It’s the end of an era in New England. The man who orchestrated the greatest run in the history of team sports is parting ways with the organization he became synonymous with for so many people. And many of us owe him a thank you.
Former and current players, ex-coaches, executives, and even opponents have taken to social media and various forms of content to show their appreciation and admiration for coach Bill Belichick. As a diehard New England sports fan, I, just like many others, also owe him a big thank you for some of the best times in our lives.
I attended my first Patriots game in 1994. It was the midst of the Bill Parcells era, and unbeknownst to me, for the first time in a long time, Patriot fans felt they had a chance to win a championship. My parents owned an Irish tavern/sports bar in New Hampshire growing up. I remember that Super Bowl parties were a big deal. They made T-shirts, had Super Bowl squares, offered up specials, and it was a fun party for everyone.
In 1997, it all changed when our team was actually the focal point of one of these Super Bowl parties. I’ll always remember Brett Favre sprinting across the field with his child-like enthusiasm as the Green Bay Packers easily handled the New England Patriots.
The excitement of that week took forever to wear off. It’s all anyone in the community talked about. What were you going to do for the game? The week leading up to it was non-stop coverage of the fact that the Patriots were finally back on the main stage in a Super Bowl, with a chance to win it all. I don’t remember the Super Bowl loss even feeling like a loss because it was thrilling just to be involved. And then, in an instant, it felt like Bill Parcells was with the rival Jets. And the Patriots were irrelevant in the landscape of the NFL once again.
The Belichick Era
I was 15 when Bill Belichick took over as head coach for the New England Patriots. I didn’t even fully understand all of the drama with him leaving the Jets at the time. All I knew was that the Jets were mad he left, and that seemed like a good enough start for me. The Patriots went 5-11 in his first year, and it appeared like a regression from the Pete Carroll years.
And then, in 2001-02, the New England Patriots, as we would grow to know them, began to take shape. Belichick somehow had the fearlessness and the guts, after going 5-11 in his first year, to tell his boss that he was no longer going to be playing the highest-paid QB in football, a check just freshly written by Patriots owner Robert Kraft to Drew Bledsoe. Instead, he was sticking with his sixth-round draft choice, who made the roster as the Patriot’s third QB, because this young kid gave them “the best chance to win.” Somehow, that was simultaneously an incredibly gutsy call and the understatement of the century.
This Week In 2001: Bill Belichick announces Tom Brady has beaten out Drew Bledsoe for the starting QB job for the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/D46A76YcES
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 22, 2017
But if you’re reading this, you know how all of that played out on the field. The 20 years of dominance, the ups and downs, the exhilarating Super Bowl wins, and the soul-crushing Super Bowl losses. But as someone entering the prime of their sports fandom, I don’t think you could grow up in a better place than New England in the early 2000s, and Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots were the epicenter of all of it. And the championship parades were just the tip of the iceberg.
Patriots Nation is Born
Slowly Patriots logos were popping up everywhere. On car bumpers and doormats, in restaurant windows, and in classrooms. My mom had a framed photo of Bill Belichick with the words “Do Your Job” printed on it, hanging on our hallway wall like Bill was an uncle or close family friend. And every Sunday was an event. Every Sunday was a must-see TV. Some had their regular routine, where they’d go to the same place, watch with the same people, and, more often than not, walk away with a win. Patriots gear was everywhere.
I used to have a debit card that had a Patriots logo, and 8/10 times, the cashier or waiter would gimme a look or make a remark. I’m oddly proud of that, and I have Bill Belichick to thank. The run the Patriots went on made a proud and competitive part of the US, the mecca of team sports. The “City of Champions” title was laid claim to, and no one else had an argument.
I’m thankful that every single football season for about 20 years started with more than hope. It started with expectations. All of New England expected to have a great regular season. They expected to make the playoffs. They expected to play in the AFC title game, and they expected to win the Super Bowl. I used to (somewhat facetiously) argue with Jets fans that all of the stress from these tension-packed games was draining. I owe many of those Jets fans an apology. Those were the best. Especially now, as we have no idea when they will come around again.
During the heart of the stretch run, it seemed like the AFC title game was a forgone conclusion. October letdowns in Miami always resulted in the. same conversations, “They’ll be there in January.” And they were. The Patriots played in a record eight-straight AFC Title games, hosting five of them and winning five of them. And we have Belichick to thank for so much of that.
No One Like Him
There was “We’re on to Cincinnati” to “I’m not the Mona Lisa Vito of the football world.”
We’re on to Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/504wxDchEo
— Hype Train Podcast (@thehypetrainpod) September 23, 2023
There was how little Bill cared about the AFC Championship Trophy to how aggressively he’d throw a challenge flag when he knew he shouldn’t have to be using it due to such a bad call.
Bill Belichick treated that AFC Championship trophy like it was a piece of garbage LMAO pic.twitter.com/9HwmWqHy1H
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 21, 2018
Bill was disgusted 😭😂
— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2023
📺: #MIAvsNE on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/0rm9YBTgO0
And, of course, the epic press conferences where Bill looked half awake, and you couldn’t guess whether his team lost by 30 or won by 100. He put on a masterclass with the media on how to give away nothing and still provide epic soundbites.
What a Run
When you look at the whole body of work as a fan, we owe a big thank you to Bill. From the conversations and debates we get to have, to all of the playoff, AFC title, and Super Bowl parties we attended, to the epic Super Bowl parades and the roller coaster ride of an undefeated season that ended in one of the most devastating losses anyone can experience. A loss that Bill took sole ownership of to his entire locker room after the game. Patriots Fullback Heath Evans was quoted as saying:
“Other than my father, I’ve never had more respect for a man at any moment in my life as that man in that moment. …He took full ownership over the loose coaching decisions he made.”
– Heath Evans
There are a ton of memories, and the best part is that even the “bad” ones are fond to look back on. David Tyree. Mario Manningham. Eli. Gross. The Patriots were a weekly welcome distraction for some or the perfect cap to an amazing week for others. Patriots games were an event no matter where you were, in the stadium or in your friend’s living room. I always appreciate my firstborn son as he waited until the day after the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl 53 to be born. Because being a dad was going to be the best day of my life, but missing a Patriots Super Bowl would have been devastating.
So, instead of considering the next move the Patriots are going to make or where Bill will end up, I’m just going to take a few days to be thankful for that ride. Thankful that he couldn’t understand why Tom Brady was still available in the sixth round of the NFL draft. I am thankful that he uncharacteristically decided to carry three QBs just have Brady on the roster. Thankful that a second-year head coach had the courage to take the keys to an organization from the highest-paid QB in the league and hand them to a sixth-round draft pick who no one knew, in the midst of a playoff push and eventual Super Bowl run.
I am thankful that it happened in the prime of my football fandom. Thankful that he never stepped down or stopped trying to be the best when he had absolutely nothing left to prove. And thankful that he DID HIS JOB better than anyone in his position has ever done their job. Thanks for the ride, coach.
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