Wednesday, January 30, 2008

In the Web

The indomitable New England Patriots (18-0) will play the upstart New York Giants (13-6) next week at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Whether or not the Patriots triumph over Gotham’s Big Blue, they are deserving of their dynasty label. The Patriots are simply one of the most overwhelming teams in the annals of North American professional sports.

Because of New England’s decade-long dominance, some pundits have hailed their “HC,” Bill Belichick, 55, as the best coach to ever stroll an NFL sideline and others have had the audacity to infer that the Vince Lombardi Trophy should be re-named after the Patriots nefarious cheater. Such a ludicrous and unfounded assertion is shire tomfoolery. The loveable Belichick, who makes Dick Cheney seem warm and bubbly, is a good coach who has reached an unjustifiably mythic status by riding the coattails of his iconic quarterback for the ages, Tom Brady, 30.

While coaching in Cleveland and without Brady, Belichick led the Browns to a paltry record of 36-44 before being terminated after five miserable seasons. The grand majority of Clevelanders understandably rejoiced when the philandering fashion plate met his professional maker. Belichick chapped the asses of players, fans and the media alike and his coaching “skills” were proven to be subpar while he alienated the bulk of the Cleveland region.

In his first year as the “HC” of New England, Belichick once again exhibited his anemic guidance en route to “leading” the Patsies to an intimidating record of 5-11. In 2001, the Patriots began the season with a mark of 0-2 before the New York Jets and their linebacker, Mo Lewis, changed the course of history for the Patriots and the overrated Belichick. After being flushed from the pocket, starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, 35, ran upright to the sideline before being lambasted by Lewis. The vicious hit by Lewis caused moderate internal bleeding in Bledsoe and it opened the door for Brady to take control as New England’s signal caller.

Prior to being blessed with Brady, Belichick had a combined (Cleveland and New England) Hall of Fame record of 41-57. Since stumbling upon the rare pot of gold that is Brady, the man who perpetuated “Spygate” has gone 86-24. I like coincidences as much as I enjoy jock-itch and I refuse to believe that those numbers don’t expose Belichick for the mediocre gump that he is.

I fully realize that I reek of anti-New England bias. For me, cheering for Belichick and the Pats is akin to rooting for the reemergence of polio. But, how can anyone genuinely claim that Belichick is a better coach than either Bill Parcells or Joe Gibbs? Parcells captured two Superbowl championships with two different quarterbacks and he won at all four coaching stops that he made. Gibbs won three Superbowls in Washington with three different Redskin signal-callers. That puts Belichick, at best, as the third most decorated coach that I’ve seen in the NFL since I began watching the sport in 1987. So, please, New Englanders put down your Samuel Adams and take in a dose of reality. Green Bay Packers fans, take solace. The championship trophy will always be named after the truly special Lombardi.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

4 comments:

Getting Healthy said...

I am curious if the same talk was done when the Chuck Noll's Steelers won 4 championships in 6 years which still has not been duplicated. Of course, Lombardi won 5 in 7 which again no one has ever done.
I think a lot of this is ESPN and the rest of the anything now being the best ever media driving the train.

X said...

also, doesnt belly-clique have one of the most brilliant owners in bob kraft running the show upstairs? lucky -- that is this pats' coach's best attribute. as in "lucky that jackass billick called the timeout at the end of the ravens game", or "lucky that they are playing in the worst division in the world that literally hands his team 6 wins a year", or "lucky that the cultural wasteland that is new england does not mind him being a complete fashion disaster and a stubborn, sour asshole, since it reminds the said new englanders of their fathers and their fathers' fathers". GO BLUE, BITCHES!

In the Web said...

Jason, good point about Noll...That's a great job....and Alex, great point about 6 free wins (2 against my beloved Gang Green) this season...

Thanks for the read!

Anonymous said...

Because of the New York Yankees' decade-long dominance, some pundits have hailed their “HC,” Joe Torre, as the best coach to ever stroll an MLB dugout. Such a ludicrous and unfounded assertion is shire tomfoolery. The loveable Torre, who makes Dick Cheney seem warm and bubbly, is a good coach who has reached an unjustifiably mythic status by riding the coattails of his iconic captain and shortstop for the ages, Derek Jeter.

While coaching in Shea, St. Louis and Atlanta and without Jeter, Torre led the 3 teams to a paltry record of 894-1003 before being terminated all three times after 14 miserable seasons. The grand majority of the fans of these three teams understandably rejoiced when the philandering fashion plate met his professional maker. Torre chapped the asses of players, fans and the media alike and his coaching “skills” were proven to be subpar while he alienated the bulk of the Queens, St. Louis & Atlanta region.

Prior to being blessed with Jeter, Torre had a combined (Queens, St. Louis & Atlanta) Hall of Fame record of 894-1003. Since stumbling upon the rare pot of gold that is Jeter, the man who perpetuated “Crying at the Podium” has gone 1173-767. I like coincidences as much as I enjoy jock-itch and I refuse to believe that those numbers don’t expose Torre for the mediocre gump that he is.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
.