We are just days away from the Super Bowl, and it feels already like the NFL is losing the momentum it usually loses at this time of the year.
I don't know about anybody else, but it's difficult for me to take the Pro Bowl seriously. It used to be somewhat entertaining back when I was younger. But it feels like they tried to add and changes so many things to it, that it just became intensely uninteresting, to the point that I personally never watch it. Also, I never hear anyone so much as talking about it, and that feels telling.
Besides that, however, the biggest news in recent days was about how Bill Belichick was snubbed from being a first round Hall of Famer. I do not remember anyone's exclusion making so much news before this. My guess is that it was either because some people still feel that Belichick was a cheater (for Spy Gate and, to a lesser extent, Deflate Gate) which seemed to reinforce some notion in people's minds that the New England Patriots were cheaters. That, and also, he was not the most personable guy out there. So there are probably plenty of people who took a strong personal disliking of the man.
Here's the thing: Belichick was a great football coach, undeniably. He won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach with the New York Giants (his defensive plans for Super Bowl XXV are in the Hall of Fame in Canton) and he won a record six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots, and a record nine overall Super Bowl appearances. In fact, he had all sorts of records during his tenure as head coach of the Patriots, including more consecutive wins by any team (21) and most consecutive playoff appearances (11, because they won a record 11 division titles) and a record eight consecutive Championship Game appearances (8). He is third all-time in terms of wins by a head coach.
There is no way that he is not a Hall of Famer. Yes, it should have happened on the first ballot. But it will happen, surely.
Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that earlier today, and he also addressed some other things, like the possibility (it feels like an inevitability) of the NFL extending the season to 18 regular season games. I suspect that if they do that, they also will switch to eight teams reaching the playoffs, and that the NFL will then adapt a schedule reflecting what other North American sports leagues have, where the number one seed would face the number eight seed, number two would face number seven, and so on and so forth. It would make sense, although that would eliminate anyone from having a playoff bye in the first week.
Let's see what happens on that score.
Goodell: Belichick will be Hall of Famer, but NFL has no role play ESPN News Services Feb 2, 2026, 07:03 PM ET
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47810777/belichick-hall-famer-nfl-no-role
Goodell: Belichick will be Hall of Famer, but NFL has no role - ESPN
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses 18-game schedule, diversity hiring ahead of Super Bowl LX Published: Feb 02, 2026 at 07:46 PM Author Image Associated Press
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-commissioner-roger-goodell-discusses-18-game-schedule-diversity-hiring-ahead-of-super-bowl-lx
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses 18-game schedule, diversity hiring ahead of Super Bowl LX
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