The New England Patriots have been one of the most accomplished franchises in all of sports in recent memory, winning six Super Bowl championships since 2002.
Much of that was thanks to the pairing of longtime head coach Bill Belichick and former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Ever since the two split up, many have been asking questions as to who was the more important part of that dynasty. History seems to be on the side of Brady in that argument.
Brady went on to win the Super Bowl in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has consistently had them in the playoffs since he arrived in Tampa. The Patriots have mostly been a middle-of-the-road team since Brady’s departure.
New England had a very poor performance in their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, losing 20-7 in a game where the Patriots’ offense looked non-existent.
That has led Fox Sports personality and former Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to declare that Belichick’s time being perceived as an elite head coach is done.
“It’s over for Belichick. It’s over,” said McCoy on an episode of Fox Sports’ Speak on Tuesday. “I’ve never seen the Patriots play so many guys on defense at one time. They’re doing it now that Tom is gone. It’s over. This is the real Belichick. The winning percentage, playing with Brady, is 77 percent. Without Tom Brady, you wouldn’t even guess. 47 percent. He don’t win no games without Tom Brady.
“Since Tom Brady has left, they look so regular. Seriously though, when I watch the tape and I really watch them, they’re getting beat up front in the running game, defenders missing tackles – they look bad. They can’t do anything on offense. Every coach in the AFC, for all of these years, when they had Tom Brady, they’re saying the same thing I’m saying right now. Without Tom Brady, Belichick is a good coach. Stop with all of this he’s the greatest of all time. He’s not.”
It’s certainly a fair argument by McCoy considering the lack of impressive teams that Belichick has had since Brady’s departure. Belichick will likely only face more criticism if the Patriots continue to disappoint as they did in Week 1.
[Fox Sports’ Speak on YouTube]; photo from Sam Navarro/USA Today Sports]
