With a win in Super Bowl XLIX, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are now the greatest QB/Head Coach combo in NFL history
With the past two weeks’ worth of chaos surrounding the New England Patriots regarding allegedly deflated footballs, there was suddenly some discussion about whether the events would tarnish the legacies of Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick.
Were they no longer the best quarterback-coach combination in the NFL?
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Well, put that question to rest because after their 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX—their fourth Super Bowl win in their sixth appearance since they both ended up in New England—it’s safe to say they are the greatest coach-quarterback combo ever.
San Francisco 49ers great Joe Montana has as many rings as Brady, but he did it with two different coaches. Ditto Dallas Cowboy legend Troy Aikmen.
Looking at the success of this pair, it’s hard not to be impressed. Brady has 21 career playoff wins, which is more than 21 current franchises. Belichick has more postseason wins than any other coach in the history of the NFL, surpassing Tom Landry after beating Indianapolis. Brady has more touchdown passes in his Super Bowl appearances than Montana, eclipsing that Hall of Famer Sunday night.
Since the two joined forces they have been to the playoffs 12 times. Brady has won three Super Bowl MVPs and two NFL MVPs while Belichick has won three Coach of the Year awards.
Stats aren’t the end all-be all though. You have to look at the total picture.
The fact is that while Aikman and Montana are among the greats, they both won Super Bowls with teams which were far superior to that which Brady has won with.
While Brady has Rob Gronkowski, who if he plays the way he has so far, could be one the best pass-catching tight ends ever to play the game, there aren’t a lot of all-stars on that offense.
The key to how good Brady and Belichick are is that despite that lack of high-end talent, they find ways to produce.
The key is how they get the most out of every player on the offense. This year we saw them make Jonas Gray briefly relevant, then LeGarrette Blount when the picked him up off the scrap heat. The year before, who was looking for a big year from Julian Edelman?
In 2003, during their first Super Bowl run, Deon Branch was the receiving weapon while Kevin Faulk and Antowain Smith filled out the backfield. Then in 2004, Corey Dillon’s career was revitalized while David Patten and David Givens looked good at wide receiver. In 2007, Laurence Maroney was a household name in the backfield and Randy Moss emerged from the black hole of Oakland to have a huge season.
Wes Welker was nobody before the Patriots picked him up in 2007 after which he caught over 1,000 yards five out of his six years in New England.
This year they found a way to finally make Brandon LaFell effective. LaFell had been on the verge of being cast off by the league. After four mediocre season with the Carolina Panthers, LaFell was signed by the Patriots. Everyone expected another blah season from LaFell, who instead sniffed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career on 74 catches, with seven touchdowns.
Belichick routinely draws up ways to get these guys involved and Brady executes.
Things like Ballghazi and Spygate will always be brought up and rightfully so. Especially in Belichick’s case, it tarnishes a legacy—even if found innocent of the whole ‘deflated balls’ thing, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
However you cannot deny how good this team has been since this pair got at the helm. That’s more than letting the air out of balls—that’s domination, and with weapons that lesser duos would struggle to produce with.
At the end of the day, there really is no comparison.
Other coach-quarterback combinations are good.
Belichick and Brady are great. And they proved it again Sunday night.
Next: Where do the Patriots rank all-time?
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