Is the New England Patriots dynasty starting to crumble from within? The discussion has been going on ever since Seth Wickersham’s article detailing unheard of tensions between Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, Head Coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft. The bombshell that had Patriot fans up in arms and cussing out ESPN was that, according to Wickersham, Brady went to Kraft after he learned that Belichick was considering pushing Brady out in favor of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Brady was deeply disturbed by this rumor and went to his owner to make sure that didn’t happen, after which Garappolo was traded for a second-round pick.
After that, stories started coming out that Kraft ordered Belichick to trade Garoppolo and that the team is going to stick with Brady until he retires. Now, another ESPN analyst has created a stir in Foxborough, Mass. with his latest book.
Last week, famed sportswriter Ian O’Connor released “Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time.” This biography, with hundreds of interviews from those closest to Belichick, dives into his life, as well as what has made him arguably the greatest football coach of all time.
The most talked about parts of the book, however, are the quotes surrounding Tom Brady, and they are disturbing. Since Wickersham’s article came out, we have been getting more and more stories about supposed dissension between Brady and Belichick. O’Connor gives us some insight into what has been going on between them, even though he didn’t interview any of them directly.
Let me go back to 2014, when the Patriots selected an unknown quarterback from eastern Illinois with the 30th pick of the second round on NFL draft night. Nobody knew who this kid was and Pats fans were curious as to why Belichick used a second round pick on this guy. Now we understand why, even if we don’t like it.
In his book, O’Connor says, “It’s remarkable that it took 17, 18 years for any fracture to come into public view, it’s a testament to them that it didn’t happen for so long. But once Belichick drafted Garoppolo in 2014 and said that he cited Tom’s age and contract status – ‘I’d rather be early than late at that position,’ it made it inevitable, and it happened last year.”
This was the year before the Pats went on to go 2-3 in Super Bowls in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and shows us that Belichick lost faith in Brady and his talk of playing until he’s 45. Belichick was said to have loved Garoppolo while he and Brady have had a great “football relationship” as Brady once said. Off the field the two have never done anything together and as we Patriot fans know, Belichick doesn’t get close to players to make it easier to get rid of them when he wants to, sometimes to our dismay.
Apparently, the relationship has only gotten worse, according to this quote. According to a source, O’Connor writes, “If you’re married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while, you want to divorce him.” The source continues, “Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him.” WOW. The idea that the relationship has gotten so bad that Brady would consider separating from Belichick leaves a sour taste in our mouths.
I am not surprised; however, because the world knows Belichick is the most un-emotional coach in all of sports and this goes back to the point about treating players. In Belichick’s world, every single player is worth as much as another. A backup lineman is worth just as much as Brady, and it shows behind the scenes. Supposedly, when Randy Moss came to New England in one of the first film sessions about the previous year, Belichick unloaded on Brady very harshly to Moss’ shock. We all know Belichick is an old-school nonsense coach, but his actions with players and whom he’s traded have come into question over recent years.
Ever since the Pats traded Chandler Jones they haven’t had a good pass rusher. The most infuriating of Bill’s questionable moves was when in Super Bowl LII we learned that Malcolm Butler would not play in the game as he was crying along the sideline before kickoff. His replacement Eric Rowe then got torched in the 41-33 loss. This spurred a rumor that the locker room has somewhat turned on Belichick for failing to “do his job” as we love to say over there.
Of all the excerpts that have come out, there is one I find appalling. Tom Brady is one of the GOATs of football, and his legacy is already sealed. According to O’Connor, people on Belichick’s coaching staff feel differently, writing, “…the general feeling…wasn’t that Belichick’s system could make Super Bowl quarterbacks out of all 32 NFL starters. But if you gave us any of the top 15, we could do it. Kraft thinks Brady is the greatest gift ever, but the coaches don’t.” Let me say this first… WHAT?! The idea that they think the Pats dynasty could have been created with guys like Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Kirk Cousins and Blake Bortles as well as other mid-level quarterbacks is downright laughable. I’ll give you Drew Brees, Big Ben and Arron Rodgers.
The disrespect for Tom Brady speaks volumes in this quote, and shows the little respect this coaching staff has for a guy that has won five Super Bowls in 18 years. It’s getting really difficult not to question Belichick’s motives this year as the Patriots are off to a rough start sitting at 1-2 after two disastrous defeats on the road in which Belichick’s defense has given up 51 points and 894 yards total.
Is the dynasty going to come to an end sooner than we believe? Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins is going to speak volumes about this team, be it bad or good.
Ian O’Connor’s book “Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time” is available online or in stores to look at for yourself.