An Egotist is “a person who thinks he knows as much as you do.” Ambrose Bierce. The New England Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick is probably a person who thinks he knows more than you do, at least when it comes to football! Perhaps, rightly so.
Love them or hate them, we’ve all got to admit that the New England Patriots are a marvel of consistency. Like the Timex watch, they just “keep on ticking.” This strange acting man has established himself, and the Patriots, as a model of excellence that few have approached in the National Football League. We “Old Timers” like to reflect on the genius of Vince Lombardi and the Bears’ George Halas but, in truth, Belichick and his Patriots surpass all of that.
Belichick has led the Patriots to 13 AFC East division titles and 10 appearances in the AFC Championship Game. He is the NFL’s longest-tenured active head coach and currently is 4th in regular season coaching wins in the NFL at 242, and first in playoff coaching wins with 23.
Keep in mind that this is all accomplished in a National Football League that is, by design, set up to reward the losers with next years’ best players and punishes the winningest teams with low draft choices and the toughest schedules. Still, the Patriots and Belichick find ways to consistently prevail. Amazing, really.
Once again Belichick and the Patriots sit atop the AFC East standings with a 10-2 record and are one of a couple of teams favored to win the Super Bowl. The consistent thing here is Belichick. Oh sure, Tom Brady as quarterback would make most any team good, and some a contender. However, Belichick and his Patriots have won with Brady and without Brady. Amazing, really.
Belichick has extensive authority over the Patriots’ football operations, effectively making him the general manager of the team. So, the Patriots are Bill Belichick. Owner Robert Kraft has been wise enough to give him the reins and get out of the way.
So, when someone tells me that Bill Belichick knows more about football than,,,,,well, all of the rest of us. I believe it. The guy is amazing, Really!
CHALK TALK: Well, Bill Snyder has done it again. Picked to finish eighth in the Big 12, he took his Cats to an 8-4 surprise season. Surprise should not be a word to ever be used when discussing a Bill Snyder football team!
Larned’s Lady Indians might be the early-season surprise in this basketball season. Under new coach Ashley Crosby they’ve shed the ghost of seasons past and jumped into the winning column early and often, displaying a ferocious defense.
Everyone keeps saying that the Jayhawks big guys have got to start playing if they are to be a national contender yet, they are awfully impressive with their four-guard offense.
St. John’s boys have already shown that they expect to again contend for a state championship in 2A after a one-year hiatus due to Central Plans’ emergence in 2015-16. Coach Kinnamon has them already at mid-season efficiency.
Last week’s 4-point, 2 overtime win for the Great Bend boys over Garden City just might be a watershed moment for the Panthers. A loss and an 0-3 start would have left them searching for answers but this gutty win just might provide a springboard for better things!
A Big 12 Rewind in the Texas Bowl as Kansas State will play former Big 12 foe Texas A&M. The Aggies staggered into this one, losing four of their last six while the Cats won five of their final six games. This will give Kansas State a chance to go 5-0 against the State of Texas this year!
Former Kansas basketball great Greg Ostertag carved out a nice career in 11 seasons in the NBA though he was never a major headliner. He did accumulate a salary during that time of some $48.5 million and managed it well. Kudos to him!