By By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
NEW YORK — Spygate be damned! Bill Belichick of the unbeaten New England Patriots is The Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year.
With the Patriots motivated by a spying scandal — and owning the deepest talent base in football — Belichick guided his team to the first 16-0 regular season in league history.
That was enough to offset the major blemish on Belichick’s resume: a $500,000 personal fine, $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft after the Patriots were caught videotaping New York Jets coaches during the season opener.
Spygate didn’t stop 29 of the 50 voters on a nationwide panel of media members who cover the NFL from voting for Belichick on Thursday. In a season highlighted by many strong coaching performances, Belichick beat out Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy, who received 15 votes for leading the Packers to a 13-3 record and the NFC North title.
He also won the award in 2003.
Does Kraft believe this award will silence the critics?
The first coach since Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a spotless regular season, Belichick won the award for the second time in four years. In 2003, the Patriots went 14-2 and won their final 12 games. This time, Belichick’s team rampaged through the first part of the schedule, then won a handful of close games on the way to 16-0.
While the perfect journey this season seemed somewhat joyless as the Patriots followed the lead of their detached coach, there was no denying Belichick’s ability to motivate. His players used Spygate as a rallying point, cultivating an us-against-them mentality that clearly worked.
Belichick is involved in all personnel decisions, meaning the additions of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth to the receiving corps had his touch.
Plus, Belichick is a master at game-planning. Add that skill to the deepest offense in the league (a record 589 points, including an NFL mark of 75 TDs) and a stingy defense that yielded 274 points, fifth in the league, and there’s, well, perfection.
Also getting votes were Dallas coach Wade Phillips and Jacksonville’s Jack Del Rio (two each), and Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy and Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden (one each).
The only other Patriots coach to win the award was Belichick’s mentor, Bill Parcells, in 1994.
Since joining the Patriots in 2000 after an unsuccessful head coaching stint in Cleveland (36-44), Belichick has turned New England into the center of the NFL universe. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls this decade — no other team has more than one — and are 91-37 in the regular season under Belichick. They have won the AFC East five straight years, with no fewer than 10 victories in any of those seasons.