Bill Belichick’s Best Game Ever Was With The Giants
Bill Belichick is partially responsible for four of my greatest New York Giants memories. Each of them include a Super Bowl victory. One of which, was what I believe was his single best coaching game ever, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Belichick’s formative years were spent with the Giants as an assistant coach from 1979 – 1990. He was Bill Parcells’ defensive guy. When Belichick was fired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Parcells snagged him back to be an assistant with the Patriots. After that, he returned to New York to coach the defense with the Jets.
Let’s go back in time a bit here. Belichick started with the Giants in 1979 as a special teams coach and defensive assistant. He then transitioned to linebackers coach from 1980-1984, during which time, the GMen won two Super Bowls. Then, he took over as defensive coordinator for the Giants from 1985-1990. He was the mastermind behind the 1986 defensive scheme that was instrumental in the Giants beating the John Elway Broncos for their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Four years later, they would do it again in Tampa, beating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
Lawrence Taylor
Here is a fascinating snapshot of Bill Belichick. He coached the best player in all three phases of the game. On offensive, he was the GOAT’s coach in quarterback, Tom Brady. He was the only head coach for arguably the greatest special teams player with Matthew Slater. Then, there’s LT. #56 is not only a Giants legend, he is the most dominant defensive player football has seen. “I saw that guy every day for over a decade and he tilted the field for a decade,” Belichick told CBS Sports earlier this year, explaining how Taylor is in a class of his own.
Belichick’s Best Coaching Effort
With today’s news of Belichick’s departure from the New England Patriots, you can’t help but reflect upon his six rings with the Pats. The first three wins were each by three points (Rams, Panthers, Eagles). The win over the Seattle Seahawks was absolutely thrilling, and the 28-3 game over the Atlanta Falcons speaks for itself. Lastly, LIII was dominant over a young Los Angeles Rams team. Yet, with all that (and an 18-0 regular season mixed in) Belichick’s best single-game coaching performance may have come when he was with the Giants. Here’s why.
His Best Game Ever
We know Belichick was a master at adjustments. It’s like when Rocky came out fighting Apollo right-handed in Rocky II. The game plans were often unexpected, and very tactful. In Super Bowl XXV vs. the high-powered Buffalo Bills, the defensive game plan was also quietly genius.
The high-flying Bills were a scoring machine. This was led by the passing attack of quarterback Jim Kelly, often targeting all-pro receiver Andre Reed. Belichick installed a defensive plan that consisted of two down linemen and a nickel defense package. What this means is, there are additional players playing pass defense from the secondary positions. This is very unconventional with the two d-lineman. However, it was built to be durable and resilient, and it worked.
The Giants under this plan, went the distance with the Bills and ultimately out-lasted them, winning 20-19. Belichick’s defense offered the Bills the opportunity to run the ball with Thurman Thomas (which they did), but said, “You will not beat us throwing the ball.” They knew this plan was built to wear down the Bills. In the end, it gave the Giants team just what they needed. Ultimately, Parcells would get carried off the field by Taylor, and the underdog Giants won the game 20-19.
Speaking of underdog, the other two memories of the four I mentioned Belichick was a part of, was Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, when the (David) Giants beat the (Goliath) Patriots in both games, to hoist the Lombardi trophy.
As we sit today, the New York Giants have a massive opening with their defensive coordinator position available. Technically, Bill Belichick is a free agent. It’s a far longshot, but Belichick has fond memories in the Giants organization, where he saw great success.
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