Getty New England Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick is staring at a piece of unwanted NFL history.
Bill Belichick is well and truly in the winter of his career as a head coach in the NFL. He’s been in charge of the New England Patriots since 2000, and the 71-year-old, six-time Super Bowl winner has done it all, but there’s one all-time record Belichick will be keen to avoid.
That mark involves becoming the coach with the most losses in history against his name. Unfortunately, Belichick is on the cusp of setting the mark and could do it even before he passes Don Shula for most wins all time, according to John Breech of CBS Sports.
Breech noted how Belichick can tie Jeff Fisher and Dan Reeves with 13 more defeats in the regular season. Reeves and Fisher are both locked on 165, while Belichick has tasted defeat 152 times in non-playoff games.
Add in postseason contests, and Belichick is just 13 behind legendary Dallas Cowboys boss Tom Landry, who suffered 178 defeats overall. Now, as Breech pointed out, “the race is officially on: With Belichick 13 losses away from setting the record for most losses and 18 victories away from setting the record for most wins, it will be interesting to see which one he breaks first.”
Bill Belichick’s Post-Tom Brady Decline Puts Record in Sight
Belichick dominated the NFL landscape for almost two decades when Tom Brady played quarterback for the Patriots. Things changed dramatically once TB12 joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, per Breech: “In the three seasons since Tom Brady left, the Patriots have gone 25-25. They’ve also had a losing season in two of the past three years, which marks the only two times over the past 20 years that the Patriots have finished with a losing record under Belichick.”
The sharp decline post-Brady has prompted many, including Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, to question Belichick’s claims to greatness: “Belichick has one career playoff win without Brady, 10 total seasons, seven of them losing seasons.
“It’s not an opinion. It’s just numbers.”
— @ColinCowherd takes a look at Bill Belichick’s career without Tom Brady
Cowherd’s reference to the one playoff win without Brady dates all the way back to the 1994 season. It was the lone winning year of Belichick’s otherwise generally mediocre tenure in charge of the Cleveland Browns, and ironically, the postseason victory came at the expense of the Patriots.
The numbers don’t do Belichick any credit. Especially when you add in the 47-17 defeat suffered at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard playoffs after the 2021 season, Belichick’s last postseason foray without Brady.
An offense stuck in neutral thanks to questionable coaching decisions and shoddy recruitment has contributed to the struggles of quarterback Mac Jones. Those struggles have raised the ire of some of Belichick’s former players, including cornerback Asante Samuel, who believes his old coach is holding Jones back.
There are plenty of reasons to question Belichick, but he’s also done enough to merit the longevity that’s put him in sight of Shula’s legendary achievement.
Wins and Losses Hallmarks of Longevity
Part of the reason Belichick is even in sight of two records is his extraordinary longevity. It’s something he has in common with the other coaches who call the all-time lists home.
One of those coaches is the legendary George Halas, the man Belichick tied for 324 regular season wins when the Patriots beat the Browns 38-15 in Week 6, per NFL Research.
With a win over the Browns (his former team), Bill Belichick tied George Halas at 324 career wins (incl playoffs), 2nd-most by a head coach all-time
It was also Belichick’s 257th regular season win with NE, tying Don Shula (with MIA) for 2nd-most by a HC with a single team
Halas coached the Chicago Bears for an incredible 40 seasons across various stints. Meanwhile, Shula amassed 33 campaigns in charge of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.
Belichick’s 28 seasons patrolling an NFL sideline as the top man in charge have positioned him to be among the sport’s biggest winners. Yet, the same duration has also given Belichick enough time to incur ample losses.
Reeves did the same over 23 years in charge of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons. His longevity was almost matched by Fisher, who clocked 22 years with two teams.
Any head coach who lasts beyond two decades in the pros has to possess special qualities. Belichick’s reputation as a defensive mastermind is well earned, while he’s consistently found value on the veteran market as rival teams have chased high draft capital and youth movements.
The problem is past accomplishment will only prop up a losing coach for so long. Belichick has lost too many games without Brady, one reason why Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has become adept at dodging questions about his coach’s job security, per MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian.
Kraft said he’s hoping Bill Belichick is able to break Don Shula’s record, but he’s focused more on getting back to the playoffs. He dodged when asked if Belichick’s job was in jeopardy should the Patriots have another losing record.
Belichick can end those questions by returning the Patriots to prominence in the AFC East this season. If he does, he’ll close the gap on Shula, but in an increasingly competitive division, the Pats can’t afford to mortgage the franchise’s next few seasons on Belichick’s pursuit of an individual accolade.