CLEVELAND — Bill Belichick cemented himself as the best NFL coach of all time a couple of years in the past, someday across the Patriots’ fifth and sixth Super Bowl titles.
But for the 70-year-old coach, there are nonetheless steps above on the legacy ladder. On Sunday, Belichick moved one rung increased, leaving only one coach forward of him on the all-time wins record.
The Patritos’ 38-15 overcome the Browns clinched Belichick’s 324th profession win, tying him with George Halas for second-most all time. Belichick can surpass Halas subsequent Monday evening in opposition to the Bears, Halas’ previous workforce, in a primetime showdown at Gillette Stadium. If he wins No. 325, the one coach forward of him shall be Don Shula, who received 347 video games.
Sunday’s matchup carried a private contact for Belichick, who began his head-coaching profession in Cleveland within the early ’90s. Belichick made no point out of that post-game, however his longest-tenured captain, Matthew Slater, did.
“(It’s) unbelievable what he’s done. And I think it’s only fitting that we’re here in Cleveland, the place that ran him out,” Slater stated. “I feel, all these years later, he’s confirmed to be the perfect to ever do it.
Belichick as an alternative deferred credit score to his gamers and coaches for the achievement.
“You can’t win games in this league without good players, so I’ve been very fortunate to have coached a lot of great players and had a lot of great coaches on my staff throughout the years and a lot of those guys have gone on to have tremendous careers,” Belichick stated. “And the players obviously, many of them are in the Patriots Hall of Fame, NFL Hall of Fame or are gonna be, so really winning games in this league is about having good players.”
Belichick did be aware his private connection to Halas, who was buddies along with his late father, Steve. Their relationship allowed a younger Belichick to get an up-close take a look at the NFL legend at any time when the Bears would play close to his native Annapolis, and the 2 previous coaches would reconnect.
“When they came to Baltimore, we would go to the locker room after the game and stuff like that, they were always very gracious and generous and let me hang around,” Belichick stated. “Ton of respect for coach Halas and the McCaskey family and what he did for professional football and the way that he and — and since we’re here, (Browns coach and founder) Paul Brown — paved the way for us as coaches and paved the way for us the National Football League to grow to what it is today.”
Belichick known as Halas and Brown two of his idols as a child. But as coaches, within the eyes of the historical past books, they’ll now solely be seen as equals.
Source: www.bostonherald.com