Bill Belichick is an eight-time Super Bowl champion with six of those coming as head coach of the New England Patriots. After picking up two titles as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, Belichick hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy as the lead man at the conclusion of the 2001 season.
Led by a young Tom Brady, who had replaced the injured Drew Bledsoe, the Patriots were able to upset the St. Louis Rams, 20-17, in Super Bowl XXXVI.
It was a tremendous accomplishment for Belichick and his team, and it kicked off what’s now known as the Patriots dynasty. But in Belichick’s mind, it was merely a stroke of good fortune as his plan to overhaul the team’s roster was a multi-year process. He wasn’t content with that rebuild until Year 4.
“When the opportunity came in 2000, even though this team was nowhere near the team that we left in ’96, it had declined quite a bit, there were still a few pillars here that we could build with,” Belichick told The 33rd Team, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk.
“And I’d say by ’03 — even though we won in ’01 — by ’03 this was a pretty good football team in all three phases of the game. It kind of took the same basic four-year window that it took in Cleveland. Again, we were fortunate to win in ’01, but I’d say by ’03, ’04, we had one of the better teams in the league.”
In 2001, the Patriots took everyone by surprise. But as Belichick alludes, by 2003 and 2004, the Patriots had established themselves as one of the most talented teams in football and a force to be reckoned with.
That remained true until 2020 when Brady and the Patriots finally went their separate ways and New England fell back to earth.
