Question: Just how many Super Bowl appearances does an NFL coach have to make – let alone win – to get a spot in Canton in his first year of eligibility? Answer: Contrary to the 1970s TV series title, eight is not enough.
Bill Belichick got snubbed by sportswriters yesterday in his first ballot for the Hall of Fame. As a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I may have had no love for Belichick and the dynasty he and Robert Kraft built around Tom Brady in New England, but ... damn, man, at least I respected it. Belichick won two Super Bowls as a member of Bill Parcells' staff, then went on to win six more as head coach of the Patriots in nine appearances. Belichick is one of only three NFL head coaches with six championships, but also has the most playoff coaching wins in league history (31) and is second for regular wins with a single franchise. In 24 seasons with New England, Belichick won 17 division titles and made it to the AFC championship game 13 times.
And yet, the sportswriters who control entry to Canton seem to think that Belichick has to wait his turn, or something. This is so inexplicable on the record that this has to be personal:
In voting earlier this month, Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility, four sources with firsthand knowledge of the outcome told ESPN. Belichick received a call from a Hall representative Friday afternoon with the news that he won't be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
Several sources who spoke with the coach over the weekend described Belichick as "puzzled" and "disappointed" by his inability to secure support from at least 80% of Hall committee members. ...
With an NFL coaching record of 333-178, including playoffs -- career victories second only to Don Shula's 347 -- Belichick was considered by most fans and Hall voters to be a first-ballot lock.
The Hall's voting committee is composed mostly of veteran NFL reporters but also includes football figures such as former general manager Bill Polian and former coach Tony Dungy, both of whom are Hall of Famers.
According to ESPN's sources, Belichick thinks that "politics" kept him out. Perhaps the Spygate and Deflategate scandals played a part in the vote, but if so, that's absurd. Neither of those were on par with the kind of corruption that undermines the credibility of the league, such as Pete Rose's betting on his own games. The league punished Belichick in both instances at the time, and punished Brady as well for Deflategate. Those issues were settled long ago, and had nothing to do with the record Belichick built, which may never be equalled in the modern era of the league.
Another Super Bowl coach and Hall of Famer unleashed his fury on social media after news broke. In a series of somewhat NSFW tweets, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson called out the "cowards" who failed to vote for Belichick:
I would like to know the names of the assholes who did not vote for him..they are too cowardly to identify themselves… https://t.co/pCVV4Xeqpb
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 27, 2026
PLEASE…If you did not vote for BB identify yourselves!!! Probably too much of a coward..Hide behind your SECRET BALLOT!!! https://t.co/mApEhMNg1K
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 27, 2026
As a HOF coach I think Bill Belichick is the greatest of all time…yes he had a great QB but we all did..he won AFTER THE salary cap and free agency plus I Know how much he LOVES THE NFL and the game..I’m pissed.. https://t.co/1Pfd42a2rd
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 28, 2026
I would bet that if the HOF votes were public very few of the assholes that did not vote for Bill Belichick would come forward..already some are lying about their vote https://t.co/QukMcrNQVR
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 28, 2026
If they are using the EXCUSE of spygate that’s ridiculous…many teams (including ourselves) tried it..Howard Mudd at Kansas City who later coached for Bill Polian and Tony Dungy gave us the idea..he was the best..we didn’t get anything and stopped but many teams gave it a try https://t.co/ajrv5Iqq58
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 28, 2026
As a Steelers fan, I didn't have much love for the Dallas Cowboys either, especially when Johnson was winning Super Bowls with them. (Ironic, I know, I know.) However, I still respected what Johnson did with the team, and there was never any doubt that he belonged in Canton. He didn't get there on the first ballot either, but he didn't have the same level of accomplishment that Belichick did, either. No one does. And that's the point, or at least it should be the point.
These days in the NFL, though ... is accomplishment the point? Do they celebrate achievement any more? John Ondrasik wondered that this morning:
Your 2026 @NFL
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) January 28, 2026
Bill Belichick is not a first ballot HOF’er
Sheduer Sanders is a pro bowl QB.
And for your halftime entertainment…. pic.twitter.com/uS2y513f79
Wait, what? How did the Pro Bowl select Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders, as an alternate? I'm not the only one wondering, either.
Sanders played in eight games for the Browns this season and started in seven. His best game in terms of quarterback rating (QBR) was his fourth in December, when he lost to the Titans and got a 54.8 QBR, thanks to throwing three TDs against only one interception. In the following four games combined, Sanders got two TDs and seven interceptions, and his QBR didn't go above 36.3 in any one game. The one-game best QBR of 54.8 would rank him 21st among all quarterbacks in the league based on their full-season ratings, just below Jalen Hurts and just above Tyler Shough. He finished the season with seven TDs, 10 interceptions, averaged 6.6 yards per reception, and threw for 1400 yards in half a season of games.
His overall QBR? 18.9. That ranks him at the very bottom of the league among the starting QBs.
And that's a Pro Bowl performance? Come on, man.
The league and its establishment no longer celebrate accomplishment. They celebrate nepotism and ass-kissing. They hire halftime entertainment to pander to the woke while dismissing the architect of a true dynasty. The NFL is still bending the knee to all of the wrong people. It's gotten so absurd as to denigrate what Canton truly means. That's why Johnson is furious, and why every other member of the Hall of Fame should call this out as well.
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