When Tom Brady is the quarterback, Bill Belichick’s NFL record boasts an impressive 249-75 win-to-loss ratio. But without TB12 at the helm, Belichick’s coaching record is a below-par 83-104. This speaks volumes about how the duo made the Patriots a winning group. Sportswriter Charean Williams shares the same sentiment and recently dubbed Brady and Belichick the greatest duo in the history of the NFL. Mike Florio, however, has a different opinion.
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Recently, Florio and Williams together appeared on the NFL on NBC Friday and debated the names of several duos — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice — to find out which is the greatest pair in the league history.
Even though Williams highlighted Brady and Belichick due to their illustrious and storied career at Foxborough, Florio was slightly hesitant, owing to the strained relationship between the two legends. While he was looking for a duo with the same status as two Batmans, he instead found Batman vs. Superman, a rivalry akin to Brady and Belichick’s “divorce” in 2020.
“The only reason I would have some hesitation is you would assume the two dynamic duos truly get along and didn’t have some ugly divorce that interrupted that run of greatness and ended it. So yeah, it’s like Superman vs Batman ultimately between Brady and Belichick,” Florio argued.
Interestingly, in the recently released ‘Dynasty’ series, Brady subtly hinted that Belichick’s unwillingness to sign the two-year, $50 million contract is what led to their split in 2020.
“Me and coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together,” Brady said, as per the Athletic. “But I wasn’t going to sign another contract (in New England) even if I wanted to play until (I was) 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign up for more of it.”
As Florio noted, this rift could be a matter of two individuals rising above the teams or their change in priorities. So, if not Brady and Belichick, who is the greatest active duo in the NFL? Could it be Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce?
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes – the Greatest Active Duo in the NFL?
Compared to the strained relationship between the Patriots duo, Travis and Patrick enjoy a great working relationship with each other, which makes them a more popular duo among the fans.
The two notably hit record charts in January after eclipsing Brady and Gronk’s record for the most post-season touchdowns in the NFL before their third Super Bowl win. With the Chiefs aiming for a three-peat, Mahomes and Kelce have the potential to achieve a feat no individual or franchise has ever accomplished.
But, with age not in their favor, the Chiefs duo is unlikely to achieve a two-decade legacy like Brady and Belichick. Nonetheless, if the duo can retire with six Super Bowl rings, as Travis hopes, it would solidify their status as some of the greatest players in NFL history.
