CLEVELAND — If Tom Brady is the 'GOAT,' as in the greatest of all time at quarterback, I ask you: Where does that put his coach?
Bill Belichick has to be right up there as the greatest coach in the history of the NFL. Put him right up there with the greats, such as Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown, Don Shula, Bill Walsh, and so on.
Sunday's Super Bowl LIII will mark the 9th for Belichick as head coach, all with the New England Patriots. He's won five of them.
Plus, remember that he's coached in three other Super Bowls as an assistant coach. Two with the Giants and one with the Patriots working alongside Bill Parcells. That adds up to 12.
Belichick has coached in 23% of the Super Bowls that have been played. And there's no end in sight.
Remember that in 1991, Bill Belichick's head coaching resume started right here in Cleveland. He left the Giants with the reputation of being a genius who came up with the game plan that helped New York upset the Jim Kelly-led Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
Browns owner Art Modell moved swiftly to bring the 38-year-old to Cleveland. It all made perfect sense: Belichick idolized Paul Brown and would now become the head coach of the same team that Brown led to so much success decades before.
The Belichick honeymoon was brief, however.
In the past, the Browns were an open book to the media and their fans. Sam Rutigliano and Marty Schottenheimer would let writers and broadcasters come and go around the team. That all changed as Belichick's new rules were like an iron curtain coming down on Berea.
No access. Practices once opened, were now closed. Browns coaches and players entered a bunker and Belichick quickly lost the support of the media.
There were more rules than points scored that first year. And there was doubt. Players seemed unhappy, fans were getting restless, and the media hammered it home every day that 'this guy ain't no genius.'
In 1991, the Browns won six games. In '92, they won 7. Then in 1993, Belichick committed the mortal sin of all sins in Cleveland, cutting popular quarterback Bernie Kosar. The reason given: "diminishing skills." Browns Town was furious. Belichick actually needed police protection around his home in Brecksville after picking on the city's favorite son.
Things turned around in 1994. Belichick pulled off a miracle, or you might say a 'genius move.' He won with Vinny Testaverde at quarterback playing opposite a tough defense, as the Browns won 11 games and then defeated Parcells' Patriots in a playoff thriller.
There were signs that the Browns were ready to be great.
At the start of the 1995 season, the Browns were picked by many to win the AFC. They got off to a 3-1 start, then...chaos.
Modell announced he was packing up the team and moving to Baltimore. It was unthinkable. It was criminal. It was awful. And Bill Belichick was blameless.
He had nothing to do with moving the Browns. Belichick respected the history of the franchise. You can be ticked off about the Kosar decision, but not about the decision to relocate the franchise.
Look at Bill Belichick now. He hasn't just gotten to the top of the NFL's mountain, he lives there. In the era of free agency and salary cap, he has given the sport a true dynasty.
I've often wondered: If the Browns hadn't moved, was Belichick on the verge of doing that here?
Always remember that the Belichick story started here. It was bumpy and awkward at times, but he smoothed out the Cleveland rough spots and turned them into Patriot championships.
He is indeed 'The Master.'
You can see the story, featuring comments from Browns beat writers Ed Meyer, Tony Grossi, and Mary Kay Cabot, in the player above.
WATCH | Jim Donovan and Dave "Dino" DeNatale talk more in-depth about the Bill Belichick years in Cleveland on the Donovan Live Postgame Show.
