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Originally I placed this in obscure part of PatsFans.com but I figured I'd re-post this over here. Some of the data in relation to other NFL players and teams may be slightly off since it was written prior to last Sunday's games, but I'm not about to go back through it all again right now.
Milestones for the 2009 Patriots
Team
The franchise now has 382 wins, tied with the Dolphins and Chiefs for 17th most in NFL history. Of course many teams have been around much longer than the Pats. Among the franchises that started play in 1960 or later, that number of wins ranks 5th, behind only the Cowboys, Raiders, Vikings and Broncos.
The Pats have passed the Ravens and remain ahead of the Steelers with an all-time winning percentage of .518, which is 15th best of the 32 current franchises; by the end of the year the Pats should move up two notches past .519 Washington and .520 Kansas City, with a chance of moving past Jacksonville as well. Not a particularly significant stat, but something to keep in your back pocket when some fan of another team – one wearing black and gold, for example – starts talking about how the Pats were so bad for so long and their team has such a better history.
Bill Belichick
Belichick now ranks 22nd in years of head coaching, with 15. With 231 wins he is tied with Jim Mora for the 21st most wins by a coach; it now looks like he may pass Jeff Fisher (236) in this category this year, and possibly catch Hank Stram (19th, with 238) as well. Currently Belichick has won 55 more games than he has lost. If the Pats finish the season 12-4, that would move him past Bill Cowher and tie him with Joe Gibbs for 12th all-time at 60 games over .500. Prepare for the excuses and backlash now.
If the Pats make the playoffs this year, it will be Belichick’s 8th year in the post-season. That would rank 16th best in NFL history, tied with George Halas, John Madden, Marv Levy and Dennis Green. Belichick now ranks 9th all-time with 19 playoff games; he is just one behind Dan Reeves, two behind Bill Cowher, and three behind Bud Grant. And he currently ranks 5th with 15 playoff victories; that is only one behind Chuck Noll and two behind Joe Gibbs. Should the Pats win the AFC championship that would tie Belichick with Tom Landry for 2nd most conference championships, with a total of five. And if the Pats win it all, that would equal the most Super Bowl victories by a coach, held by Noll with four; it would also place him 5th in NFL history in number of championships, behind only legends Paul Brown, Curly Lambeau, George Halas and Vince Lombardi.