Bill Belichick proved again why he's the greatest coach in NFL history
The Houston Texans are a good team — a playoff team, in all likelihood — with an impressive and cohesive collection of talent on both offense and defense.
The New England Patriots — the rotating collection of misfits and no-names — were playing with a third-string, rookie quarterback who had hours to prepare to take on one of the best defenses in the NFL in primetime.
New England was logically a home underdog for only the third time in a decade heading into Thursday’s game.
But of course the Patriots won 27-0 — they have Bill Belichick calling the shots.
Thursday night’s win wasn’t the most efficiently played or best-coached game in Belichick’s legendary tenure in New England. Frankly, most of the game was unwatchable. But the win does highlight how exceptional Belichick is at his job.
It was a reminder that he's the best coach in NFL history.
He might be ornery, and evasive, and a proven cheat, and the least fashionable person in the NFL, but his team is 3-0 to start the 2016 season. He’s won all three games in impressive fashion, and he’s done it without his top two offensive players.
Thursday night’s win spoke to Belichick’s near-impeccable judgment in hiring assistant coaches — though Texans fans might disagree with that assessment after seeing Houston coach Bill O’Brien get worked over by his former boss Thursday.
It spoke to his ability as the team’s general manager: It’s hard enough to find one competent quarterback in the NFL — Houston paid Brock Osweiler $72 million last offseason with the hope that he could be one — but the Patriots appear to have three.
It spoke to his ability to prepare an exceptional game plan in the most difficult of windows, and then to manage the game when the clock is running.
It spoke to Belichick’s greatness.
The Texans, again, have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. Lamar Miller, one of the best running backs in the NFL, was a non-factor, held to 84 yards on 24 carries. Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus were neutralized. Did J.J. Watt even play?
Osweiler looked mystified.
The best player on the field for Houston, receiver DeAndre Hopkins, had to scratch and claw his way to four catches, gaining 56 yards in the process. He was the only Texan who looked like he belonged on the field.
Maybe, if he plays his cards right, he’ll be able to play for Belichick one day.
You shouldn’t be allowed to be this dominant in the modern-day NFL — the league has put in dozens of rules to prevent that sort of thing, the biggest being a salary cap that allots less than $3 million to each spot. But Belichick keeps winning, no matter the circumstances.
You thought the Patriots’ success might be directly tied to Tom Brady, who also might be the best to ever do it at his position, but the beginning of the 2016 season stands as a control to that hypothesis.
This undefeated start isn’t a fluke — it’s a testament. The NFL is better than it’s ever been — it has the parity to prove it — but Belichick continues to be head and shoulders above the rest of his coaching peers. Who could question his bid as the best coach in NFL history.
Quarterbacks are now 6-0 in their first career starts under Belichick (Philcox, Zeier, Brady, Cassel, Garoppolo, Brissett). #HOUvsNE #TNF
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 23, 2016
