On Thursday, the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick agreed to part ways. It was a move that had been expected for weeks, but it didn’t seem real until the actual announcement was made.
That ends a stretch of 24 seasons, mot of which was dominance from the Bill Belichick-led Patriots. He oversaw six Super Bowl titles with the team, nine AFC Championships and 19 playoff appearances overall.
The Patriots were the gold standard of the NFL under Bill Belichick, whom many consider to be the best head coach to ever walk the sidelines. There is little debate that he is at least the best postseason coach in league history, but at least one person would disagree.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, LeSean McCoy, New England Patriots Updates
Former NFL running back LeSean McCoy isn’t buying the talk of Bill Belichick being the best head coach of all time. In his opinion, the Patriots’ lack of success once quarterback Tom Brady removed Bill Belichick from the equation. In his opinion, the best head coach is Andy Reid.
“How do you go from the top and just fall down to one of the worst teams in the league since Tom Brady left?… Andy Reid is the greatest coach,” McCoy said on a recent segment of Speak on FS1.
McCoy has a relationship with Reid, who was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles during McCoy’s time there. The two reunited on the Kansas City Chiefs, where McCoy won a Super Bowl ring.
The main point of McCoy’s argument is a valid one. Without Brady as his quarterback, Bill Belichick had a losing record as an NFL head coach, whether you count just his work with the Patriots since his departure or include what he did with the Cleveland Browns as well.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, LeSean McCoy, New England Patriots Updates
Brady’s success once he left New England and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is certainly a knock against Bill Belichick as well. But, what he accomplished as head coach of the Patriots is certainly worthy of the GOAT title.
Being with one organization for 24 seasons and winning as frequently as they did despite the ever-changing landscape of the league is impressive. Having a player as good as Brady running your offense certainly helps, but the Patriots defenses, which Bill Belichick oversaw, were quite impressive as well.
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