Lombardi, meet Belichick

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

By MIKE LOWE, Portland Press Herald Writer

PITTSBURGH — In most football circles, Vince Lombardi is considered the greatest head coach of all time. In fact, the NFL has named the trophy given annually to the Super Bowl champion after him.

What will the NFL someday do for Bill Belichick?

After Belichick's New England Patriots throttled the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-27 in the AFC championship game Sunday at arctic Heinz Field, Belichick tied Lombardi for the highest postseason winning percentage in NFL history: .900, at 9-1.

Belichick is 8-0 - same as his quarterback, Tom Brady - in the playoffs since coming to New England.

He also has two Super Bowl championships, same as Lombardi, who earned his with the Green Bay Packers in the first two Super Bowls.

Lombardi was considered the master motivator of his day. Belichick is considered without peer in terms of game preparation and tactics.

Yet when Belichick was asked, not once, but twice, following the victory how it felt to be tied with Lombardi, his answer wasn't surprising to those who follow him week to week.

''It's very flattering to have my name mentioned with his name,'' said Belichick, his expression not changing. ''I don't really think I'm deserving of that. I think it's really stretching it a little big.

''As I said, I've been fortunate. I've got some outstanding players and guys that really play well together as a team . . . and I'm fortunate to be coach of this team.''

And make no mistake about it, the players in his locker room realize they're fortunate to be playing for Belichick.

They know that he and his staff are a big reason the Patriots (16-2) are going to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years Feb. 6 against Philadelphia, the NFC champ, in Jacksonville, Fla.

''He's the man in charge,'' said linebacker Ted Johnson. ''We take our cue from him.''

Belichick prefers the players get the credit but as wide receiver David Givens said, ''It goes both ways. It's not just the players. It's the coaches and the players and all together, as a team, we did a great job.''

Belichick and his staff give the Patriots a chance to win every week. Belichick is renown for his ability to break down a team's strengths and weaknesses. His teams are especially difficult to beat the second time around.

''He is the master,'' said Johnson, ''when it comes to dissecting a team, breaking (down) a game that seems . . . there's a ton of plays, a ton of things going on and he breaks it down to its simplest form . . . and he gives you just a few things to key on and tells you if you do those two or three things, you're going to win the game.

''And he does that every week and it's amazing. He's right many more times than he's wrong.''

The last two weeks have been perfect examples. No one thought the Patriots could shut down the Indianapolis Colts' passing game in the AFC semifinals. The Patriots won 20-3, holding the league MVP, Peyton Manning, without a touchdown pass.

No one thought the Patriots could put up 41 points on the league's top-ranked defense Sunday. Nor did anyone think the Patriots could stop the league's second-best rushing offense. Pittsburgh pounded New England 34-20 back on Halloween.

But Sunday's game was a mismatch from the start, with Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel coming up with a plan to slow the run.

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, bound to Notre Dame as its new head coach once the Super Bowl ends, put together an offensive game plan that pressured Pittsburgh's weakness in the secondary.

Linebacker Tedy Bruschi said Belichick's ability to make in-game adjustments is incredible. Case in point: The Steelers had a fourth-and-less-than-1 in the first quarter when Belichick called Johnson over to the sideline during an official timeout.

''He gave me a tip and I relayed it to the guys who needed to know,'' said Johnson, not elaborating further. ''He obviously knew something I didn't. I think it was more of a gut call on his part.''

Whatever it was, it worked. The defense stuffed Jerome Bettis for no gain, and then Bettis fumbled, with linebacker Mike Vrabel recovering. On the next play, Brady threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch and the rout was on.

Brady is probably the player who has benefited most from playing for Belichick. He has said that Belichick's input is invaluable in game preparation. Even though Belichick is regarded as a defensive specialist, he helps Brady by showing how a defense will react to certain plays.

Brady obviously has learned well.

With New England leading 10-3 and the ball on Pittsburgh's 9 in the second quarter, Weis called a running play. But Brady, seeing cornerback Willie Williams playing off Givens, changed the play.

As Givens came in motion from the right, Brady stopped him and waved him back to his wideout slot. The ball was snapped . . . Brady threw quickly to Givens . . . Williams slipped . . . touchdown, 17-3.

''It was a great call by Tom,'' said Givens. ''He changed it and it was the right call.''

Like Belichick, Brady dismisses much of the credit. But he knows where the success starts.

''(Belichick's) got great attention to detail and he never lets us get away with anything,'' he said. ''We didn't have a great practice (last) Wednesday and he let us know it. You would have thought we were 0-16 the way he spoke to us.

''But it gets everyone in the right frame of mind. He's got great short-term and long-term perspective. He's a tremendous coach.''

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at: mlowe@pressherald.com

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