The NFL has had some great coaches in their existence, which began back in 1920. Some of them coached right here in New York with the Giants.
In a recent piece for The 33rd Team, NFL analyst Dan Pizzuta listed his top 10 greatest coaches in NFL history. Three of them were assistants with the New York Giants before they became head coaches elsewhere and one of them is ranked No. 1 overall.
That would be Bill Belichick, who was the Giants’ brilliant defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells in the 1980s. His career as a head coach began with a rough go with the original Cleveland Browns before finally landing in New England with the Patriots.
You know the rest…
Belichick has appeared in the playoffs 19 times, the Super Bowl nine times, and won the Super Bowl six times. All three of those are records. In the playoffs with the Patriots, Belichick has a .714 winning percentage.
Belichick has been the best defensive coach and the leader in trends and innovation throughout his career, constantly getting the best out of the players available to him. Offensively, the Patriots also shifted from run-heavy offenses to a quarterback-led passing game as Tom Brady developed into Tom Brady.
Creating and leading a dynasty in the free agency and salary cap era is one of the most impressive feats of both team-building and coaching we’ve ever seen.
The other two coaches on the list who began their careers with the Giants are Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry.
Lombardi, a Giants’ offensive assistant in the 1950s, became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and turned that city into TitleTown USA. The Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor. He is No. 2 on this list.
At No. 7 is Tom Landry, a Giants defensive assistant and innovator in the 1950s. He led the Dallas Cowboys to legendary heights in the 1960s and 70s.
Also on the list are many a Giants’ nemesis. Andy Reid at No. 10, George Halas at No. 5, Bill Walsh at No. 3, Paul Brown at No. 9, and Joe Gibbs at No. 8.
Rounding out the field are Chuck Noll (No. 6) and Don Shula (No. 4).
Belichick has outpaced them all. Like it or not.
