Belichick started this year 30 wins from passing Don Shula’s record as the winningest coach in NFL history. As the Tom Brady years grow more distant in memory, this record—this stat —appears to be the only reason that Belichick, at 71, continues to ply his trade. It is also, in this moment, unattainable. It’s not unlike Tiger Woods closing in on Jack Nicklaus’s major record only to have his life, his body, and his character dissolve before our eyes. Belichick is not going to break that record. He’s probably going to be fired by Kraft at the end of this season, and the idea of another NFL owner hiring Belichick after that is growing more implausible with every blowout. After all, Dan Snyder doesn’t live here anymore.
I think he is shown the door fairly soon. The only question is how gracefully it is done - from both parties’ sides.
Like I said on the CHB, Landry had to go. Jerry Jones could have handled it much better. At the same time, I wonder how gracefully Landry would have gone if Jones had made an effort to let him go with more dignity.
We will never know because he didn’t.
Had Landry thrown a fit about it, I would be more forgiving, but it is hard to imagine Jerry Jones willing to meet halfway.
In fairness to Jones, he has said he regrets how he handled letting Landry go.
The best comparison is to when Wayne Huizenga let Don Shula go as coach. Everybody knew Shula did not want to go, but he was allowed to retire and stay with the Dolphins in a ceremonial position. I doubt Landry would have wanted that with Jones. Ideally, they would have issued some statement where they mutually agreed that Landry would depart, with Jones praising Landry for what he had done for the franchise.