Where does Belichick rank?

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

I think it's a pretty safe bet, Tom Brady leaves the NFL as the best QB to ever play.

How about Bill Belichick? Best ever?
Does the "cheating" diminish his accomplishments? Is he only as good as as QB?


I hate to say it, but I think he's prolly the best ever?
Lombardi was great, but I think Walsh is the only other coach who could lay claim to GOAT.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Belichick himself believes Paul Brown was the greatest coach ever.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Belichick himself believes Paul Brown was the greatest coach ever.

So did Walsh.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Walsh probably had the biggest impact on the game, at least as far as people copying his style and there was one point where there was an insane number of coaches from Walsh's tree across the NFL.

Lombardi, Belichick and Walsh would be my top 3.

 

[steveu]

Let's see how Deflategate plays out. That will go a long way toward cementing the status of Belichick.

And even though he'd be in my top five, no way he goes past Lombardi.

 

[JC]

Deflate gates a joke and has no bearing on his legacy.

 

[MisterCreosote]

"SpyGate" does.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Prolly? Are you a 12-year-old girl?

 

[exmediahack]

Four SB wins in 15 years, six appearances during that time.

Yes... I'll say it. GOAT for Belichick.

Walsh runs in for 11 years with SF and had that stupendous run with 3 SB in 3 tries. Noll had 4/4 in the 1970s but, in the last 12 years, Pittsburgh was a bit player during the 1980's in the weak AFC.

Since 2001, Belichick has almost always had the Patriots on the precipice of playing for something big.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I also give him points for doing it in the salary-cap era. Once Walsh got his team together, it was pretty easy to see how it could just about run on auto-pilot (and did with Seifert as a rookie coach). Couldn't keep all that talent around these days.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Walsh's 49ers were banging heads with two other multiple Super Bowl winning teams in his era, the Giants and Redskins, plus the '85 Bears. I rate this one as the Patriots best Super Bowl victory because it's by far the best team they beat to win a title.

 

[LongTimeListener]

You know whose HOF credentials got a lot stronger last night? Tom Coughlin's.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

I think he was the GOAT before this, but this certainly makes it easier to back up. Looking back at his early success he always seemed like the difference more than his players did. I'm still baffled by those losses to the just pretty good Giants teams which are major holes in his resume.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Mostly inability to pass block. Hard to scheme away that failure. Giants just a tough matchup for them, like the Ravens are.

 

[exmediahack]

There's also the intangible factor with Belichick. He's a mysterious dude, a grinder but one who has carte blanche in the organization.

What also helps him is that, as far as NFL coaches go, he is untouchable as far as ownership goes. He's able to take chances on guys who other coaches wouldn't take in because they're worried about a "coach killer" entering the locker room.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

That power is a benefit for most players. They know they have to make one guy happy and only one. Keeps things simpler than say if you're working for the 49ers.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

I also give him points for doing it in the salary-cap era. Once Walsh got his team together, it was pretty easy to see how it could just about run on auto-pilot (and did with Seifert as a rookie coach). Couldn't keep all that talent around these days.

Agree.
I remember after the Cowboys run, sportswriters coast to coast were saying the days of the dynasties were over due to free agency.


And I'll add this:
How many HOF'ers did Walsh have? Six, eight, 10, including the greatest possession receiver of all time. The same with Lombardi.
How many HOF'ers will Belichick have had? Honestly, no running back stands out. Maybe, maybe one receiver (Moss doesn't count). I think several OL men get the call and a few defenders, like Harrison, but by and large the Pats were a dynasty by committee.
And that's pretty impressive.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

Agree.
I remember after the Cowboys run, sportswriters coast to coast were saying the days of the dynasties were over due to free agency.


And I'll add this:
How many HOF'ers did Walsh have? Six, eight, 10, including the greatest possession receiver of all time. The same with Lombardi.
How many HOF'ers will Belichick have had? Honestly, no running back stands out. Maybe, maybe one receiver (Moss doesn't count). I think several OL men get the call and a few defenders, like Harrison, but by and large the Pats were a dynasty by committee.
And that's pretty impressive.

I think you're overestimating it. After Brady, Gronkowski needs to keep it up for a long time, then it's a bunch of maybes (Law, Harrison, Woolfork) and rentals (Moss, Revis). He and Brady are the constants, and it's in the eye of the beholder which is the dominant partner. To me, having watched the first run when Brady was kind of like Roethlesberger and Eli , the first time so I think it's Belichek.

 

[joe king]

It's amazing that so many people think Bill Belichick is the greatest coach ever but can't spell his name.

 

[schiezainc]

If we're talking Hall of Famers from this Patriots' run (Which I think is fascinating btw), I'd go:

FIRST-BALLOT LOCKS: Brady and Belichick.
Strong contenders: Vinatieri, Harrison, Law
Potential contenders: Wilfork, Bruschi, Gronk
Rentals: Moss, Revis, Seau.