Bill Belichick is a mf'in genius.
I realize that everyone (Including myself) hates that organiziation. But we have to give respect where its due.
Beli is easily one of the top 5 coaches of all time.
I know this has been debated to death AND most of us realize BeliCHEAT is just an end product of an abuse of illicit/unsavory practices led by Ernie Adams but I will attempt to condense my opinion statistically.
BB went to Cleveland in 1991 as HC. Ernie Adams was brought on as an Offensive Asst. BB has some respectable coaches at his disposal and STILL SUCKED. He had Ernie Acorsi, Mike Lombardi, Nick Saban as DC and our own John Mitchell for several years in Cleveland to no real impact.
It wasn't UNTIL Ernie Adams job changed from an on the field, Offensive Asst. to a position off the field under the title of Special Assignment (whatever that means) that the team had their only good season at 11-5 (coincidence??)
The next year, they lost Saban at DC which (along with a tougher schedule due to their previous yr) under new DC Rick Venturi, the team went from allowing only 1 team to score over 20 points (204 total for 17 games) to allowing NINE TEAMS to score over 20 Pts (356 total for 16 games). Not to mention, Modell announced the team was moving to Baltimore during the season.
So, during BB's time in Cleveland...he didn't do anything "coach-worthy" UNTIL Ernie went on "Special Assignment" in 1994. Went from 7-9 (1992,1993) to 11-5 (1994), the SAME YEAR Ernie's position was changed!?
Then, after spending some time as Bill Parcell's asst in New York, without Ernie. 9-7 (1997), 12-4 (1998) and 8-8 (1999) he went to New England WITH newly added friend and Director of Football Research, Ernie Adams.
What followed was a 2000 season of 5-11 (338 point allowed, 276 points for), 2001 (signal taping now in full swing) 11-5 (272 points allowed, 371 points for)...and the Championship. The cheating and filming went on for years until Spygate was revealed and subsequently destroyed in 2008. A good history and continued abuse is in this article:
http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13533995/split-nfl-new-england-patriots-apart
Now, with many believing their championships are tainted, they continue to videotape (it's legal as long as it's not done from the sidelines OR in real-time games against an opponent from where it could be relayed immediately to a coach or Ernie), they continue to 'bend the rule-book' to their advantage in many other ways and the NFL protects itself by rule modifications after the fact.
BB, is, was, and always will be, a cheater. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in an an acceptable sense. I coach football and while we all want to win, MOST of us want to win with the dignity of knowing we did it by using 'acceptable' and 'fair' practice means...BB will use any means at his disposal, ethical or not, as long as their are no hard rules against them...and even when there are, accepting that the outcome is worth the potential risk.
He is NO HOF coach to me. He is what other coaches despise...UNETHICAL.
