Tom Brady and Bill Belichick made history with the New England Patriots as one of the most successful quarterback-head coach duos in NFL history, winning six Super Bowl titles together.
The current FOX commentator was under the 73-year-old coach’s guidance for almost two decades (from 2000 to 2019), so he considered him one of the best coaches, but he didn’t forget to mention Belichick’s very high expectations and constant pressure.
Brady remembers Belichick and his coaching style
The current minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders was a guest on the “Spittin’ Chicklets” podcast. During the conversation, Tom highlighted and remembered his coach of nearly 20 years, as well as his rigorous training model:
“He’s the best coach to ever coach in the NFL,” Brady said. “He’s one of the greatest motivators. There are so many things that are just uncanny about his coaching style, that he had such high expectations for us, and he never let up.”
In addition, Brady said that Bill believed that “every day was important,” so no matter what month of the year it was, the training and work they did each day was geared toward the next:
“It didn’t matter if it was March. March was really important because March led to April, and April was really important because it led to May, and so forth, all the way up to the start of the season, all the way up to the final games of the season to prepare us for the playoffs. And then if we were fortunate enough to make it to the last game, we were so prepared because every day was important,” explained the seven-time champion.
In the same vein, TB12 did not forget how strict Belichick was, assuring that his level of demand never let up, something that Tom would come to understand better over time:
“There was never a day where you could go in there and underperform on a practice and him not call you out, and that’s hard,” he said. “It’s hard to live up to that standard every day, but when you look back, we all appreciate the coaches who got the best out of us.”
Meanwhile, during the 2020 offseason, Brady decided to leave the Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won his seventh Super Bowl in his first season there, proving his ability to succeed outside of Belichick’s system. He played three seasons there and retired from the NFL in 2023.
Bill, for his part, remained with the team until January 2024. In December of that same year, the University of North Carolina hired the experienced coach, and he currently continues to coach the Tar Heels.
Although they went their separate ways, this balance of respect, humor, and honesty reflects how Brady perceives Belichick today: as a demanding mentor, relentless in his pursuit of perfection, but instrumental in creating a culture of hard work and sustained success.
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