Tom Brady still backing Bill Belichick and Patriots, despite struggles

Tom Brady comes to the defense of his former coach and team after a 1-4 start

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has his former coach, Bill Belichick’s back, with the team opening the 2023 season with a 1-4 record.

The results have not been pretty, as the Patriots were most recently shut out 34-0 by the New Orleans Saints. There have been struggles in several areas, including the quarterback position. Mac Jones’ struggles have raised questions as to whether he is the quarterback of the future.

Bill Belichick and his decision-making has also been called into question. Brady was with Belichick on a successful run that spanned nearly two decades. Six Super Bowls were the crowning achievements of the Patriots’ dynasty, and some are beginning to question whether or not Brady was largely responsible for that success.

Nevertheless, Brady believes former coach has taken the same approach as always.

“Absolutely. I think that he’s got a very consistent approach that he’s always taken and, you know, it’s the right approach,” said Brady, when appearing on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “It’s try to prepare the players, give them the best opportunities to succeed. You know, in the end, once the play is called in, the players have to go do it. It takes a great coaching staff to win. It takes great players to win. It takes great front office support to win. It’s an organizational win. It’s an organizational loss.

“To subscribe a win or a loss to one player—and they did that for me a lot when I was winning—and I always say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about us.’ And when you lose, as a leader, when you lose, you take the blame, and you give the credit when you win. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport.”

It is certainly interesting to hear Brady talk about the accountability question of things. He got a ton of credit for New England’s success and made a name for himself along the way.

Now, it will be up to Belichick to try to bring New England back to relevance. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is reportedly getting frustrated with losing. We’ll see how long of a leash Belichick is given in the coming weeks.

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