There remains no better match in football than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, whether they can admit it or not. And they probably can’t.
This drama-filled offseason is yet another reminder of why Brady and Belichick were able to enjoy so much success because they were together — because they were perfect for each other. No two people in the NFL are as unconditionally hungry for championships and so doggedly uninterested in anything except championships.
Yes, Brady did something Belichick did not: the quarterback won a Super Bowl without the coach. And there’s plenty of time for the coach to win a Super Bowl without the quarterback. But for now, that’s a 1-0 advantage for Brady. What has transpired after that Super Bowl win, however, is what should probably get Brady longing for Belichick, the coach who — just like Brady — likes no Super Bowl ring more than “the next one.” Maybe Bruce Arians worked out for a few years, but Belichick and Brady worked out for a few decades because they had that wild, emotional, Whiplash relationship.
Not healthy. But successful by their own measurements: Super Bowls.
Complacency might just be why Arians resigned as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joining the front office. It would be irresponsible to say Brady executed a coup and forced out Arians — leveraging a supposed retirement to try to get the coach fired. It would be irresponsible to say that clearly happened. But we can choose to believe what we want to believe. There was a report, after all, that Brady didn’t feel Arians was committed in 2021 to winning a Super Bowl — that Arians was, more or less, getting lazy.
Contentment kills in the NFL.
You know who’s never content?
Bill Belichick.
And you know who’s facing a surprising amount of pressure in New England?
Also: Bill Belichick.
Owner Robert Kraft spoke to the media this week and suggested he’s bothered by the Patriots’ 0-2 record in the playoffs over the last three years. (Never mind that they won the Super Bowl four years ago!) Kraft also said it would be smart to continue to rebuild through the draft, and it can’t be a coincidence he said that just one year after Belichick set an NFL record for total guaranteed money spent in an offseason. Kraft, who paid those bills, admitted last year that he was surprised to be that team after so many years of making fun of organizations thinking they can remake themselves in free agency, a place where panners get nothing but fool’s gold.
Maybe Kraft is just appeasing to fan frustration. Maybe Kraft holds no animosity toward Belichick and the owner is happy with his coach. Maybe not. Maybe things in New England and in Tampa are fairly dysfunctional. And maybe, whether they know it or not, Brady and Belichick need each other for sustained success.
They were at their best, even — and maybe especially — when their egos were at odds. Brady and Belichick’s egos seem to be grating at those around them. It’s naive to think they can get back together. But now apart, it’s more obvious than ever that they were meant for each other.
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