“Working for Nothing”: Bill Belichick Returned Big Favor to Rival Team by Giving Them Sleepless Nights

Bill Belichick has earned himself the status of the GOAT coach. With his 23 years of coaching the New England Patriots, he led them to 6 Super Bowl wins. Belichick has coached some of the greatest players to ever play, including none other than Tom Brady himself. But as is often said, greatness doesn’t come overnight; it comes after years of struggling. 

Over his career, Coach Belichick has been part of several teams, until he finally landed as the head coach of the Patriots. The HOF Bound coach has served stints with the New York Giants as their defensive assistant, winning his first two career Super Bowls with them. He also had roles with the Browns and the Jets. But the start of his coaching career would come with a team that would eventually serve as major rivals of Belichick and the Patriots. 

The humble beginnings of Bill Belichick

After graduating college from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, there weren’t a lot of options available to Bill Belichick. But his undeniably talented football mind would earn him a walk-on part as an assistant to Indianapolis Colts HC Ted Marchibroda. While he would initially earn nothing, Belichick would savor the experience he would gain in his first exposure to the NFL. 

“You know I started off working for nothing for the Colts, and I couldn’t have been happier. It was the break of a lifetime to be employed by coach Marchibroda and the Colts and actually be getting paid nothing,” the coach said.

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Belichick would spend a year under Marchibroda’s tutelage, eventually earning coaching spots with the Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos, until finally finding his role within the New York Giants. But the irony of Belichick earning his first spot within the NFL with one of his greatest rivals as a head coach is certainly amusing. 

The intense rivalry between the Colts and Patriots

Over the years, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have featured in some major rivalries with their unparalleled success. But one of their greatest rivals over the years was the Indianapolis Colts. As the Patriots started to assert their dominance in the league after Belichick took over as HC, the most formidable opposition to the team came from Tom Brady’s rival QB, Peyton Manning, and his Indianapolis Colts. 

The Colts and Patriots would engage in years of rivalry, with the center of attention being the QB battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. While Manning would eventually lead the Colts to a Super Bowl win, the Patriots would take the upper hand in the rivalry, securing a 4-1 playoff record over ‘Dolts’ since 2000. Their only loss would come in the 2007 AFC Championship game, in a thrilling 34-38 game. As Belichick continues his career with the Patriots, major questions about the future of the franchise continue to loom over him. 

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