Report: Bill Belichick is ‘working more,’ motivated by these factors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Age 70 is typically a good time to retire, especially if you’re an NFL head coach. But Bill Belichick isn’t like most NFL head coaches.
Belichick turned 70 on Saturday and is still going strong entering his 23rd season leading the New England Patriots. In fact, Belichick might be going stronger than ever, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“I had someone there tell me that this offseason he’s actually working more than he has in the recent past, which only speaks to the fact that … there really isn’t any place he’d rather be,” Breer wrote of Belichick in his “MMQB” column Monday.
Curran: As Belichick turns 70, is he winding down or just getting started?
Belichick indeed is a football lifer who landed his first NFL gig in 1975 and has often said his job “beats working.” But what’s motivating the legendary head coach to stay in one place for nearly a quarter-century?
As Breer noted, both of Belichick’s sons are on the coaching staff — Steve as an outside linebackers coach/defensive playcaller and Brian as a safeties coach — allowing the head coach to still get his family time. But Breer believes there are two other factors motivating Belichick to keep succeeding in New England.
The first is history-related: Belichick has 321 career coaching wins, three shy of George Halas (324) and 26 behind Don Shula. If Belichick coaches three more seasons and averages about nine wins per year, he should pass Shula by 2024.
The second is a bit more obvious: Belichick is determined to find success in the post-Tom Brady era. From Breer:
“I’ve heard for more than a decade that those around him believe he wants to show he can win with the Patriots without Brady. He got the franchise Mac Jones and a playoff berth last year. The next step is showing that legit championship contention is on the horizon.”
Belichick has his work cut out for him, as the Patriots…