Just before the Super Bowl, Bruce Arians said what so many have speculated Tom Brady is thinking.
“I think personally, too, he’s making a statement. You know? It wasn’t all Coach [Bill] Belichick,” Arians told Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop and Jenny Vrentas prior to Tampa Bay’s 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Though the quote is a little old, it has sparked plenty of debate over — you guessed it — whether Brady was more to credit for the Patriots’ dynasty than Bill Belichick.
After Brady and Belichick parted ways during the 2020 offseason, the New England Patriots went 7-9 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a Super Bowl. Some wondered if Brady and Belichick parted ways to prove, independently, they were the greatest men at their respective position. Arians, apparently, thinks Brady was doing just that.
Brady hasn’t said as much. In fact, he and Belichick have made efforts to downplay any storyline of revenge or competition. But Arians has been speculating on the topic for the last few weeks. In fact, this week, Arians shared more thoughts on why he thinks Brady left New England.
“I think his competitive spirit is so strong that he wanted to do it,” Arians said in an interview with Showtime’s “Inside The NFL.” “He wanted to show people. I’ve never said anything bad about Bill Belichick; I know everybody tries to say I do. His record speaks for itself. He is probably the greatest one ever. But I think [Brady] wanted to try a different way.”
Brady seems to have embraced the Buccaneers’ way. His buy-in and leadership contributed in large part to their dominant Super Bowl win, though it didn’t hurt that the Tampa defense made life extremely difficult for Patrick Mahomes.
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