Remember Brady vs. Brady? Is Belichick a thing? This should be a striking traditional bowl. Who has had the biggest impact on the Patriots dynasty? Their differences will settle the debate. This shouldn’t be a problem.
Superstar players are always the most important. Brady made a strong statement by joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the pandemic and quickly winning his seventh championship. Brady didn’t have to offer anything, but the 43-year-old did it anyway. After the awe subsided, the natural reaction was to take a closer look at the coach who built an organization that helped quarterbacks win their first six championships.
Who is Belichick without Brady? It’s an unfair question, but you already know the answer. His record wasn’t great: an 80-92 record, two playoff appearances and one playoff victory as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the 1994 season. With Brady as the starting point player, the Patriots set an NFL record of 17 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins, a streak that didn’t end until the quarterback left.
In the dozen seasons Belichick has coached in Brady’s absence, his teams have posted just three double-digit wins. That includes an 11-5 record in 2008, when Matt Cassel started 15 games after Brady tore his left knee. New England didn’t make the playoffs that season, but it might have been Belichick’s best coaching job. It reinforces the belief that the Patriots have an operation that can replace any individual. That may be true in many situations, but Brady is indispensable.
Belichick’s mission is to serve the superstar’s lasting greatness and build an empire on top of it. As the coach plummets to earth and tries to grunt his way through vulnerability in his typical, abrasive way, it’s easy to tire of his behavior and pretend that Belichick doesn’t have an extraordinary impact on all the wins. It’s easy to wonder whether his legacy must now change. But the foundation that sycophantic audiences laid for Belichick’s genius was flawed from the start. His story should be reframed to better capture his role in activating and sustaining the Brady dynasty.
It would be foolish to think Belichick and the coaching staff would draft Brady just because he was a sixth-round pick. Likewise, downplaying the win and drawing the simplistic conclusion that coaches only excel when they have Brady is a misrepresentation of Belichick’s Hall of Fame career. Great coaches don’t create legendary players, but they do enhance them with strategies and place appropriate pieces around them to highlight their skills. When Brady joined the team in 2001 as the backup for the injured Drew Bledsoe, he was born into a perfect situation: a stable veteran team with good balance that only needed a quarterback of composure and competence.
As Brady becomes a star, Belichick and the front office are able to think differently about talent and roster construction. They value reliability over sheer athleticism. They are ruthless in their salary cap management. If they have holes on offense, Brady can cover them. If their defense isn’t good enough, Belichick can create a game plan that attempts to confuse the opposing quarterback and challenge the offense by going to great lengths to neutralize the opponent’s specific strengths. For two decades, the Patriots have taken advantage of every play and thrived in clutch situations. Sometimes, they break the rules. Even if you don’t like them, you have to appreciate their organization and owner Robert Kraft’s commitment.
But for all the Patriots’ struggles, Brady is the one who elevates them. On his level, this is no longer a systemic problem. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime superstar who masks any flaws.
Now, after all the struggle, they have what’s left of Jones. Aside from the quarterback, roster construction is poor, which may be Belichick’s biggest problem. If the 71-year-old continues to finish out the season, his dual role as coach and top executive in football must be re-examined. The Patriots had just one All-Pro last season, punt returner Marcus Jones. There is not enough talent, and on the court, they look more and more messy every season.
Unintentional mistakes defined last season. Now, they have moved into competitive absentee territory. Calls for change are growing louder. It’s hard to imagine Kraft outright firing him, especially in the middle of the season. But ever since last season’s offensive coordinator debacle, I’ve always thought the relationship was heading toward a mutually consensual breakup.
Belichick needs to fight for a peaceful ending. Losing by five touchdowns in back-to-back games is unacceptable. The complaint was Belichick’s way of acknowledging how serious the situation has become after he repeatedly mentioned the need to “start over” after Sunday’s 34-0 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.
When Belichick stumbles, you have to reflect on his entire journey. He’s still a schemer, but with Brady long gone, there’s no one to reflect his originality. The coach needs this anchor more than he admits.