The New York Jets and New England Patriots have held a longstanding rivalry. Their matchups date back to the old AFL, the pre-merger days, so there’s always been tension and animosity.
When Bill Belichick was around, that was certainly the case as well. Belichick famously spurned the Jets after his mentor, Bill Parcells, departed the team. Belichick went to New England, won six Super Bowls, and the rest is mostly history.
The Jets and the Patriots had battles in the Belichick era. When former head coach-turned-ESPN analyst Rex Ryan was the Jets coach, those matchups were intense. New York’s playoff win in Foxborough was one of the defining moments of that brief Jets’ run.
All of this is to say that Ryan probably had plenty of thoughts on Belichick. Ahead of Championship Sunday, Ryan voiced his thoughts on Belichick, who still hasn’t moved in the coaching market. After he and the Patriots parted ways, Belichick interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons. But the Falcons recently hired Raheem Morris as head coach, taking him over the six-time Super Bowl champion. While the Sunday NFL Countdown crew discussed that, Ryan had plenty to say.
“Well, maybe that’s not the way anymore. Maybe what used to be the right way isn’t the right way anymore. And when you look at it. This is, without question, the greatest coach in the National Football League. I’ve coached against them all. This guy, to me, was always prepared, that type of stuff. Never argue that fact,” Ryan said.
Rex Ryan has a lot of thoughts on Bill Belichick.
"Look, I know he's the greatest coach… I had my ass kicked by this guy all the time. But, I can tell you one thing- the only time he never had Tom Brady, we shut him out. And it makes a difference." pic.twitter.com/K87NzYWlgR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 28, 2024
Ryan went into detail about what Belichick’s record was with and without Tom Brady. Tedy Bruschi, who would know a thing or two about the way things went in New England, challenged Ryan on this. He brought up how Belichick “was instrumental in developing the greatest quarterback of all time.” Ryan never disputed this, but still pointed to his record without Brady.
“Look, I know he’s the greatest coach. Like I said I went against ’em all. I had my ass kicked by this guy all the time. But I can tell you one thing – the only time he never had Tom Brady, we shut ’em out. And it makes a difference.”
Maybe Ryan has a point about Belichick and his record without Brady and whether it’s important or not to leave that context from discussing him. But in some ways, it feels like it’s cherry-picking from an illustrious career that spanned through multiple decades. Belichick, as a defensive coach and mind, was instrumental in so much in the 1980s with the New York Giants.
On the whole, Belichick has too many good results. But there are people like Ryan among us, who often point out Belichick’s apparent kryptonite.
