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Bill Belichick Singles Out One Perfect Quality of Tom Brady That Made Him the Greatest QB of All Time

Samnur Reza
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Bill Belichick Singles Out One Perfect Quality of Tom Brady That Made Him the Greatest QB of All Time

Bill Belichick was welcomed back with open arms at Gillette Stadium. With a long-standing ovation upon his entry and another after his closing remarks, the former head coach felt right at home, talking about the man of the hour, Tom Brady. Belichick reminisced about their playing days, recounting all the fun times he had with his former QB — even revealing this one trait about TB12 that defined the Patriots during their era.

Belichick believes it was Brady who consistently kept the team at an advantage every time he stepped onto the field. Given that the pigskin first reaches the QB’s hands, it was his crucial responsibility to make the right decisions and make their way to the end zone. The former head coach acknowledged that Brady excelled in this role, rarely succumbing to penalties, sacks, and most crucially, turnovers.

“He literally handles the ball in every play, so every play went through Tom,” said Belichick. “There were just so few bad runs, sacks, pentalies, turnovers, that the team was never really put in many bad position. And I think that’s one of Tom’s great qualities.”

“He always protected the team; did the best thing for the team,” Belichick continued. For the ex-Patriots coach, this is what contributed to the franchise’s success during their era. Six Super Bowls in a 20-year span is nothing short of perfection. However, while showering Brady with love, Belichick also talked about one of his flaws, which didn’t quite manifest on the gridiron.

Belichick Recalls Brady’s Brush With Disaster During Their Tee-Off

The harrowing incident, which could have taken Brady’s life and ended Belichick’s career, took place back in 2014 at Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The QB-coach duo was paired with each other, which didn’t quite happen all that frequently, therefore, Brady couldn’t leave his competitiveness back on the football field.

It was their sixth hole, which was a challenging par-5 hole that ran alongside the ocean on the right side. Considering that the fairway itself sloped toward the ocean, most time when someone hits a slope, the ball ends up in the ocean after passing a huge cliff. The weather wasn’t cooperating either, with light rain and occasional mist.

Therefore, when Brady hit his second shot, the ball went down the same trajectory and got stuck on a ledge. However, the ever-so-brave TB12 descended to retrieve his ball, despite the ledge being positioned almost 250 feet above a shoreline filled with rocks and waves crashing below. A fall would have been instantly fatal.

Fortunately for Brady and his former coach, he successfully retrieved the ball and safely ascended. However, one thing that Belichick couldn’t wrap his head around is why his former QB didn’t call an unplayable lie, which would have given him relief and avoided brushing with disaster.

“I’m like, ‘Tom, did you think about maybe just like taking unplayable on that one?’,” Belichick quipped.

As it turns out, this is not the first time Belichick has told this story. He talked about it with Ian Rappoport first and then on Brady’s podcast, ‘Let’s Go,’ where the former QB himself admitted that he took things too far. Safe to say, the seven-time Super Bowl champ learned his lesson, but it will be quite exciting if he and Belichick once again take their banter session to the green.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza

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Samnur Reza is an NFL editor for The SportsRush. He holds a degree in English Honors and joined The SportsRush editorial team in 2023. Having previously worked as a freelancer and several media outlets, Samnur has been religiously following the National Football League for the past six and a half years. Samnur first started following football after Tom Brady's cameo in Ted 2. It wasn’t long before he found himself grabbing a bucket of popcorn to enjoy football games. He still vividly remembers his first-ever fixture: a 2011 matchup between the Patriots and Raiders, where Brady led his team to a 31-19 victory. Even so, Samnur believes Brady’s best performance came against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, a game he still revisits from time to time. Samnur diligently follows most NFL athletes, their family members, and even the NCAA. Thus, he considers himself a diverse writer, having covered almost every corner of the football world. He does, however, have a special interest in athlete-centric stories. Whenever they engage in off-field ventures or charitable activities, Samnur enjoys reading and writing about them. Samnur had already authored over 1000 NFL-based articles before becoming an editor. His editorial journey began just a little over a year ago. Beyond football, Samnur is a true cinephile with an extensive repertoire of films. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva.’ During his free time, Samnur enjoys playing video games, currently immersed in Demon's Souls. Having recently learned how to ride a bike, he now wishes to travel almost everywhere on it.

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