Robert Kraft recognizes Bill Belichick for passing Tom Landry on all-time wins list
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| Steve Senne/AP |
By guiding the Patriots to a 33-8 win over the Oakland Raiders yesterday, Bill Belichick passed legendary head coach Tom Landry on the NFL's all-time wins list with his 271st victory.
He is now third in wins and is only trailing George Halas (324) and Don Shula (347) for the most all time.
And while Belichick never likes to acknowledge personal accolades, Robert Kraft does, and he did just that by presenting Belichick with a game ball following yesterday's win.
Belichick spoke briefly about his accomplishment, but gave more credit to his players rather than himself.
ESPN:
“That’s a credit to our players. Players win games,” Belichick said, which is his oft-repeated refrain when the topic of his place in NFL history is broached. “I think what it means is, No. 1, I’ve been doing it for a long time. No. 2, I’ve coached a lot of great players. So I’ve been fortunate to have a great coaching staff, great players and had a great opportunity to direct those people.”
Belichick's greatness is undeniable. Despite trailing Halas and Shula in wins, many consider him to be the greatest coach of all time.
It's not hard to see why. His team has had 17 straight years of success with five Super Bowl wins, seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances, 15 AFC East titles and so much more. He pays attention to detail better than anyone in NFL history and has his players prepared for almost any situation imaginable.
How he fits all that stuff in on a weekly basis is something I'll never understand. But that's the beauty of it - I don't have to. That's what makes the Patriots great. They're a mystery that goes unsolved, and that's just part of the fun of watching them every Sunday.
Drafting Tom Brady, keeping him as the starter when Drew Bledsoe was healthy enough to come back, finding guys out of no where like Malcolm Butler, getting rid of players before its too late and his ability to adjust in-game are just a few of thousands of examples of his genius.
While we don't know how much longer he'll coach, we can still enjoy his teams for what they are - fun to watch, hard-working and well-prepared.
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