Winningest Loser: New England Patriots' Bill Belichick Trending Toward Dubious NFL Record
Once upon a time in a New England Patriots dynasty, Bill Belichick won Super Bowls and dreamed of finishing his Hall-of-Fame career as the NFL's all-time winningest coach.
But then Tom Brady left.
Now - in a much more grim reality - former players such as Tedy Bruschi and Ty Law are calling on Belichick to end his 24-year run in Foxboro and he's suddenly creeping closer to another historical league record ... for losses.
For the glass half-full crowd, the three losingest head coaches in NBA history are all in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. Same for baseball. As for football ...
Belichick shouldn't feel bad that he's closing in on the record for the most losses. Like Lenny Wilkens, Bill Fitch and Don Nelson in hoops and Connie Mack, Tony LaRussa and Bucky Harris on the diamond, Belichick's Hall-of-Fame career isn't going to be highlighted by his mountain of losses but more so his longevity and, of course, record six Super Bowls.
Patriots icon Bill Belichick is suddenly on the verge of the most coaching losses in NFL history.
That said, the 71-year-old Belichick is seemingly stuck neutral - at 299 wins - in his chase to catch the victory record. The Pats are 1-5 and will be heavy underdogs the next two weeks against the Bills and Dolphins. He is only eight losses away from Tom Landry's 178 defeats, and needs 17 wins to pass Don Shula's record 328 victories. Both are also in the Hall of Fame.
So, yeah, Belichick is much closer to the record for losses than wins, and it's not inconceivable that the Pats could lose eight of their last 11 games this season.
Despite his Canton-worthy resume, Belichick needed to at least win a playoff game this season to appease rapidly impatient owner Robert Kraft. And to silence critics who are growing louder with their stance that the Patriots' success was more Brady than Belichick.
Said Belichick last season of his pursuit of Shula's record, "I’ll be able to talk about that when it’s over. We’ll add them up at the end. I’m just happy for our team and appreciate all the great players we’ve had who’ve won those games."
Framed by Brady, Belichick just might wind up as the NFL's winningest loser.
With Brady, Belichick's career record is 219-64. Without Brady, Belichick's career record is 80-93.
