Stephen A. Smith gives correct take on Bill Belichick's legacy as a coach

Stephen A. Smith is known for his hot takes, and hot takes aren't always exactly right. In fact, most of the time, they're just "hot" for the sake of being hot.

Recently speaking on ESPN's "First Take," though, the longtime sports commentator gave the correct answer when asked about Bill Belichick's legacy as a coach and how it will be impacted by his time with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Will his success, or potential lack of success, at North Carolina have any impact on how the sports world sees Belichick as a coach?

“Nothing to me personally,” Smith said (h/t On3). “His record in this industry speaks for itself … I’m tired of us acting like we get to impugn the greatness of Bill Belichick. He is an eight-time champion. I’m going to say that again. Eight-time champion, six as a head coach, two as a defensive coordinator for one of the elite defenses this game has ever seen, universally recognized as a brilliant football mind. Now, I know it fell off after Tom Brady left New England. He got older. He was a bit too stubborn in terms of assisting and sort of pushing Tom Brady out the door."

Belichick's detractors, if there are enough of them to be labeled as a group, are quick to point out that Tom Brady left the New England Patriots and immediately won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Belichick was at the wheel when the Patriots' dynasty finally collapsed.

It appeared as if perhaps the success in New England had more to do with Brady than Belichick, but Smith rightly points out that in this ultimate team sport, there's something to be said for Belichick's ability as a leader. The Patriots were dominant for many years under his watchful eye, and he deserves credit for not just building them up but keeping them great.

"To be a head coach and essentially the GM, and to be an overseer spanning 20-plus years, and to go to 10 Super Bowls. Do you understand the level of leadership that entails?" Smith said. 

As far as Smith is concerned, Belichick could go 0-12 and be fired by UNC at the end of this season, and that still wouldn't impact his legacy.

He's right, too. Belichick's record as an NFL head coach is 302-165. That's a winning percentage of .647, and that includes his time as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, which was mediocre, at best. 

Take out Belichick's stint with the Browns and focus just on his time with the Pats, and his winning percentage as a head coach jumps up to .687. 

Even more impressive is what Belichick did in the NFL playoffs, when the pressure is really on. Not counting his stint with the Browns, he went 30-12 as a coach in the playoffs. That's a .714 winning percentage, which is as elite as it gets.

"No matter what happens to him in North Carolina, we know he’s qualified for that job. We know he should have had an NFL job based on his credentials, and we know that he’s going to go down as arguably the greatest who has ever lived.”

That's not just a hot take. That's the correct take.