New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick owns a boat named “VI Rings”. He updates the name after every Super Bowl title- he currently has six of them (XXI, XXV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX), hence the name.
It’s not a fancy boat. It probably sits six people or so. Belichick’s partner Linda Holliday posts pictures about it all the time:
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh wishes he were Holliday and wants a ride in that boat.
“We are unable to be the kind of friends I think we would be if we weren't rivals in our conference,” Harbaugh said, regretfully, in a recent ESPN article. “I think I'd be riding around on his boat if we weren't such rivals right now.”
I think it’s true. Harbaugh and Belichick are the only two head coaches in the league to get their starts as special teams coaches. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two could have a relationship similar to Belichick and Saints head coach Sean Payton or 49ers head coach Chip Kelly if Harbaugh were in the NFC.
Belichick was also the reason why Harbaugh got the Ravens job in the first place.
“When [Harbaugh] got called in for an interview with the Ravens after the 2007 season, Harbaugh felt he connected with Newsome and Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti. They wanted to hire Jason Garrett, but after Garrett decided to stay with Dallas, and after Belichick called Bisciotti in the dead of night to recommend Harbaugh (they'd met while Belichick was scouting John's players at Cincinnati), the Ravens picked the Eagles assistant over their own defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan.
"Bill Belichick doesn't give out recommendations for everybody," said Newsome, who had worked with him in Cleveland.
But the continued relationship is not meant to be and Harbaugh wants to work his way back and fill void left by Peyton Manning as the biggest thorn in the Patriots side.
"There was a thing that just came out that I happened to catch, the 25 worst villains of the Patriots," Harbaugh said of a MassLive.com ranking. "I think I was like 20th or 21st [19th]. I think that's a little low. I plan on making that higher in the future."
Harbaugh also harbors Syndrome-esque feelings of resentment after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made a comment about the Ravens not knowing the rulebook in the 2014 divisional round. To add salt in the wound, Harbaugh’s daughter, a lacrosse player, is a big fan of Brady.
"We'll go to practice now, and sometimes she'll [Harbaugh’s daughter] say, 'I'm gonna Brady 'em today,'" Harbaugh said. "Which means, basically, 'I'm going to win everything in practice.'"
Hopefully Harbaugh is okay with hearing that talk around the house- and maybe Belichick will eventually give him a ride on the boat. Perhaps when it’s called VII Rings.