Belichick On AFC Championship Rings: 'Bittersweet'
BOSTON (CBS) -- In his tenure in New England, Bill Belichick's created rather lofty standards for the Patriots. Where some teams may celebrate reaching the Super Bowl, anything less of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy is considered a major disappointment for Belichick's team.
So when the Patriots received rings this week for being AFC champions last year, what were Belichick's feelings?
"Bittersweet," Belichick said. "But, you know, whatever it was last year, it was. It's time to move on."
Conference championships, are hardly rare occurrences for Belichick. He won two Super Bowls as the Giants' defensive coordinator in 1986 and 1990, made it to the Super Bowl as Bill Parcells' assistant in New England in '96, won Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots in 2001, '03 and '04, and made it back to the Super Bowl in '07 and '11.
The ring, which you can see on Sterling Moore's Twitter account, includes the initials "MHK" on the side, for the late Myra Kraft. The team dedicated the season to her last year, and her presence on the ring is something that was clearly important to team owner Robert Kraft.
"It didn't end the way we all hoped," Kraft told the team, according to USA Today. "But winning an AFC Championship Game at home in front of 70,000 fans is a great accomplishment and something that I will never forget."
