New England Patriots: Bill Belichick is in a class of his own
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is in a class of his own as he looks to re-write the record books once again this season.
The New England Patriots are in the midst of one of the greatest stretches for an NFL team in the history of the league. Since Bill Belichick has taken over, they have turned into a well-oiled machine of dominance.
Belichick hasn’t done it alone. Having one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Tom Brady certainly helps. However, there is only so much Brady can do. To succeed, Brady needs players around him, and Belichick is directly responsible for that.
In 18 seasons as head coach of the Patriots, Belichick has made the postseason 15 times. His first season as coach they missed the postseason, the year after their first Super Bowl victory and the season Brady got injured in Week 1.
With such sustained success, Belichick finds himself as the leader in some prestigious coaching categories.
This Sunday’s AFC Championship game will mark the 38th playoff game that Belichick has coached. That will extend the record he owns, as he surpassed Tom Landry and Don Shula, who are tied with 36. It will also be his 12th championship game as a coach, another record he is extending as Landry is second with 10.
The success is no surprise to his players. One player who commented on it was Ricky Jean-Francois, who signed with the Patriots in the middle of the season.
"“He focuses on the task at hand,” veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said. “He repeats that to us every other day — don’t listen to the noise outside, only listen to what goes on in this building.”"
Francois has played for four other organizations before signing with the Patriots this season. The attitude of the players and effort they put in is something that he says he loves about being with the team. Everyone is ready to work, something Belichick has instilled in them.
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That effort isn’t just coach speak. Whatever Belichick asks of his players to put in effort wise, he does the same.
During the draft process last year, Belichick was on the scouting trail according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Reiss detailed the visit that Belichick made to Vanderbilt to watch tape with defensive tackle Adam Butler.
Butler ended up not being drafted but was offered a contract as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots. It is an offer he accepted right away because of the interaction he had with Belichick during the draft process.
Belichick was the only coach to meet with Butler, and it paid off as Butler has appeared in every game with the Patriots this season.
"“To hear ‘yes’ from the greatest coach of all time, I take that personal,” said Butler. “He’s legendary. You can’t brush off anything he says, because he has the statistics to back it up. You’d be an absolute fool to pass up advice from somebody like that.”"
Belichick has had a luxury not many coaches are afforded in having Brady lead his team on the field all these seasons. However, he does deserve some credit as he puts in the work to have the Patriots be as successful of an organization as they are.
In addition to the other records mentioned previously, Belichick has the most Super Bowl wins by a single head coach with five. Chuck Noll is second with four. Belichick holds a 27-10 record in the postseason, good for a .730 winning percentage. Only Vince Lombardi, at 9-1, has a better postseason winning percentage for coaches who have at least 10 postseason games.
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If the Patriots are successful this weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Belichick will extend yet another record. It would be his eighth Super Bowl appearance as a head coach, and 11th overall.