Bill Belichick is the one head coach with a legitimate chance to pass Don Shula as the winningest in NFL history, so news of the Miami Dolphins legend’s death on Monday likely resonated with Belichick more strongly than some others.
Not long after the Dolphins announced that Shula passed away at age 90, Belichick issued the following statement:
Shula had 328 regular-season wins, which is an NFL record. Belichick has 273, so he would have to average about nine wins per season over the next six years to catch Shula. While that won’t be easy now that Tom Brady is out of the picture, it is certainly doable.
Shula was critical of Belichick over the years for the way the Patriots tended to bend the rules, but Belichick obviously respected the two-time Super Bowl champion for his contributions to the NFL and the game of football.
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