Where does Belichick rank?

I count Young.
And I think Gronk is a lock for the HOF.
Vinateri too. In my haste, I overlooked him.

Only four, wow.
Lot of name recognition though
Brent Jones, John Taylor, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark, Tom Rathman, Randy Cross, Keena Turner, and Bill Romanowski was a 49er draft choice

Walsh has much larger and more successful coaching tree than Belichick.

 

How good-to-great would Brady have been with another coach? With Pete Carroll, Parcells or Rex Ryan?

 

Brady is likely at least in the same conversation with Brees, Rodgers and Rivers without Belichick and probably up there with Payton Manning (notoriously great in the regular season, falls just short in the post season).

 

He traded for Young, so you have to count him.

 

I can see the coaching tree working for and against someone.

Doesn't it add to the Belichick intrigue that so many of his assistants have shit the bed as soon as they got away from him?

 

Belichick is right there with the best of the best.

Gibbs is also one of the best of the best. He's forgotten too much. So is Landry.

 

That's interesting. I had never considered Bruschi a potential Hall-of-Famer. I'm not saying you're wrong, it was just funny seeing his name there. I played against him in high school.

 

Part of it is homerism, I admit. But Bruschi has been a face of the franchise for a while and he's in the national spotlight with his ESPN gig so I could see him getting some love when the time eventually comes to start inducting some of these Patriots.
I don't think he did enough to get in the NATIONAL Hall of Fame. He'll be in the Patriots' team HOF for sure though.
And am I alone in thinking Vinatieri should be a first-ballot HOFer?

 

Tedy Bruschi will not even be discussed in the Hall of Fame voting room. In a 13-year career he was a second-team All-NFL selection twice. Right place, right time, and likely not all that different from 20 other guys that Belichick could have drafted or signed to fit that role.

Great quote and a snazzy dresser, though.

 

Jason Varitek

 

Yeah, Bruschi is hometown favorite for sure, Hall of Fame? Not without a ticket.

I think the coaching tree works against Belichick. Aside from being an asshole with media, I think this is his Achillies Heel. How many of his assistants have been successful? I recall reading that's because he divides up so much among the coaches, keeping the grand scheme to himself that they learn little. They take nothing away from having worked with The Emperor, aside from what they brought.

I think Walsh was much more a teacher. Even Lombardi.

That said, I think Belichick fails to get credit for the innovation. He won how super bowls with out dominant running games or punishing defenses?
The had good defenses, occasionally elite, maybe. But seldom feared. Not like the Steelers or Ravens or Seattle.

Belichick was the guy who showed the league who to dismantle the Steelers 3-4 defense. With Brady throwing like 54 times - a lot of short passes- they abandoned the running and dismantled Blitzburgh.

 

Bruschi is a great guy, but I don't think he even thinks he'll make the Hall.