Bill Belichick just had greatest run for any head coach in NFL History.
In a total of 24 seasons, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles, reached 9 Super Bowls and won 6 of them. All during an era in which the league was set up for turnover and parity, as was the case for nearly every other team during that same stretch.
Two things can be true at once: Tom Brady can be the best player in NFL history and Bill Belichick can be the greatest coach in NFL history. Brady undoubtedly helped Belichick have immense success, while Belichick played a massive role in Brady’s development. They are the GOATs at their respective jobs.
Under Belichick’s leadership, the Patriots had an unparalleled run of unlikely success stories forged by his relentless scouting pursuits and the belief that as a coach you needed to focus on what a player could do best and maximize that. From turning a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Troy Brown to a cornerback late in his career, finding a college QB in Julian Edelman who became one of the clutch playoff players ever or a college champion wrestler in Stephen Neal who didn’t play football and developing him into a starter on a Super Bowl team, there was no stone left unturned.
And on the field, anyone who appreciates football scheme and strategy has been glued to the Patriots for 24 seasons. Belichick crafted some of the greatest individual game plans in NFL history, including Super Bowl XXXVI when the team pulled what was then the biggest Super Bowl upset ever over the St. Louis Rams. Every game was also like a learning experience for football junkies, as the preparation and attention to detail was off the charts.
An iconic 24-year stretch.