HOUSTON -- The Patriots stormed from behind to win Super Bowl LI 34-28 over the Atlanta Falcons in improbable fashion, engineering the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history as Tom Brady shattered records en route to his fourth Super Bowl MVP award.
There is plenty to celebrate, but if you're Bill Belichick, there's no time to waste sitting around trying to be excited about winning a fifth Super Bowl with the Patriots (and seventh Super Bowl overall).
In fact, Belichick is already starting to turn away from the 2016 season and towards 2017 because the Patriots, due to their deep playoff run, are "five weeks behind" everyone else for next year.
"As great as today is, in all honesty, we're five weeks behind 30 teams in the league in preparing for the 2017 season," Belichick said Monday morning at the Super Bowl MVP press conference.
He's not wrong. Teams have turned their attention to the NFL combine (starts in a few weeks), NFL free agency (March) and NFL Draft (late April, not as far away as you'd think). The NFL cycle is a quick one, and if you aren't working in the offseason, you're not going to win in the regular season.
"If you don't do a good job with your football team in February, March and April, you're probably going to see that in January," Belichick said.
The Patriots coach did say he would eventually get around to spending time on his boat (which will be renamed "Seven Rings") but that would come in June when the brief NFL offseason pops up.
More than anything, Belichick's comment is a reflection on how he operates as a head coach and as a football cyborg/possible human: he is relentless in his effort and his preparation and how he approaches each NFL season.
Belichick isn't afraid to be unconventional and he isn't afraid to push the limits to be great and to win another title. He is consumed by the pursuit of winning.
But most of all, he's the ultimate grinder, a passionate football historian who understands how to build a championship-caliber team. He's perfectly summed up by a quote that involves skipping the celebration and moving on to the next year and winning another Super Bowl.
