Bill Belichick achieved the impossible. The head coach of the New England Patriots has overseen two decades of success in the NFL. In the United States they call it a dynasty.
That is the wrong word. Dynasties require some sort of succession. New England’s domination of American football – a record six Super Bowl wins since 2001 and three losing appearances in the big game – was built around two men: Belichick and Tom Brady, the quarterback. This was a reign; a duopoly rather than a dynastic endeavour. There was plenty of change at Foxborough during this magnificent era but it was around the edges.