I saw a bit of footage of Bill Belichick, dressed impeccably in a dark suit, white shirt, tie and fedora, getting off the plane as the New England Patriots landed in Minneapolis for their Super Bowl 52 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Belichick in a fedora? Who would have ever thought we’d see that?

Like Chevy Chase said to Cousin Eddy in “Christmas Vacation,” “I couldn’t be more surprised if my face were stapled to the carpet.”

Belichick’s GQ look is probably not of his own doing, but rather that of his attractive, well-dressed girlfriend, who was at his side in the clip.

One quick point: I wonder – I just wonder, and I have no recent evidence to support it – if Belichick’s attire, especially the fedora, was some kind of tribute to Browns Pro Football of Fame head coach Paul Brown, who always dressed in a suit, white shirt, tie and fedora.

Belichick is a big, big, big fan of Brown, and thinks he’s the greatest coach of all-time. At some point, probably down the road when he’s out of the game, I think Belichick is going go say he was chasing Brown’s legacy all along the way.

In any event, I read a piece recently wondering what would have happened had Belichick remained as head coach of the Browns. That’s silly. That’s a colossal waste of time.

First off, the team left after the 1995 season, so it’s a moot point. Secondly, the Belichick of that era is a far cry from the Belichick of today. He had to go through the tough experiences in Cleveland and learn from them so he would be ready for his second chance.

He is doing something now that he didn’t do well while with the Browns, and that is delegating responsibility to his assistants. He tried to do everything in Cleveland, and it was just too much.

And another thing, he never wore a fedora here, either, but heck, you knew that.