Scott Cordischi On Sports: The Vote Is In - Belichick Overrated

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalWorcester Sports Editor

The electorate has spoken and Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been voted one of the most overrated coaches in the National Football League.

According to an anonymous midseason players poll conducted by The Sporting News, Belichick was voted as the second most overrated coach in the NFL behind only Rex Ryan of the New York Jets.

Of the 103 players from 27 different NFL teams who were polled, 35 players voted the boisterous Ryan as the most overrated head coach in the league followed by Belichick who garnered 16 votes. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid finished third receiving 9 votes.

Bill Belichick

It’s no surprise that Ryan tops the list. When he was hired a few years ago by the Jets, he promised Super Bowl titles for Jet fans, a promise he has yet to deliver on.

Belichick’s selection as one of the most overrated coaches seems a bit curious.

Start with the fact that it completely contradicts one of the other polls voted on by that same group of players which overwhelmingly selected the New England Patriots franchise as the best organization in the NFL. The Pats received 34 votes followed by Pittsburgh with 21. The Giants received 19 votes while the Green Bay Packers received 15.

Not to discredit Patriots owner Bob Kraft whose leadership at the top has provided for great stability and reliability for the organization, but it is Belichick who runs the football operation in Foxboro.

As we saw when Kraft inherited Bill Parcells, you need great leadership in the head coaching position to succeed in the NFL which is what allowed the Patriots to go from perennial NFL doormat to a well-respected franchise under Parcells.

When Parcells left the organization after a fallout with Kraft, the Patriots owner wanted to hire someone who would be his buddy and someone he could take to cocktail parties with him to show off as his head coach. As we all learned after three years, Pete Carroll was not the answer for New England.

Having learned the error of his ways, Kraft went back to what James Busch Orthwein did by hiring a no-nonsense man to head up his football operation. The rest is history as they say.

So how, then, can Belichick lead the league’s “best organization” and be among the most “overrated” head coaches in the game?

Let’s just say that the electorate doesn’t exactly consist of rocket scientists who are finding a way to split the atom, if you know what I mean.

Among the other categories were “most underrated coach” which was a tie between Houston’s Gary Kubiak and Atlanta’s Mike Smith. If the Texans weren’t (7-1) and the Falcons (8-0), any chance either of these two finish at the top of that list? No way!

“Worst organization” was a close race with the Cleveland Browns (20 votes) edging out worthy competitors Jacksonville and Oakland (19 votes each).

“Which player has been the biggest disappointment” went to Philadelphia’s Michael Vick (16 votes) followed by Carolina’s Cam Newton (15).

The only other question asked of the players was: which big-time college coach would you like to see in the NFL? Alabama’s Nick Saban topped the list with 32 votes. Saban has already coached in the NFL having led the Miami Dolphins from 2005-2006.

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer was second on the list with 16 votes.

-When NBC’s Bob Costas asked Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones if he would have fired GM Jerry Jones, Jones responded, “well, I think so…..because he was there to dismiss.” Uh, earth to Jerry: It’s not too late to fire yourself as GM and hire someone who knows what the hell they’re doing!

Jerry Jones

-Question of the week: were the replacement refs really that bad? We ask that question because referee Bill Leavy had a horrendous performance at MetLife Stadium Sunday. First, they penalized Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Giants WR Victor Cruz in the second quarter. Replay clearly showed that there was no helmet-to-helmet contact and that it was a textbook, clean hit administered by Clark. The blown call kept the Giants drive alive and allowed them to score a touchdown on the drive. But that wasn’t the worst call. Leavy’s crew ruled that Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the ball which was scooped up by New York’s Michael Boley and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Replay clearly showed that Osi Umenyiora did hit Roethlisberger which moved the ball slightly in his throwin hand, but he had control of it while his arm was moving forward before it came loose. It was a clear case of the infamous “tuck rule” and should have been ruled an incomplete pass according to former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira. Instead, Leavy went under the hood, came back and STILL called it a fumble allowing the Giants touchdown to stand. It’s one thing to blow a call in live action when things are going at full speed, but to review it on replay and not overturn it is either a.) a crime or b.) a case or pure incompetence. Take your pick.

-The Alabama-LSU game Saturday night was a great college football game Saturday night. Notre Dame-Pitt wasn’t bad either.

-David Ortiz calling former manager Bobby Valentine “crazy” and suggesting that he “must have some mental issues” was classic!

-With Aqib Talib now joining Brandon Spikes on the Patriots roster, I think that both the fans and the media that cover the team can end the talk about the team only bringing in “character” guys to the organization.

-Until all of the newcomers to the Celtics can get comfortable with their roles, it may be a bumpy ride for the Green Team.

-One of the big problems that the NHL is dealing with is the poor decision-making by the league to place franchises in markets that can’t support them like Columbus, Nashville and others. Why should the players, and the fans, have to pay for those mistakes made by the owners?

Mike Aviles

-Despite their 8-0 record, let me be the first to say that the Atlanta Falcons will NOT win the Super Bowl this year.

-Did you see where the Cleveland Indians traded for infielder Mike Aviles with Toronto? Aviles played for Terry Francona in Boston in 2011 and, word is, that Tito wanted him in Cleveland.

-High school football on Thanksgiving morning is a great New England tradition.

-Kevin Faulk, who will be honored at halftime of Sunday’s game versus Buffalo, was one of the all-time underrated Patriot players of all-time. Diminutive in stature, Faulk had a knack for making a big play for the Pats offense when they needed it the most and had a terrific 13-year career in New England.

Kevin Faulk

-The line at my designated polling place for those whose names begin with letters A-K, was nonexistent while the line for people whose names begin with the letters L-Z was extremely long. A facebook friend claims the reason for that is the large Portugese population in the East Bay.

-And thank goodness the election is over with. If I have to watch another political ad or get another recorded call from a politician my head will explode!

-Good luck to the Bryant Bulldogs men’s basketball team which opens its 2012-2013 season Friday night at #1 Indiana........they’ll need it!

-I would imagine that people in the northeast no longer view hurricanes as things that only affect other parts of the country.

-Did you see Mitt Romney on ESPN at halftime of Monday Night Football this week. After proclaiming the New England Patriots as his “favorite” NFL team he also took credit for their two Super Bowl titles. TWO????? Really, Mitt????? You know what they say, when you have little or no knowledge of a subject, better to keep your mouth shut as opposed to exposing your ignorance about said subject.

-In all due respect to Kansas State, an Alabama-Oregon or Alabama-Notre Dame National Championship game would be a ratings bonanza and a game that college football fans would love to see.

Andrew Luck

-For anyone wondering why the Indianapolis Colts tanked it last season on their way to an NFL-worst 2-14 record, you now know why. Andrew Luck has been sensational and appears to be every bit the franchise quarterback the Colts thought he would be coming out of Stanford.

-Speaking of the Colts, their game against the Patriots a week from Sunday at Gillette Stadium has been moved from a 1pm to a 4:25pm kickoff so that CBS could make it their nationally televised feature game of the week.

-Pats-Jets Thanksgiving night is the perfect ending to a perfect holiday.