Part of my DNA as a person comes from my desire to compete.
While I’m not fanatical when it comes to winning, I do like to win. I mean, who
doesn’t? Whether it’s in my small competitive world ranging from winning flag
football championships in my previous life as a collegiate intramural athlete
to winning fantasy football championships now, I enjoy winning as much as the
next guy. One of my personal favorite sayings is that you never get tired of
winning championships.
What I take from winning in general is that I won fair and
square. I didn’t cheat. I still hear the ringing in my ears decades later from the
voice of one of my Boy’s Club baseball coaches who always asked me, “Did you do
the best you could today?”
My point is that you want to answer that question on a level
playing field. Just roll the ball out there and wait for it…compete. With the
players, do the best you can and with the coaches coach the best you can.
Within the rules.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Bill Belichick
is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. As a coach, he won
eight championships, including six as a head coach. Heck, he won more championships
than the coach who the league trophy is named after. No doubt or debate. Hall
of Fame coach.
If you acknowledge all of that, you also have to acknowledge
Spygate.
Spygate wasn’t just a misinterpretation of the rules. It was
a controversy that brought into question the integrity of the game. It is here
that I must mention videotaping opposing teams is not illegal in general; there
are just designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping.
In the case of Spygate, those rules were simply not good
enough.
I must say that I am not singling him out other than to say
that he was caught. I am not that naive to think that he was only one doing
this. There is no bias against his team (my team has actually won seven of
twelve games against him for his career). No beef with him or his team at all.
While I could say so much more about this, for me, for Belichick not getting in on the first ballot is not that big of a deal. It’s a small price to pay.
Yeah Bill should get to the Hall. He did have his share of controversy; whether in Cleveland cutting Kosar and paying scrubs to start fights during practices, resigning from the Jets on a napkin or with the Patriots. He personifies “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying”.
ReplyDeleteHis best cheat: was the Spygate recordings. I mean if you know the other team’s game plan before the game you’re good for a least a half. We had the deflated balls, the Tuck rule game. His Patriot era was during one of the weakest divisions in NFL history. It was absolutely no competition. No other team had any stability for 10+ years. Can anyone even name a starting Qb for the other 3 teams that actually was legit for more than one season. But he won games the ultimate determinate of prowess. Props