Bill Belichick landed his first NFL coaching gig in 1975 as a “special assistant” on Ted Marchibroda’s Baltimore Colts. To put that in perspective, it was so long ago that 48-year-old George Blanda — George Blanda! — was still playing in the NFL. It was so long ago that Robert Kraft was the little-known part-owner of the Boston Lobsters of World Team Tennis. It was so long ago that most NFL fans under age 50 have no memory of the Colts being based in Baltimore.
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This is the Bill Belichick of 2024: He’s a combination rock star/raconteur on tour, mobbed everywhere he goes as he talks about the inner workings of football (and lacrosse!) and spins tales about his experiences from a half-century in the NFL.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “History of the World: Part 1,” you may remember Mel Brooks saying, “It’s good to be the king.” And so it is with Belichick. It’s good to be Bill.Yes, it must be noted for bookkeeping purposes that Belichick was fired as head coach of the New England Patriots following the conclusion of the 2023 season, but for the time being it looks as though he enjoys being liberated from the stresses of being an NFL sideline boss.
He’s wealthy, and he looks healthy. Belichick, 72, has been spotted in the company of a younger woman, prompting reactions ranging from pearl-clutching to attaboys in the public opinion peanut gallery. He’s been signed up for a smorgasbord of well-compensated media gigs. He was spotted taking in a spring football practice at the University of Washington, where his son Steve is the Huskies’ new defensive coordinator. He attended a Northwestern University women’s lacrosse game against Ohio State.
Oh, and there was that springtime visit with the Nebraska football program, which included a clinic with the players and a long, in-depth skull session with the coaching staff. For those who didn’t catch Cornhusker coach Matt Rhule bubbling over Bill, here are some highlights:
“He is so smart, has seen so much, that he can make the complex so simple, that it humbles you and embarrasses you,” Rhule said. “I was embarrassed yesterday listening to him, how smart he is, how simple it was.
“He went 4 1/2 hours just with the coaches — forget the clinic,” said the Nebraska coach, who was born on Jan. 31, 1975, which is right around the time Belichick was settling at Wesleyan University for the spring semester of his senior year. “He came in and met with our coaching staff. Three-and-a-half hours in, I was, like, ‘Coach, would you like a water? Or coffee? Would you like to use the restroom?’ Because I desperately had to use the restroom.
“And he’s like, ‘I’m fine, man,’” Rhule said. “And I was, like, yesssss sir. Just sitting there and just talking, and his recalls from things 15 years ago … the only reason why we don’t get through more information is because he’s having to slow down to make sure you know what he’s saying.”
See? Good to be Bill. For anyone who thinks he’s locked away on Nantucket, twirling ball bearings in his hand and pining for the glitz and glitter of the NFL, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Kyle Shanahan offered Bill Belichick any job that he wanted including Defensive Coordinator..
Could you fathom Bill with that San Francisco 49ers defense #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4KPa0YnlT5
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 24, 2024
And yet … it makes sense that Belichick eventually will resurface as a head coach, and sooner rather than later. All it’ll take is one owner to get their blood boiling over an early season, late-in-the-afternoon loss, and then, presto: There’s Bill Belichick at the introductory news conference, saying how happy he is to be the new head coach of (enter team name here).
The what’s-in-it-for-Bill part, besides a truckload of dough, is that Belichick desperately wants to surpass the late Don Shula for all-time NFL coaching victories. That’s mostly true, sure. Shula amassed 347 head-coaching victories (playoffs included) during his 33 seasons with the Miami Dolphins (1970-1995) and the old Baltimore Colts (1963-1969), and Belichick, with 333 coaching victories, needs just 15 more happy postgame handshakes to move into the top spot.
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If you’re wondering why I’m putting it out there that this is mostly true, it’s because some context is required. Yes, we all have egos, and as such, geez, to be recognized as the all-time NFL leader in anything is pretty cool.
There’s also the crowd that believes Belichick is looking to reach into the hereafter and deliver Shula some sort of celestial payback. Shula, remember, had some rather unflattering things to say after Belichick’s 2007 Patriots were caught secretly recording defensive signals being relayed by Jets coaches.
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“The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished,” Shula told the New York Daily News. “You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it.”
Shula was also quoted as referring to Belichick as “Beli-cheat.” Not very original, but extra weighty considering Shula’s place in NFL history.
But that very word — history — is why Belichick wants to coach in the NFL long enough to break the record. Keeping in mind Bill hasn’t invited me down to the island so we can talk this over while munching on grilled paillard of king salmon at Ships Inn, I believe it’s the history that calls to him.
GO DEEPERBill Belichick joining panel for CW's 'Inside the NFL'We’ve all heard the stories about Belichick and football history, how he owns an extensive collection of weighty tomes on the subject. We’ve heard about his Friday news conferences during the Patriot years and how, with the game plan for Sunday having been mapped out, the media questions having all been asked, the interview room now reduced to sturdy beat writers who actually know a thing or two about football, Belichick would meander to football history. It was Story Time with Bill, and he could tell those stories without notes.
Belichick has already made plenty of history. Good heavens, he’s been the coach of six Super Bowl-winning teams. And it’s eight Super Bowl-winning teams if you count his years as a defensive wizard with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells.
Bill Belichick giving a lengthy breakdown on Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/u7S1CzR5qS
— Savage (@SavageSports_) July 24, 2024
We can talk ego if you’d like. We can talk Shula payback. But I say it’s the history that inspires Belichick, that motivates him. Until then, there’s Nebraska football and Northwestern women’s lacrosse, along with “Inside the NFL” on The CW, the “Manningcast” on ESPN and other heavy-coin TV gigs.
It’s good to be Bill, all right. For Belichick, it will be even better when he’s registered his 348th coaching victory.
(Photo of Bill Belichick greeting Tom Brady during his Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony in June: Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)
Steve Buckley is a columnist for The Athletic. He was previously a sports columnist for the Boston Herald and The National Sports Daily. Earlier stops include covering baseball for the Hartford Courant, Tacoma News Tribune and Portland (Maine) Press Herald. Follow Steve on Twitter @BuckinBoston
