Belichick On Patriots Ring Celebration: 'Great Night, But We Need To Move On'
BOSTON (CBS) -- One of Bill Belichick's greatest traits as Patriots head coach is his short memory. Win or lose, the past is the past and he's constantly focused on looking ahead to the next challenge.
It doesn't matter to Belichick that he and Tom Brady just won their record-breaking fifth Super Bowl together - the seventh win for Belichick - or that the team literally just got their Super Bowl LI rings on Friday night. As he said on Tuesday after Patriots OTAs at Gillette Stadium, the 2016 season is in the rearview mirror and the Patriots are focused squarely on 2017.
"It was a great night, but, really, we need to move on to 2017," said Belichick. "You know, we've had enough parades, enough celebrations and enough everything. This '17 team hasn't done anything yet – none of us have. We really need to focus on what we're doing this year.
"There have been a lot of great moments in the past, which is great, but that isn't going to help us this year."
In another typically Belichickian response, the head coach showed how he's always looking to get better, even with the Super Bowl champs loading up and being the clear favorites to win again next February.
"We've got a long way to go," said Belichick when asked how he assesses the team after OTAs. "We've got a lot of things we need to coach better, do better, be better at. We've got a long way to go."
Belichick recently ranked No. 1 a new list by Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier of the 25 greatest coaches in NFL history. His steadfast refusal to dwell on the past, constant drive for improvement, and laser-like focus on moving forward are just a few of the qualities that earned him that spot.
