some interesting notes.

Of course, though such near, if not legendary, football figures as Raymond Berry, Pete Carroll and Bill Parcells have coached the Patriots to the playoffs, only current coach, Bill Belichick with 4, has brought a title to New England.

Belichick starts our “Two Elsewhere” “reach” as he was an assistant coach on two New York Giants’ Super Bowl winning teams. He also was the losing coach, in games in which the Giants secured their other 2 Super Bowl wins.

The head coach in the two Giants’ Supe wins with Belichick, is the aforementioned Parcells, giving him “Two elsewhere” titles.

Last year’s 4th New England Super Bowl win was against another former coach, who guided them to playoff appearances (1997 and 1998), Pete Carroll.

Carroll’s decision not to run Mar Lynch near the goal in the game’s final minute will be long remembered.

Alas perhaps so should the “Two Elsewhere” titles not in the NFL (there he has one) but in college, a shared title in 2003, and an undisputed one with USC in 2004.

While Parcells and Carroll are near great coaches and Belichick is a great one, none come close to exuding the class of the 1985 season Pats’ coach, Raymond Berry.

He is a truly good, understated man (for the record I like Belichick and never met him, am not thrilled with Carroll but never met him and the less said about Parcells, the better) who won three road playoff games with the 1985 team, before they were trounced by the Chicago Bears in that season’s Super Bowl.

The “Two Elsewhere” involving Mr. Berry, were titles won as a great receiver of famed John Unitas passes in both 1958 and 1959 title winning seasons.

It comes full circle in this sense. Berry’s heroic pass catching of Unitas passes in the 1958 title game in media capital, New York was the start of pro football’s incredible popularity.

This week’s hype with all of those “usual suspects” probably would not have manifested without Berry’s great performance in 1958.

However, Berry’s greatness and memories of that somewhat pure great game remain, as I tune out the hype so inherent in the present monolith NFL.

Raymond Berry, Catches #’s 9 & 10 @ 1958 NFL Championship

“Unitas to Berry” indeed!