Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in football history.
On the NFL level, you can make a convincing argument, because of the salary cap era, that his accomplishments exceed those of Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Joe Gibbs.
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I have a lot of respect for Belichick, but Paul Brown seems to have accomplished more. When Paul Brown coached the Browns they won the championship 6 years in a row, and they went to the championship 10 years in a row. Brown is the first coach to watch film, he invented the zone defense, he invented the draw play, he invented the face mask, among other things. Several top coaches including, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Weeb Ewbank, Blanton Collier, and Sid Gillman played and/or coached for Brown. Brown also played a major role in integrating football. Brown was the Red Auerbach of professional football. A also appreceiate Greg Bedard's excellent football analysis. Greg Bedard, Pete Abraham, and Amalie Benjamin make the Globe Sports worth reading.
There were also ten teams in the league, not 32, and they played 10 games, not 16. That's just to get going. There was no salary cap so you could keep players a decade. I can go on all day...
You are missing the forest for the trees. The team Belichik built DID go on to win the championship just a few years later, as the Ravens. And 'the system' would have worked for Cleveland, as proved later with the Pats. The city was too cheap to work with Modell and the fans were too impatient, and voila: everyone else gets the benefit of the under-appreciated hard work in Cleveland.
What's the record for back handed compliments used in a single article?
I'd like to know who has more 3rd and 4th down conversions for 1st downs per ball opportunity than Kevin Faulk. Even among receivers. If/when the NFL starts putting 3rd down backs in the Hall of Fame, Kevin Faulk would be right at the top of the list.