When one thinks of Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and even Barack Obama the word genius might come to mind. The game of football has their own. His name is Bill Belichick, coach of The New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots might have lost by 16 points to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 2, 2016, however, that did not mean that Coach Belichick did not have a plan. The season was far from over, and with Tom Brady’s return, there was a significant chance that the tide would turn, and it did.

New England Patriots Secret Weapon

Brady, New England Patriots’ sensational quarterback and secret weapon, has thrown for 762 yards. He has no interceptions and six touchdowns this season. This makes him the first in NFL history to reach those marks. He not only reached them but did it the first two games of the season. The Elias Sports Bureau calls this epic.

New England Patriots historic moment hit two Sundays, ago, with a 33-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The New England Patriots made a quick recovery. With Brady back in action after being suspended for four games, there appeared to be no stopping the New England Patriots. However, the real star is the genius behind the comeback; Coach Belichick.

Belichick is far from a rookie coach, and he can prove it with over 16 seasons with the New England Patriots. He is notorious with his 13 division titles, along with a record seven in a row, 23 post-season victories. These triumphs put Belichick at the top of the list as the most wins by an NFL head coach. The accolades do not stop there. He has four Super Bowls and six AFC championship titles under his belt.

This New England Patriot coach has many nicknames. Genius is the most famous. Who is really behind this talent? He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. This intellectual came into the world as William Stephen Belichick in 1952.

The Genius in the Making

At home, he was known as Billy. However, it was his father Steve Belichick that noticed his son’s real drawback; his ankles. These limitations would not stop this driven dad from teaching his son how to apply his great intelligence to the game of football. Those lessons would come in handy for Belichick during his time at Wesleyan University. In college, he would get involved with various sports. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, he found himself back with his number one passion; football.

This Wesleyan graduate would soon find himself at the Howard Johnson’s hotel with a $25 a week paycheck. After being hired on as the coach for the Colts, his obligations grew almost overnight. Belichick had scouting skills like there was no tomorrow. According to players, his abilities were so remarkable, that they thought it was like having a mole working for the team.

Those weekly paychecks eventually led to Belichick’s ultimate achievement as a head coach. His success is due, in a unique way, to massive good fortune. During the 2000 draft, of the sixth round, rather than taking Tim Rattay, the quarterback with the 199th pick, the New England Patriots selected Tom Brady from Michigan. Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury in 2001, Brady replaced him, which led the New England Patriots to a winning streak that would involve victories at the next four Super Bowls.

Belichick had a method to his madness and thirty years later, after starting from the bottom, he passed the Lions’ coaching quiz with flying colors. The test landed him a dream job in Detroit. This genius’s weekly player tests, thorough game preparation, and the relentless quest for every likely gain, turned out to be the New England Patriot’s dynasty tradition.

The Scandal

However, in 2007, New England Patriot’s dynasty custom, would become tainted by a scandal. Belichick moved from a genius to a villain overnight, according to some critics. The trouble started when the New England Patriots were caught criminally recording the New York Jets coaches’ defensive signals in a matchup of Week 1.

This disgrace cost the genius $500,000, which was the biggest fine in NFL history. To add insult to injury, the New England Patriots lost their first-round draft pick. Regardless of how disastrous this was to his career, Belichick continued to lead the team towards its fourth Super Bowl landslide.

In 2015, Belichick helped the New England Patriots crush the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX; 28–24. This upset put them back on the map and became the team’s first championship in a decade. This also made him the only head coach in NFL history to acquire three Super Bowl titles in a four-year duration.

Since then, it does not seem as though this genius is slowing down. The New England Patriots have been tight-lipped about Belichick’s contract. Yet, records show it has been extended past the 2016 season.

Scandal or not, Belichick is by far the successful coach in New England Patriot history. According to those that know him, Belichick has his eyes set on one thing for the New England Patriots, which is winning.

By Jomo Merritt
Edited by Cathy Milne

Sources:

ESPN: No More Questions
ABC News: Tom Brady’s play impresses in first game back from suspension
SB Nation: New England Patriots Links 10/12/16 – Belichick: ‘Nobody works harder’ than his players

Image Courtesy of Roman WEBN-TV’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License