New England Patriots: No LeSean McCoy, Bill Belichick is still the GOAT
It’s clear, the New England Patriots aren’t the team to beat in the NFL since Tom Brady walked parted ways with Bill Belichick. If fact, they have become a team now surfaced as the underdogs in a conference where the big dogs are led by their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills.
But, after a run of two decades of dominance, Belichick and the Patriots had to start over at some point. Brady had to move on whether another team or retirement and he chose another team. Heck, he chose playing football past his midlife crisis years over his super model wife.
So, as the Patriots looked less than a complete team against the Miami Dolphins in their Week 1 20-7 loss and Brady continues to roll down in Tampa, former NFL players like LeSean McCoy are starting to raise the question of whether Belichick is the greatest coach of all time or was it due to Brady?
Ex-NFL player rips New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
It’s the age-old question or debate, but after one game in the 2022 NFL season, McCoy and other critics, feel they have something to stand by in kicking Bill while they believe he’s down. Here’s McCoy had to say on FOX Sports 1 earlier in the week.
"“It’s over (for Belichick),” McCoy said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I’ve never seen the Patriots pay so many guys on defense at one time. They’re doing it now that Tom Brady is gone. It’s over. This is the real Belichick. Seriously, though. The winning percentage, playing with Brady is 77 percent. Without Tom Brady, you wouldn’t even guess – 47 percent. He don’t win any games without Tom Brady.”"
Well Mr. McCoy, Belichick has paid guys on defense back before Brady was the Brady he has become. During those 2003-2004 Super Bowl years, the New England Patriots defense was stacked with players like Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Tedy Bruschi Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Ty Law. Those players weren’t the highest paid in the league, but they still had to be paid.
That dominance on the defensive side of the ball masterminded by Belichick allowed Brady to grow into the quarterback with all the answers. Still, like Mac Jones in his second season, Brady wasn’t gifted with all the tools to be the greatest, he was coached up and given the room to sharpen his tools to become the cerebral force he is today.
The early part of the New England Patriots success was more about Bill Belichick
A lot of Patriots, Belichick bashers tend to forget the early years of Brady mirrored the early part of Mac Jones, except Brady had a year to learn from the sidelines. Brady also led the team to a Super Bowl in his first year of a starter, but the “Tuck Rule” being the reason for Brady’s success that season is only brought up when it is convenience.
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That first Super Bowl was more about Belichick and his defense than it was about today’s version of Brady. He was able to orchestrate the right mix of players and get the best out of everyone else’s washed goods. Once Brady became the GOAT, it did allow Belichick to take more chances and risks with his roster management.
Perhaps that is what McCoy is really talking about. That argument is where he has more ground and recent evidence to stand. But what he goes onto say below in the words of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is hogwash!
"“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 this, ‘He’s the greatest of all time.’ He’s not. Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.”"
Correct, but what great head coach hasn’t or isn’t benefiting from a great quarterback? It’s the game planning and situational football that makes Belichick…well Belichick. While his team is making uncharacteristic mistakes or breaking down at critical times, they are still winning more games than most coaches would’ve won if their franchise quarterback walked away.
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To conclude Mr. McCoy, there has been bad losses in the regular season before with Tom Brady, so it’s too early to rip this coach. He is 17-17 over these last two seasons without the 7-time Super Bowl champion. But a lot more has walked out the door other than Brady.
Back in 2001, they started the season 1-3 and didn’t look good and we all know where that ended. This team is more talented and younger than that team was. But, there wasn’t a life after Brady two decades of dominance to compare to when things looked bleak.