The Patriots fans are coming for Bill Belichick. The New England team went down hard against the Cowboys yesterday with a lopsided 3-38 loss. Sunday marked the worst loss for the Patriots with Belichick at the helm. This disastrous showing has made Tom Brady trend big-time, as fans bemoan the absence of their 7x Super Bowl-winning champ.
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It seemed the Patriots were completely disconnected against the spirited Dallas Cowboys during the game. Social media was abuzz with frustration after the game as expected, and head coach Belichick got the majority of the heat, with many calling him ineffective without Brady.
Bill Belichick Suffers Worst Career Loss
Since Tom Brady‘s exit in 2020, the notion that Belichick is an inept coach without his star player is only becoming stronger. After all, Brady has won a Super Bowl without Belichick when he left the Patriots, but Belichick hasn’t won a Super Bowl without Brady since then. After Sunday’s loss, fans were quick to take to social media to troll the 71-year-old. “Face of a Man Without TB12,” one fan wrote below a Tweet showing a dejected Belichick. It seems that his ineffectiveness without Brady is no longer a debate but set in stone as fact.
The face of a man without TB12
— Fahad (@mfahad24_) October 1, 2023
So it’s official that Tom Brady made Bellichick right? He’s not the great coach everyone built him up to be.
— statspros (@statspros) October 1, 2023
As a Pats fan, it’s starting to become very clear that Brady was the most important part of their success.
— Will Schaefer (@AlteredEndeavor) October 1, 2023
The Cowboys dominated the gridiron on Sunday, absolutely annihilating the Patriots. QB Mac Jones had a terrible showing and got benched in the third quarter. A lackluster offense and an injury-riddled defense ultimately brought on the downfall of the team. Belichick’s reaction to the loss became an instant meme and premium fodder for his critics.
Is it fair to reduce Belichick’s legacy to his time with Tom Brady? Well, the stats are certainly not in his favor. It is true that Belichick doesn’t have much to show for his seasons without the pro-bowler. In his 10 seasons without Brady, he had a record 79-88, a far cry from his record with Brady of 219-64. It seems that Belichick has Colin Cowherd to thank for stirring up this storm again by questioning his efficacy without Brady next to him.
Colin Cowherd asks, ‘What Really is He Without Tom Brady?’
Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd brought major heat against Belichick earlier in July as he lambasted the head coach, questioning his entire career. Cowherd highlighted the coach’s measly performance stats post and pre-TB12. He said,
“Belichick’s career is absolutely, inarguably tied to one player: Brady. Otherwise, 10 years, one playoff win, seven losing seasons. … Belichick’s career is tied to one player. Brady’s career isn’t tied to Belichick anymore. He left to a wobbly, wanky franchise and won a championship.”
Furthermore, he highlighted the coach’s questionable pre-season moves saying,
“Maybe we should take a step back and go, ‘What really is he without Tom Brady?’ He doesn’t get along with his quarterback, he just made a defensive coordinator an offensive coordinator — a silly move that’s tone-deaf offense.”
The critics have a point but is it fair to reduce Belichicks’ almost 24 seasons in the league to a black-and-white comparison with Brady? A team is a sum of its parts, and Belichick is a celebrated coach, even regarded as a mastermind when it comes to his schemes. According to Bleacher Report, “He’s the best in the business in regard to making personnel decisions. And his play-calling is nothing short of a science.” This season might just be his last and with such arguments against him cropping up, it seems like he’ll be getting a less-than-favorable send-off.
