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Belichick out in New England

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djefferis

djefferis

Joined
Jan 8, 2024
Messages
2,100
Big question is - where does he rank all time amongst NFL coaches?

It’s a tough thing to compare coaches from different eras - with different players. I’ll just toss this stat out there though:

BB with Brady as QB - 249-75
BB without Brady - 84-103

Obviously some of those losses resulted from just an aging team left without its leader on the field when Brady left - but even taking those out - he’s a .500 coach basically.

Compare him to Chuck Knoll - after he lost Bradshaw and all the cogs to the Steelers dynasty. Knoll was .500 year in and year out - never bad enough to know it was time to step down - or get a high pick - but never great either.

Without Brady alone - Pats had pieces - they were starting to build that team before he got there. Say you take out the 2008 Patriots who went 11-5 without Brady and the first year without Brady where they still had pieces of the dynasty - and the 2 years after Brady left (7-9 and 10-7). You get a much clearer picture of the coaching legend.

Don’t get me wrong - BB helped make Brady what he was - and assembled the pieces around him. He’s a legend - but he also had a huge boost in Brady. Let’s say there was no Brady and Bledsoe came back the next year and started - Pats are still a winning team - just for a shorter period. No way Bledsoe sticks around more than a decade or plays at Brady levels - and no way they win more than 2 championships with him. Winning a Super Bowl or 2 isn’t bad - but it puts you in Pete Caroll territory- not Landry/Knoll/Paul Brown status.
 

djefferis

djefferis

Joined
Jan 8, 2024
Messages
2,100
Is he really a legend??
Brady made him period
So called great coaches have all time great players
Brady made him GREAT

Legand - yes.
GOAT - debatable
Greatest in 2000s/2010s - yes

Your legendary when you are the consensus best of a decade - he is that 2x over in my book.

His legacy relies heavily on 1 guy - but he’s hardly the first to do that / or the first whose record was aided by having a superstar lead his team. Some guys got lucky and landed superstar after superstar (Yankees for example - lose an aging Joe DiMaggio - pick up a young Mickey Mantle).

BB had the “luxury” of not having to worry about that with the ageless Brady.

At the same time - as I said - comparing generations is tough. The NFL is far different today than 1970s - a lot harder to win 300 when you only play 12 regular season games against a league half the size than it is in the league today. Kinda like how a 1000 yard rusher was likely the top rusher in the league and a 1000 yard receiver meant you had an elite QB helping you in the 70s.

Take away Brady - we are still talking about him.
 

djefferis

djefferis

Joined
Jan 8, 2024
Messages
2,100
You can argue the record without Brady all you want. Best defensive mind the NFL has eve

I’ll take Buddy Ryan over him.

Again - good - but give me a coke fueled LT for the Giants in the 80s and I’d be a pretty damn good defensive mind too.

Willie McGinist (sp) on the Pats was probably in my top 5 defensive players to watch of the 90s - Cortez K, Derrick Thomas, Seau were ahead slightly - but again good made great by coaching.
 
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