by Rich Briggs

Created on: June 26, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

It sounds like someone is a little testy about his Patriots losing to the pathetic Giants. What the real problem is that people get sick and tired of hearing how perfect Tom Terrific is and the fact Bill Belichick has the personality of a brick. No, he wasn't hired to find a cure for cancer. He was hired to coach a professional football team.

Belichick is never happy unless he wins and he gets his way. This is tantamount to a child in grade school, but that is an insult to the child. His team got whipped, plain and simple, and the 16 - 0 season means nothing. No trophy, no rings (except the conference championship rings), and no mention of being the best team ever, which would have been a farce. The competition in this league is so watered down, it's ridiculous.

As for staying on the field for the end, yes, he did shake Tom Coughlin's hand before he left. I will give him that. But the fact there was one second left to be run off, the least he could have done was hold his team back for the final second, then be on his way. Whether one second makes a difference is up for debate, but the league still needed to officially run that time off the clock and they wanted to have one final snap to make it complete.

I am no fan of Tom Coughlin, but he outcoached his contemporary across the field and there is no doubt that, had he been on the losing end, he would have waited to the end to cross the field and shake the hand of Belichick. Whether you are fan of sportsmanship or not, there were a bunch of kids watching that game and these coaches, and players, need to set the example. If they can't handle that responsibility, they shouldn't be coaching. If a kid chooses to act like an idiot (see Belichick) when he becomes an adult, that is his choice. But, in the meantime, these coaches need to be aware that people are watching, including youth, and they need to model decent behavior. I sure hope Belichick stays in coaching because he doesn't have the personality for anything else.

We try to teach our kids to do the right thing. When they see this happening, they question the adults in their lives as to why they did what they did. How do you answer that? Truthfully? Tell them that Bill Belichick is an idiot (other words cannot be used here for taste purposes)? Or just explain that he didn't have the decency to stay on the field and congratulate the winners at his own expense. That's a tough one and I am not sure how I would have handled it.

Belichick has been trying to escape Bill Parcells' shadow ever since he turned down the New York Jets' job and headed north to New England. Now that he has won three Super Bowls, he feels like he is entitled to do and act as he wants. Nice example, coach.

As a youth coach, I try and set an example at the end of every game, win or lose. Handle yourself with class, integrity, dignity, and professionalism. No, pro coaches do not have to do this. But it trickles down and young people are watching. If they think it's okay for a pro, or college, coach to act this way, why not them? The Bill Belichicks of the world act standoffish because they think they know just a little bit better than everyone else. Those types of people fall off their perch, real fast.

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