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Ever since Tom Brady decided to leave the Patriots for the Buccaneers after winning six Super Bowls in 20 NFL seasons, the debate has been endless. Who was more important to the New England Dynasty, the definitive GOAT quarterback or possible GOAT coach Bill Belichick?
There is no reason to wait for the outcome of Super Bowl 55 against the chiefs to respond to that. Brady has already put the tired argument to bed ahead of Sunday’s kickoff with a dream season with the Bucs as the Patriots vanish into the night.
There have been all kinds of opinions dismissed by pundits and the Patriots past and present on the nature of Brady and Belichick’s relationship after their difficult split. Regardless of their true feelings for each other, they are fierce, seasoned competitors, driven to achieve high levels of success.
Brady went on a 7-9 Buccaneers squad and helped turn it into a generic NFC 11-5 force. Belichick, without Brady, saw a 12-4 Patriots team fall to a 7-9 third place AFC East. Tampa Bay had other talent increases that led to an improvement in the Super Bowl level. New England had other staff drains which ended its divisional title reign. But in the end, Brady’s play lifted a team up a lot more than Belichick’s training did in 2020.
MORE: Why did Tom Brady leave the Patriots?
Belichick is New England’s plotter and schemer as well as the leader. But there’s no way the Patriots will become a two-decade dynasty without Brady and someone else in his place. Belichick made the first defensive lift to bring them to a championship level. But after Brady quickly became an all-time elite passer, the Patriots could operate knowing he was giving them a high victory floor every season.
The Patriots could hook anyone up to skill posts and, because of Brady, the offense would always produce. Also because of Brady, Belichick’s defense had less burden and could be a more versatile complementary unit.
After Super Bowl 36, when it was the Patriots ‘defense that fueled the Rams’ ire, Brady was the main reason the Patriots added five more rings on eight more occasions. All of Brady’s excellence was needed in those close wins, whether it was a shootout or a fourth quarter comeback. Belichick and his team made some solid game plans, but none of it would have worked so well if Brady wasn’t the executor.
Had Brady and Belichick stayed together, the answer to who mattered most to the Patriots’ success might have remained murky. But it shouldn’t have.
IYER: Tom Brady taking Buccaneers to Super Bowl 55 is better than all of his Patriots playoffs
As great as Phil Jackson was in Chicago, six rings don’t happen without Michael Jordan. Glen Sather needed Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton. Bill Walsh needed Joe Montana in San Francisco. Andy Reid has been a great coach in the NFL for a long time, but he didn’t become Super Bowl champion without Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
As another great athlete of all time in the modern era, LeBron James didn’t have to worry about this debate while winning championships with Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Frank Vogel. Everyone knows he is the dominant common denominator.
The NBA and NHL have been havens of individual excellence translating into ultimate team success, as the more narrow nature of their sports is designed so that one player will make a difference in winning the championship. The NFL is by definition a more collective team effort, but that is changing as the most important position in the game has never been more important in an age of happy passing and scoring.
During the Patriots’ run, the feeling that “the defense wins the championships” began to fade in the NFL. It is increasingly difficult to win without elite quarterbacks. That’s why everyone is always trying to level up until they find some transcendent talent. Brady has raised the standard and Mahomes is pushing that bar even higher.
MORE: Tom Brady compared to other athletes after turning 40
At a time when more and more young guns are emerging, Brady is the last old man to fight Mahomes with another ring on the line. In one season in the NFC, he has taken his team further than three others. Hall of Famers Super Bowl Winners – Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson.
Belichick tried to replace Brady with Cam Newton. Everyone jumped to think Belichick and Josh McDaniels would prove their genius by flipping Newton into an MVP-level QB. Or that Belichick could use a magical mix of defense and special teams to keep the Patriots competing in the AFC. Neither has happened.
Brady, meanwhile, hand-picked a supporting cast that he could make the most of. He recruited friends such as Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown to come take the tour. It allowed the Bucs to play better and train better. He urged them to put the finishing touches on the complementary staff.
Brady has proven the LeBron way, that he can be as powerful as Belichick with his influence on a team, while reminding everyone that he can still perform at the GOAT level at 43. while Brady was rejuvenated at Tampa Bay.
Former teammate Danny Amendola went this far to say the “Patriot Way” was all about the Brady play. While it might be a bit extreme, there is something going on about the number of former Patriots friends of Brady who have said they want him to get another ring – almost as a thank you for winning a lot more. because of him.
As the Patriots started to look baffled with Belichick and without Brady, the Buccaneers rushed in and became more disciplined with Brady. The Patriots didn’t look much fun, while Brady, along with Gronkowski, regained his youthful joy with the Buccaneers.
It is not about this year either, about this 10th blow in a ring. Brady might not help his new team win the Super Bowl, but he is forced to return to give the Bucs another championship shot next season. It’s harder to believe Belichick will find quick answers to bring his team closer to the AFC top versus closer to the AFC East bottom, still chasing a QB who can challenge Mahomes – or what Brady always is.
Brady vs. Belichick may have been an interesting case a year ago as they went their separate ways. Now that Brady has settled in and the Patriots have been taken down, it’s open and closed.
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