Simms: Belichick's got plenty left in tank
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick smiles at a news conference during NFL football training camp in Foxborough, Mass. (July 29, 2011) Credit: AP
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been an NFL head coach or assistant coach for 36 straight seasons, by far the most of any coach in today’s game. And former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, now an NFL analyst for CBS, thinks the 59-year-old Belichick still has a lot more years left on the sidelines.
“Belichick, he never tires,” Simms said. “I believe he could coach until he’s 70. He never tires of the process. That’s what makes himreally unique.”
Belichick’s one-week-at-a-time mantra has served him well over the years, and he’s not about to change now. Up next: a huge AFC game against San Diegoat home on Sunday.
Belichick will be looking for his 179th career win, which would leave him just four behind Bill Parcells for ninth place on the all-timelist.
Believe it or not
The Lions have won five straight, including their last four games in 2010 and a season-opening win over the Bucs. The only team with a longer active winning streak: the Super Bowl champion Packers, who have won seven straight, including the playoffs.
McKinnie’s unlikely journey
It’s impressive enough that Ravens newly acquired left tackle Bryant McKinnie got through the first game of the regular season without the benefit of a single snap in a preseason game. But to do it against the rival Steelers and shut down Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison in a 35-7 rout in Baltimore?
Ridiculous.
“Not having played in over eight months, it’s something I had to mentally focus on and resort to the knowledge I’ve gained over theyears,” McKinnie said. “I had to remind myself, ‘Bryant, you can do this.’”
McKinnie had been released by the Vikings after he reported to training camp overweight, and didn’t sign with the Ravens until Aug. 23. The team immediately installed him as the starting left tackle, which allowed Michael Oher to move back to right tackle, where he starred as a rookie in2009.
Reports of the 32-year-old McKinnie tipping the scales at 400 pounds were an exaggeration. “I weighed 386 when I got there,” he said.“Now I’m down to 363.”
McKinnie, the seventh overall pick in the 2002 draft, said it was actually his decision to leave Minnesota after he opted not to restructure his contract.
“I started out there and was there for a long period of time, and after a while, I wanted to get a fresh start,” he said.
And why pick the Ravens, who signed him to a two-year, $7.5 million deal?
“I got phone calls from Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and they wanted me to come,” McKinnie said. “Ray’s attitude was like, ‘There’s no decision. This is where you’re coming.’ I’m glad I’m here.”
The Ravens are, too.
Losers need not lament
No more than 12 teams will be 2-0 by the end of the Week 2 schedule, which means 20 teams will be 1-1 or 0-2. But that’s not necessarily cause for panic, because 62 of the 108 playoff teams (57.4 percent) since realignment in 2002 started the year with 1-1 or 0-2.
Quick hits
* Chiefs coach Todd Haley is coming off a 10-6 season that saw the Chiefs win the AFC West. But after a 41-7 drubbing in last week’s home opener, and four of their next five games on the road, Haley may find his situation tenuous. How bad was that Week 1 loss, the worst in franchise history on opening day? So bad that team owner Clark Hunt had to deliver a vote of confidence for Haley afterward.
* Offensive production was way up in Week 1. Games averaged a total of 47.0 points, the highest Week 1 average since 2002 (49.3). Last year, games averaged 36.6 points in Week 1. . Passing offenses started off at a record pace, with games averaging 490.1 passing yards, the highest Week 1 total in NFL history. And 14 quarterbacks threw for at least 300 yards, the most in a single week in NFL history.
* Panthers owner Jerry Richardson handed out $105.5 million in signing bonuses to retain eight key players whose contracts had either expired or were about to within a year. And that didn’t include the $14.5 million signing bonus he gave No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton.
* Touchbacks were up dramatically after the new rule movingkickoffs to the 35 from the 30. A whopping 79 of 162 kickoffs went fortouchbacks, compared to just 24 of 137 in Week 1 last year. Only 49.4 percent of all kickoffs were returned, arecord low. Oddly enough, though, kickoff returns, as well as punt returns,were up. There were three kickoff returns for touchdowns, the most since threein 1998. And with five punt return touchdowns, the NFL had the most return TDsin any single weekend.
