You will remember him for many things.
You'll remember his hoodie.
You'll remember his resting bitch face.
His grumpy, mumbled responses during press conferences are still fresh in your memory.
He will be remembered for his strange but memorable resignation as “NYJ's HC.”
You may remember him from “Spygate” and “Deflategate.”
He will be remembered for his awkward handshake with the head coach after the game.
You'll remember him for being “headed to Cincinnati.”
But as he officially parted ways with the Patriots on Thursday after 24 seasons as the NEP's HC and is “moving on” to his next chapter, we should remember who Bill Belichick really is: The greatest coach in NFL history.
I may not have liked Belichick while he unapologetically dominated the NFL, beating my favorite teams along the way, but I can't help but respect and marvel at this result. not.
- His total number of wins is 333 (including playoffs), second only to Don Shula's 347.
- He had a 266-121 record in New England and appeared in nine Super Bowls, winning six of them.
- His 17 district championships are the most of any head coach in NFL history.
- He coached the Patriots to nine conference championships, the most by a head coach in the Super Bowl era.
But these remarkable numbers and the surly press conference persona that ultimately turned Belichick into a caricature of himself shouldn't cloud your view of who he is. That's a guy with a very sharp sense of humor and personality behind closed doors who you'd also want to have a beer with during a round of golf.
I've had the unique experience of covering Belichick since his days as an assistant coach with the Giants under head coach Bill Parcells, but the side of Belichick that has been portrayed in public over the past few decades is a far cry from the unsavory side that has been portrayed in public. I've seen this side of him.
I will remember that Belichick, who served as an assistant coach under Parcells, was great, motivated and a good source of information for reporters who covered the team on a regular basis.
I'll also remember Belichick's humble and unassuming side. I'll never forget former Jets head coach Herman Edwards telling me a story about him chatting with Belichick on the sideline before a Week 2 meeting in Foxboro during the 2001 season.
The Patriots went 5-11 in Belichick's first season in New England, and were 0-1 against the Jets that day on September 23, 2001, but Belichick had Edwards before the game. He said he expected to be fired after the season. How things are progressing.
In that game, in which the Jets won 10-3, dropping the Patriots to 0-2, Jets linebacker Mo Lewis hit New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe in the chest, causing internal injuries. He was knocked out and forced to be replaced by Belichick. Him and rookie Tom Brady.
Of course, the rest is history.
What we know about the Patriots and Bill Belichick's split
The Patriots and Bill Belichick will reportedly part ways on Thursday after 24 years and six Super Bowl championships.
Rumors have been circulating all season about Belichick's future, as the Patriots finished 4-13 and missed the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Belichick met with Patriots owner Robert Kraft over the past few days and subsequently reached a mutual decision.
Belichick has a career record of 266-121 with the Patriots, including 31 wins in the playoffs.
The 71-year-old has no plans to retire and needs just 15 more wins to match Don Shula's all-time regular season and playoff wins record by a head coach in NFL history.
According to ESPN, the Falcons are Belichick's most likely suitor after firing Arthur Smith at the end of the season.
Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is considering Mike Vrabel, who was fired by the Titans, as the likely replacement for Belichick, and that's a possibility. Other players with past ties to the Patriots could also be considered, including Brian Flores and Josh McDaniel.
So, as Belichick said “goodbye” to New England on Thursday, my memories are of his greatness as a coach, which I believe he ultimately took for granted in New England, and of his It's the fact that there's a human behind the beloved caricature. To hate it.
My favorite moment with Belichick was during the 2003 season, when he was about to coach the Patriots in the AFC Championship game against the Colts, aiming for their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.
I arranged a one-on-one interview with Belichick in Foxborough in advance to discuss Belichick's controversial departure from the Jets in January 2000 and how far he has come since that disaster. heard. The first question I asked him was about Steve Gutman, who was the president of the Jets at the time. He described Belichick as one step away from being institutionalized on the day of his famous resignation.
“I think I spent an hour and a half listening to people who were confused,” Gutman said that day.
Belichick's answer to my question was his first public comment on the subject since leaving the Jets. I can't think of anyone in professional sports, and certainly in my 30 years of professional football, who has said as much and won less as Steve Gutman. ”
For a coach as modest and uncontroversial as Belichick, this is a true bombshell.
My most touching memory of Belichick in New England was his relationship with his father, Steve, who served as an assistant coach and scout at the U.S. Naval Academy for 34 years. I loved watching Steve Belichick coach his son in the Super Bowl with the Patriots.
Belichick had a special love and respect for his father. His father's long and distinguished coaching career completely shaped his own remarkable 49-year coaching career (and counting). When I asked him about his father, he always had a warm smile on his face.
Certainly, there's more to a man wearing a hoodie and frowning.
