Patriots coach Bill Belichick Turns 71: Football Still ‘Beats Working’
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a fervor for the game of football.
For nearly 48 years, the ‘HC of the NEP’ has been one of the most successful at his position in the collective sports landscape — especially while at the Patriots helm. Six Super Bowl championships and becoming a three-time AP Coach of the Year award recipient are just some of the accolades which Belichick has collected during his time on the sidelines.
As he celebrates his 71st birthday on April 16, Belichick’s passion for the game he loves appears to be still going strong.
"I enjoy doing what I'm doing. I don't think that's going to last forever … Beats working, though," he recently said with a smirk.
Belichick’s prowess as an NFL head coach requires no embellishment. His enshrinement in Canton became a mere formality long ago. However, the sustained success with which he has guided the Patriots over the past two-plus decades remains his greatest mystique. Whether he is praised as a ‘defensive genius’ or playfully mocked as a ‘diabolical manipulator,’ Belichick has reached the top of the coaching plateaus due to a unbridled work ethic and meticulous attention to detail.
Though he now sits atop the list of oldest head coaches in the NFL alongside Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, (who will numerically surpass him when he turns 72 on Sept. 15) Belichick still remains the longest-tenured at his position. In October, he moved past former Chicago Bears head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Halas into sole possession of second place among all NFL coaches, continuing his pursuit of the record of 347 total wins held by fellow legend Don Shula. Belichick is also tied [with Shula] for first all-time among NFL head coaches, having led the Patriots to 19 playoff appearances.
Though his pursuit of Shula's records is clearly in his sights, Belichick remains cognizant of his more immediate need to guide the Pats back to their winning ways in short order.
The Pats were once again on the outside of the AFC playoff picture at the conclusion of 2022. They finished the season at 8-9, losing three of their final four games for the second consecutive year. With an unsuccessful installation of assistant coach Matt Patricia as offenisve play caller, as well as rumored tension with quarterback Mac Jones, Belichick is eager to put last season behind both him and the team.
In fact, it is a goal he continues to share with team owner Robert Kraft.
“I still believe in Bill,” Kraft said during a media appearance at March’s NFL annual meetings. “I think Bill is exceptional at what he does and I’ve given him the freedom to make the choices and do the things that need to be done. His football intellect and knowledge is unparalleled from what I’ve seen. Just when you talk to him, the small things analytically he looks at.
“But, in the end, this is a business,” Kraft said. “You either execute and win or you don’t. That’s where we’re at.”
Considered as almost a forgone conclusion for nearly 20 seasons, winning has become a bit harder to come by for Belichick and the Patriots as of late. Since their victory in Super Bowl LIII to close out the 2018 season, New England has failed to qualify for the playoffs twice. For the two seasons in which they did make the playoffs, they were quickly ousted in the Wild Card round.
With the start of the 2023 season fast approaching, Belichick is aware of the added scrutiny to which he will be subject in the coming months. Still, he is taking the proper steps to ensure his team is prepared for the task at hand with a sense of urgency, yet no panic.
It is this method that makes him who he is.
“We haven’t snapped the ball. It’s March,” Belichick said at the start of the month. “Working on April for now, one month at a time."
The newly-minted 71-year-old will be ready for the start of Patriots offseason workouts on Monday.
In the meantime, he has earned the right to rest on his laurels for at least his birthday.
After all, few … if any … have done it better than Bill Belichick.
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