Bill Belichick: The Greatest Coach in NFL History
Bill Belichick: One of the Greatest NFL Coaches of All Time
By Stephen Juza, Co-founder: https://pro-football-history.com
Out of almost 500 coaches in NFL history, few have had the level of impact that Bill Belichick has had on the NFL.
A coach in one way or another for the last forty-six years, Belichick began his career in 1976 as a staff assistant for the Baltimore Colts and spent most of his career coaching defence before becoming head of his own team.
While he is now known as the head coach of the New England Patriots, he first grew to national prominence as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants for their Super Bowl victories in 1986 and 1990.
From there, he accepted his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns. After six seasons and only one playoff win, he was fired when the team moved to Baltimore.
After a brief return to an assistant role for the New York Jets, he became the head coach of the Patriots in 2000.
Over his last 21 seasons as the head coach of the Patriots, he has put together one of the most accomplished careers in NFL history:
Belichick’s NFL Career In Numbers
6 Super Bowl Wins (most all-time)
17 Division Championships (most all-time)
31 Playoff Wins (most all-time)
275 Wins (3rd all-time)
68% Win Percentage (11th all-time)
3-time Coach of the Year (Tied for 2nd most of all time)
While his career started on defense, the Patriots dynasty has been led by both sides of the ball at different times.
During their first string of Super Bowls in the early 2000s, the team’s strength was their defense led by All-Pros Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour.
It wasn’t until 2007 that the offense became the dominating force of the team and a model for other teams to aspire to become.
Over the next decade, the offense consistently set new records of success behind future Hall of Famers such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Randy Moss.
In recent years, the defense returned as the strength of the team behind reigning defensive player of the year Stephen Gilmore.
Belichick in the Front Office
Belichick’s success isn’t confined to the field, it’s also present in the front office.
He’s also been in charge of putting together the roster during his time with the Patriots.
The flexibility in team construction, shifting the focus from defense, to offense, and back to defense has been vital to the Patriots success. While past dynasties have relied on one core group of players, the Patriots cannot be defined in the same manner due to free agency.
Many of their star players have left the team, forcing the team to constantly update their tactics to accommodate their new players.
As players have come and gone, so have his assistant coaches. Seven of his top assistants from the Patriots have been hired as head coaches around the league, leading to a constant turnover on his coaching staff.
While his assistants have consistently failed as a head coach, Belichick has been able to replace coordinators successfully with apt leaders and continue winning.
The Patriots have won a record eleven consecutive AFC East titles, seventeen in all under Belichick’s lead. Not only is this a record among coaches, but it is also more than most teams.
When in the playoffs, Belichick is at his best. His teams’ win percentage has improved to 72% under his leadership, among the highest in NFL history.
His 31 playoff wins are 11 more than the next coach, and more than double the next currently active coach.
These playoff victories have translated into nine Super Bowl appearances, with six victories. With the most championship appearances, second of all time, Belichick has defined success for the league arguably better than any coach.
2020 Season
The 2020 season was Belichick’s most challenging in his career. The one constant during his Patriots career had been Tom Brady, who left the team via free agency in March.
Additionally, a league-high eight players opted out of the season due to Covid-19 concerns. At least one player, starting QB Cam Newton, has missed playing a regular season game due to a Covid-19 infection, with one game postponed due to a team outbreak.
Beyond the player turnover, recent frequent coaching departures have left his staff depleted, leading to one of the least experienced coaching staffs in his career. The Patriots do not have a dedicated defensive coordinator, and eight of the twelve position coaches have never coached that position group in the NFL.
The Patriots will have to overcome these challenges in order to continue their streak of division titles. They currently trail the 4-1 Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, and the Bills seem poised to build off of last year’s playoff appearance. If there is a coach up to the challenge, it is Bill Belichick.
Read more about NFL coaches on pro-football-history.com. My most recent blog post looked into how successful coaches are in their second head coaching position.
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