Bill Belichick spent 24 years as head coach of the New England Patriots. Over that time he accumulated a collection of some of the best players to take the field this millennium.
This makes the task of picking an all-time Bill Belichick team difficult. Not at quarterback or tight end, obviously. And Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Devin McCourty and Ty Law were must-haves on the defensive side of the ball. But how do you pick apart a secondary loaded with All-Pro talent? Do you take the linebackers who contributed the most over long careers or shined the brightest in short bursts? Which underutilized running backs make the cut?
Putting together the best of the best over his two-plus decades in New England is a debate unto itself. But, after fudging a few positions and absolutely letting my personal feelings get in the way of raw stats, here’s what I came up with.
Quarterback: Tom Brady
With apologies to Matt Cassel, there is no need for debate here. Six Super Bowl wins as a Patriot en route to just about every career passing record there is. Brady was a generational talent who stuck around for two decades.
Running back: Corey Dillon
Belichick rarely utilized a bellwether tailback and rarely held onto his running backs for long. Dillon was the best of a diverse group of runners, a grinder capable of picking up clutch yardage. His 1,635 yards in 2004 were third-most in the NFL and vital to the Patriots’ third Super Bowl win in four seasons.
Running back: Kevin Faulk
Faulk spent his entire 13-year career in New England, providing a useful running presence from the backfield but adding much more value in the passing game. He had 431 career receptions and, more importantly, provided much-needed blocking coverage as Brady’s last line of defense in the pocket.
Fullback: James Develin
Belichick wasn’t afraid to utilize a throwback offense in the modern NFL. Develin, a big-bodied fullback, was a part of that equation. His contributions didn’t show up on the stat sheet, but his lead blocking and occasional contributions in the receiving game made him a reliable piece of New England’s success.
Wide receiver: Randy Moss
Brady’s wideouts mostly dabbled in the forgettable. But it only took a fourth round draft pick to free Moss from the Oakland Raiders and allow him to do Randy Moss things again. He averaged better than 1,250 yards and 16 (!) touchdowns per season in his first three years with the Patriots.
Wide receiver: Julian Edelman
The former Kent State quarterback took some time acclimating to wideout. While he was a moderate force in the regular season, he shined once the playoffs came around. Edelman averaged six catches and 76 yards per game in the postseason, giving the world one of the greatest clutch receptions of all time in the process.
Wide receiver: Wes Welker
Welker came to New England with high expectations to manage after being traded for second- and seventh-round picks. He exceeded them by leading the league in receptions in three of his six seasons with the Pats. He’ll be best remembered as a player who always put his best foot forward with the game on the line.
Wide receiver/whatever: Troy Brown
I didn’t mean to go four deep at wideout, but Brown was too important to leave off the list. He bridged the gap between the Belichick and Bill Parcells era. He was a homegrown success story, a diminutive slice of nothing who became a 1,000-yard wideout through determination. And when injuries ravaged the Patriot secondary, he stepped in there en route to three interceptions for the 2004 NFL champions. What a legend.
Tight end: Rob Gronkowski
Going four deep at wideout (and three deep at running back) leaves me with one tight end. And as much as I want to highlight Ben Watson’s useful blocking, there’s only one choice here. Gronk is a future Hall of Famer who finished his Patriots career with four 1,000-yard seasons, 94 total touchdowns and three Super Bowl rings.
Tackles: Matt Light, Nate Solder
Two highly drafted tackles than embodied the “do your job” ethos Belichick instilled in his players. Light protected Tom Brady’s blindside for 11 years. His retirement turned the job over to Solder, who held things down for seven more before leaving in free agency.
Guards: Logan Mankins, Steve Neal
Mankins came to the Patriots as a first round pick and, incredibly, finished second in offensive rookie of the year voting in 2005. He went on to make six All-Pro teams in nin seasons with the team.
Neal wasn’t a better blocker than Joe Thuney, but he was an extremely Belichick-ian player. The former NCAA wrestler — he once beat Brock Lesnar for a Division I title! — made the jump to the NFL without playing a single snap of college football. He went on to spend nine seasons with New England.
Center: Dan Koppen
Koppen showed up, cleared space and won games. In nine seasons as a Patriot he was only flagged for holding seven times.
Defensive end: Richard Seymour
Seymour’s Hall of Fame career saw him command double teams on a regular basis and still manage to ruin AFC offenses for more than a decade. Eight of those years were spent racking up All-Pro honors in New England. And when he was traded he set the table for more success on his way out; the first round pick the Patriots acquired for him was used to draft Solder.
Defensive end: Willie McGinest
McGinest only played six seasons under Belichick, but was the reliable veteran presence New England needed as an unexperienced team ventured out of the woods and into the playoffs. He had 11.5 sacks in 11 postseason games with Belichick as his head coach.
Defensive tackle: Vince Wilfork
Wilfork spent 11 years defying the laws of physics in New England. He was a wholly immovable force up front capable of shocking top speed and explosiveness once given space. He was a four-time All-Pro as a Patriot.
Linebacker: Tedy Bruschi
Belichick inherited Bruschi, but it was under his watch that the rangy linebacker thrived. The former undersized defensive end blossomed into a two-time All-Pro, then came back from a stroke to finish off a 13-year career and cement his place as a legend across New England.
Linebacker: Kyle Van Noy
The leader of the Boogeymen was a quintessential Belichick pickup. The former second round pick was unwanted in Detroit, but blossomed into a star with the Patriots. He thrived as a Swiss Army knife in the middle of his defense, adding value as a run-stopper, tight end-shadower and pass rusher that allowed his teammates around him to thrive.
Linebacker: Mike Vrabel
Vrabel was another underutilized asset who came to Foxborough with muted fanfare, then developed into a star. The future Tennessee Titans head coach was a dynamic pass rusher who could also shed blocks and stop ballcarriers in the backfield. He was also a useful tight end near the goal line; all 10 of his career receptions ended in touchdowns.
Linebacker: Dont'a Hightower
With respect to Matt Judon, Rob Ninkovich and Jamie Collins, the final linebacker spot goes to the quiet engine behind the Patriots’ dominant red zone defenses of the 2010s. Hightower found a second gear with the game on the line, creating a highlight reel of huge stops when his team needed it the most — including Super Bowl 51’s tide-turning strip sack of Matt Ryan.
Cornerback: Ty Law
Law was a blue chip holdover from the previous regime who was essential to the Patriots’ first three Super Bowl wins. His ability to harass Indianapolis Colts’ receivers culminated in an AFC title game in which he caught as many passes from Peyton Manning (three) as Marvin Harrison. The league changed its rules on how cornerbacks could contact wideouts near the line of scrimmage shortly thereafter, only furthering the Hall of Famer’s legend.
Cornerback: Darrelle Revis
Revis only played one season as a Patriot. But it was a glorious season that ended with All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl win. He makes the cut.
Cornerback: Asante Samuel
Samuel went from fourth round pick to first-team All-Pro, emerging in 2006 and 2007 as one of the league’s best cover corners before departing in free agency. He had 16 interceptions those two seasons — but none quite as memorable as the one he couldn’t corral as Eli Manning led a game-winning drive to beat the 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Safety: Devin McCourty
McCourty played 13 seasons and only missed five games in that span. Few players in the league could hold down center field like he did, reading quarterbacks and routes as they unfolded on his way to 35 interceptions and a franchise-record 110 passes defensed.
Safety: Rodney Harrison
Harrison came to New England in what was supposed to be the twilight of his career. Then he made the All-Pro team in back-to-back seasons after signing with the Patriots, contributing massively to a pair of Super Bowl champions along the way. While injuries marred his final four years in New England, the hard-hitting safety was a veteran leader who shined, making Foxborough a destination for ring-seeking stars winding down their careers for years to come.
Special teams: Adam Vinatieri, Ryan Allen, Matthew Slater
Vinatieri is simply the most clutch kicker of all time. Allen was a perfectly cromulent left footed punter; only 8.3 percent of his kicks as a Patriot resulted in touchbacks. Slater is second in line to make the NFL Hall of Fame as a special teams savant, waiting patiently behind Buffalo legend Steve Tasker.
