Patriots Legend Brady Reflects On Belichick's Tenure: 'We're All Better!'
For two decades, the New England Patriots dominated the NFL thanks largely to the duo of quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots hadn't won much of anything prior to the turn of the century, but that all changed when they hired Belichick in 2000 and Brady took over as the starting quarterback the following year. Those two men became the pillars of the greatest dynasty in NFL history, winning six Super Bowls in their 20 years together. For comparison, no other team has won more than two Super Bowls in the 21st Century.
New England's run of success effectively ended when Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, but after parting ways with Belichick last week, the Patriots are officially putting the past behind them.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
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With Belichick's time in New England coming to an end, Brady looked back on what his former coach meant to him and the entire franchise.
"We're all better players for having him as our coach," Brady said on his Let's Go podcast. "And I think there was a level of accountability and discipline that he had that maybe, we didn't always want to hear it, but in the end when we reflect back, we're happy that we did hear it and that we went through it."
Belichick is the epitome of a tough-love coach, and that approach definitely hasn't worked for everyone over the years. However, his own work ethic and football knowledge made his approach much more palatable, and now players like Brady are able to look back and remember the good times.
"I respected his work ethic so much because I knew he was combing through every single bit of film, every single week to try to put us in a position to succeed," Brady said. "So when someone critiques you, ‘OK, I'll, I'Il embrace that.’ Now, if you're not putting the work in and you're critiquing me, ehh. I may not listen to it. But I think we all respected the work ethic, therefore we took the coaching."
Brady's playing days are behind him, as he retired permanently last year. Belichick, on the other hand, seems dead set on coaching again as he pursues the NFL's all-time wins record.
No matter where the wind takes Belichick, Brady believes that the legendary coach will give it his all once more.
"I obviously express my gratitude toward him a lot, as I should. And whatever he chooses to do, I'm sure he'll go at it 100 percent. Like he always has. I'm sure this year, you know, he was going at it as hard as he could as he always has.”
