Bill Belichick: Career retrospective
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has seen it all. Since landing his first NFL coaching gig in 1975, Belichick has established himself as one of the greatest coaches of all time. A legend in the sport and a hero to the people of New England, Belichick always finds a way to win. Today, we’ll break down his legendary career.
according to Tom Brady. The six-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots is known to occasionally show off his stick stills. In the end, Belichick stuck with football. The rest is history.
A diehard fan of the sport, Belichick often attends lacrosse games and even signed former Penn State lacrosse star Chris Hogan to play wide receiver for the Patriots in 2016.
Denver Broncos. These experiences helped him work his way up the coaching ladder while earning respect around the league. The New York Giants were where Belichick really started to build his legacy.
Bill Parcells replaced Perkins in 1983, he retained Belichick as linebackers coach. Determined to build a winning culture in the Big Apple, Parcells and Belichick would lead the Giants franchise into one of its most successful tenures.
a goal-line stand against the Denver Broncos in 1989.
Phil Simms went down with an injury.
In the playoffs, they blew out the Chicago Bears, 31-3, and ended Joe Montana’s career with the 49ers thanks to George Martin’s hit in a defensive-oriented NFC Championship Game.
The Giants faced the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Belichick drew up a masterful game plan, holding the highest-scoring offense in the league to just 19 points. The Giants won this Super Bowl classic thanks to Scott Norwood’s last-second missed field goal.
Cleveland Browns head coaching job and walked out of the building with the job. Belichick was finally going to be a head coach in the NFL.
Art Modell announced he was relocating the team to Baltimore as an expansion team, the Baltimore Ravens. Under the challenging circumstances, Belichick’s Browns went 5-11 in the franchise’s last year in Cleveland. Belichick was fired as head coach.
The Browns came back to Cleveland as an expansion team in 1999. They’ve gone to the playoffs twice since then.
New York Jets head coach and brought Belichick with him as his handpicked defensive coordinator. Taking over a team that was just 1-15 a year ago was a tough undertaking. Parcells and Belichick led the hapless Jets to a 9-7 record in 1997, one of the best team turnarounds in NFL history. The Jets took off in 1998 by going 12-4 and losing in the AFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, they disappointed New York by going 8-8 the following year.
Robert Kraft gave Belichick full control of team decision-making. Belichick was the Patriots head coach and general manager, a role he’d thrive in. Although, there were some initial growing pains.
The Belichick era had a disappointing 5-11 start in 2000. They were looking to play better in 2001. When franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury after a bone-chilling hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis , an unknown quarterback named Tom Brady took over the starting job. No one knew this then, but this injury forever changed NFL history.
Bill Belichick Patriots answered the critics by winning three Super Bowls in four years. They beat the St. Louis Rams and The Greatest Show on Turf in Super Bowl XXXVI. They went back-to-back by defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The early 2000s Patriots were some of the best teams ever assembled .
Eric Mangini accused the Patriots of filming his team’s defensive signals. Possessing this information would give the Patriots a seismic advantage in games. Mangini, a former Patriots coach during their title run who turned the Jets into a playoff team during his tenure with the organization, was viewed as a credible source. The Spygate scandal questioned the Patriots’ Super Bowl victories and gave the Patriots a label as a team of cheaters.
As a consequence of Spygate, the Patriots organization was fined and had to forfeit their first-round pick in 2008.
Randy Moss and Wes Welker. The Patriots were unstoppable all year, finishing 16-0. They marched into Super Bowl XLII undefeated. Their hopes of becoming the second team in NFL history to have a perfect season were dashed when the New York Giants pulled off the biggest upset in sports history, winning 17-14.
We’re onto Cincinnati” press conference, the Patriots rallied and finished the year 12-4. The team embodied New England’s famous “do your job” slogan.
Fate was on their side in the playoffs. The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks and the Legion of Boom, thanks to a late-game interception of Russell Wilson by Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler.
Indianapolis Colts thought the Patriots’ game footballs felt lighter than the league average during the 2014 AFC Championship Game. By deflating their footballs, the Patriots had an easier time slinging the ball across the field, especially in the cold Massachusetts air. An investigation ensued.
The Patriots were penalized for Deflategate. They were fined, lost their 2016 first-round pick, and Tom Brady was suspended for four games.
Nick Foles. This game broke the record for yards gained by both teams, among other offensive records.
Determined to rebound from the previous year’s loss, the Patriots fought hard and won a defensive battle over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, 13-3.
Wes Welker, and Malcolm Butler. Players would often take pay cuts or finish their careers in New England for a chance to win a Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and warmer weather) in March 2020, it signaled the end of an era. The greatest dynasty in North American sports history had come to a close.
surpassed George Halas for the second-most all-time wins at 325. He’s now only behind Don Shula (347).
As one season blends into another, the only guarantee in the football world is Belichick drawing up solid game plans for the Pats. The first-ballot Hall of Famer shows no signs of slowing down.
David J. Hunt is a freelance writer based out of Philadelphia. He ran cross country at Penn State, became a volunteer firefighter during COVID-19, and is a self taught journalist. He’s a diehard Philly sports fan. When he isn’t watching sports, he enjoys working out, fishing, and traveling. You can find more of his writing at The Chestnut Hill Local and The Temple News. You can follow him on Twitter at @dave_hunt44.
