Ex-Patriots Star CB: Belichick 'Absolutely Not' All-Time Greatest Coach
For most NFL fans, the greatest all-time coach is the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick. With a record six Super Bowls and closing in on Don Shula's mark for the most wins, Belichick's Hall-of-Fame resume is usually beyond reproach.
His critics are few and far between, but nonetheless headed by ex-player Asante Samuel. Here we go again.
During his appearance on the "All Things Covered" podcast, the former Patriots' All-Pro cornerback expressed a different opinion. Samuel promptly dismissed the notion when asked about Belichick's status as the best coach in NFL history. He pointed out Belichick's inability to win without quarterback Tom Brady, highlighting it as a key reason for his skepticism.
"Absolutely not," Samuel said. "Are you crazy? Look at his record without Tom. You've got to win without Tom. One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everybody knows it."
To Samuels' point, Belichick has mustered only one playoff win in eight NFL seasons without Brady as his quarterback. And since Tom left Foxboro after the 2019 season, New England is only 25-25. For those reasons, Belichick is firmly on the "hot seat" entering 2023.
This is not the first time that Samuel has criticized Belichick. Earlier in the offseason, when there was uncertainty surrounding Lamar Jackson's situation with the Baltimore Ravens and several commentators suggested that the Patriots should pursue the former MVP quarterback. Samuel advised Jackson against joining Belichick's team.
Samuel continued to call out Belichick during this offseason, expressing his belief that the coach is hindering quarterback Mac Jones from reaching his full potential.
The one-sided feud even prompted Pats' Pro Bowl edge-rusher Matthew Judon to enter the fray and support his coach. "Hush up," Judon responded to Samuel on social media. "It's different here."
The ongoing animosity between Samuel and Belichick likely originated from the end of Samuel's tenure with the Patriots. In 2007, the team placed the franchise tag on Samuel, leading to a holdout throughout most of the preseason. Eventually, Samuel joined the team for the regular season under the tender. However, New England chose not to retain him during the following offseason. Instead, Samuel signed a lucrative six year, $56 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
If Belichick manages to have a successful season and leads the Patriots to the playoffs for the second time in four years, it could silence Samuel and other doubters who believe he cannot win without Brady.
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