Was Tom Brady More Important than Bill Belichick for New England’s 20 Years of Dominance?
I grew up as a New England Patriots fan, so I’ve always wondered who was more important for the team’s 20 years of dominance: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick.
Tom Brady leading the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl this season has caused many people to come out and say that New England was successful because of the GOAT, meaning many fans considered Tom Brady more important than Bill Belichick.
I’m one of the people in Pats Nation that would do anything for Tom Brady, but I can’t say that I totally agree with this take.
The Hall of Fame Quarterback
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football. If you can’t acknowledge this truth, I don’t think you can call yourself a true football fan.
Tom Brady has had two Hall of Fame careers in his 21 seasons in the NFL. The 43-year-old has been that good throughout his NFL tenure.
Tom Brady led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances. The GOAT won six titles with New England. Tom Brady orchestrated countless game-winning drives to lead the Patriots to nine Super Bowl contests.
The GOAT is a three-time NFL MVP and First-Team All-Pro selection as well as a 14-time Pro Bowl member. Brady has garnered more accolades than nearly every quarterback in NFL history.
To be a franchise legend, a quarterback needs to win when it counts. Tom Brady won 219 games with the Patriots. 30 of those victories came in the playoffs. He has been named the Super Bowl MVP four times.
Brady is a winning aficionado, and this rubbed off on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady led Tampa Bay to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2002 when the team was coached by Jon Gruden.
The Hall of Fame Coach
Bill Belichick has been the head coach of the New England Patriots since 2000. In that time span, he has won 72% of his games leading the team.
Belichick’s record as a head coach in New England is 244-92. He has all the same championship accolades as Tom Brady including six Super Bowl Championships.
Belichick is a three-time NFL Coach of the Year Award winner by the Associated Press. He was also selected to the NFL All-Decade team (2010s) and the NFL 100 Year Anniversary All-Time Team.
Like Brady, Bill Belichick has a legendary track record. One important thing to note with Belichick is that he wasn’t successful as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
He coached Cleveland for 80 total games from 1991-1995. Belichick had one winning season, but his overall record was 36-44 which is only a .450 winning percentage.
Who Was More Valuable to the Patriots?
I think the Patriots were special because of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Tom Brady led a lot of game-winning drives for the Patriots, but Belichick’s defense put Brady in a position to win many of these games.
Belichick is one of the best talent evaluators in NFL history. He gave Brady several weapons that helped make the GOAT successful like Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and Julian Edelman.
Brady was instrumental in New England’s 20 years of NFL dominance, but he wasn’t the only reason that the team won six Super Bowl titles.
Bill Belichick wouldn’t have been as successful without Tom Brady. That’s guaranteed. However, Tom Brady wouldn’t be where he is in his career today without Bill Belichick.
It’s rumored that the two didn’t like each other towards the end of their run together. Although, one thing is certain about their relationship. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick definitely respected each other.
I firmly believe that New England wouldn’t be where they are at today without Tom Brady AND Bill Belichick. These were two crucial pieces to the Patriots’ winning puzzle over the past 20 years.
