‘Tom Brady Is The Patriot Way’: Former New England Wide Receiver Danny Amendola Takes A Shot At Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Danny Amendola was a member of the Super Bowl winning Patriots for several seasons. Amendola recently took to declaring that it was Tom Brady who was responsible for that success.

Heading into this season, there was a heated debate over who accounted for more of the Patriots success. On one hand, you have the coaching mastermind, Bill Belichick, and on the other, the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.

Moreover, Brady himself had said that he shifted teams this past offseason, to see what he could do with Belichick. Maybe this was to prove a point, that HE was the catalyst for the Pats’ Super Bowls.

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Why Do People Believe Belichick Was Responsible For the Pats’ Wins?

There’s a giant notion out in the NFL world that Tom Brady is a system quarterback. Belichick is one of the most intelligent people in the game, and people believe that he shaped Brady to be who he is.

There was some reason to believe this line of thinking before the 2020-21 season. Brady had only won in New England, and in his last two years in New England, he wasn’t playing like a super star but rather a game manager.

Belichick believers also pointed out the fact that Brady consistently had good defenses to rely on during his Super Bowl run. Of course, Belichick is a defensive minded coach, and thus began the argument that Brady was often carried by his defense.

In his last Super Bowl with the Patriots, Tom Brady put up a relatively mediocre performance as it was the Patriots defense that shined. They gave up only three points to a high-flying Rams team, and Brady wasn’t even named Super Bowl mvp.

That distinction went to receiver Julian Edelman. Additionally, Belichick supporters like to point to the 2008 season as a prime example. That year, Tom Brady suffered a devastating knee injury that kept him out for the whole season.

With Matt Cassel under center, the Pats still went 11-5. To add on, Cassel has never played as well in his career after. Additionally, it seems that Belichick has a way with quarterbacks. After all, Brady was a sixth round draft pick. With Belichick’s mentoring, he became the greatest to ever do it.

Why Do Danny Amendola and Others Believe In Tom Brady?

The easiest answer is the 2020-21 season. Brady shifted teams in a season where he didn’t have a preseason and normal training camps, and yet he managed to take the Bucs to the Super Bowl.

Bruce Arians coaches the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and while he’s a good coach, he’s nowhere near Bill Belichick. This is Arians’ deepest postseason run, and you can argue that Tom Brady is what made his system fit.

After all, the Bucs were a very talented offensive team last year. They had Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, and Ronald Jones, and yet they only won 7 games.

Arians’ offensive system, which relies on a lot of option routes, made Jameis Winston the leading passer last year (in terms of yardage), but Winston also threw over 30 interceptions. These option routes are also what led to Brady’s struggles early in the year.

However, Brady isn’t Winston. He’s far more experienced and intelligent, and because of that he learnt Arians’ system and his own intelligence helped him cut down on the turnovers. Additionally, Brady’s presence goes far beyond the tangible aspects. He’s a leader. He ignites passion with his teammates.

His competitiveness and fire for the game fuels everyone around him to work hard, play better, and perform at their highest levels. His winning is infectious. Thus, Brady perhaps proved that he was ‘The Patriot Way’ as Amendola put it by showing out this year.

His 40 touchdowns were second in the league this year, and it was the second highest mark of his career. That and the Super Bowl (as a Wild Card team too, mind you) show why Brady deserves more credit.

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