It is one thing to be an elite coach in a league, and another to be considered one of the best ever, but Vince Lombardi is in a league of his own. The former Packers coach remains iconic in the NFL but with Bill Belichick winning his fifth Super Bowl as the Patriots head coach, can Lombardi still be considered the best?
The overwhelming case for Lombardi
The Super Bowl trophy was literally renamed the Lombardi trophy due to the greatness of this coach. The legend won five NFL championships as head coach of the Packers. Two of those five championships came immediately after the inception of the Super Bowl era, as his Packers teams won the first two Super Bowls ever played.
Even after leaving the Packers, Lombardi led the terrible Washington franchise to a successful season. His accomplishments are undeniable and his lasting impact on the league is unparalleled. Lombardi did it by chasing a standard of perfection, his work ethic was insane, and he built his legacy on simplicity. Many of Lombardi's inspiring quotes are now famous today.
Lombardi and Belichick
Some think it is crazy to even mention anyone in the same breath as Lombardi, but Belichick's resume and style have become impossible to ignore. Belichick has won five Super Bowls as head coach in an era where it is arguably much harder to win at a high level due to the numbers of teams, salary cap, and level of competition.
Yet, Lombardi won his championships in a shorter span.
Belichick has the same work ethic and level of brilliant simplicity that Lombardi had. His 'Patriot Way' and mantra, "Do Your Job" has led the Patriots to many insanely close Super Bowl wins, including more recently the two greatest Super Bowl comebacks of all time.
Belichick is a football mind like no other, he routinely gets rid of stars on his team when he feels they are unfocused or for other reasons, and somehow their replacement almost always works out.
Belichick even pulled out crazy new offensive alignments in a 2014 divisional playoff game, confusing the referees, Baltimore defense and ultimately leading the Patriots back from a 14 point deficit. The game led the team to an eventual Super Bowl win and only further displayed what others had said about Belichick, which is that he is a football genius.
Check out Belichick's brilliant formations at the four minute mark in the above video.
Many also dislike Belichick due to the scandals of the Patriots such as Spygate and Deflategate.
The argument is somewhat tied in championships despite the different eras. So at the moment many can claim, "Belichick had Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback ever; of course he won a lot." I'll take my favoritism towards Belichick out of it, while the claim doesn't diminish Belichick's legacy too much, it certainly gives the tiebreaker to Lombardi (at least in the eyes of Packers fans).
For Belichick to really try to surpass Lombardi to the point where even the Packers fans cannot deny him, he will need to win another Super Bowl. Perhaps Belichick's next Super Bowl needs to come even without Tom Brady, if only to prove he can win without him.
