Former New England Patriots CB Asante Samuel believes that HC Bill Belichick wouldn’t have enjoyed the success he has without Tom Brady.
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The New England Patriots were a dynasty from 2001, when they won their first title, till their most recent Super Bowl victory in 2018. It was one of the most dominant runs we have ever witnessed in the history of sports. They won six super bowls in that span, leading all other franchises except the Steelers (6).
At the helm of this dynasty, were QB Tom Brady and HC Bill Belichick. They were the only two constants for the franchise for as long as they were elite, and most of their success has been credited to them. But which one has had more to do with their success? Brady or Belichick? This is a question that will most likely never be answered, but the debate is ongoing and it seems as if it’s never going to end.
Why the Tom Brady vs Belichick debate even exists.
It is confusing as to why the Brady vs Belichick question has to even be asked. The coach and the QB work in accordance towards a common goal, winning the Super Bowl. It’s not really a competition between two members on the same side, but rather them combining their talent to beat the opponent.
When the Patriots won, everyone got their flowers. It was the losses that caused the passing around of the blame. The Patriots lost the Super Bowl thrice, and multiple times before they even made it there. Every fan and analyst had their own opinion on why they lost the game. Some believe it was because of Brady’s inability to make plays and some think it was Belichick who dropped the ball.
Brady won the Super Bowl in his first season without Belichick
Brady and Belichick parted ways when Tom decided he was not going to return to the Patriots for another season and took his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was not satisfied with the talent in New England and did not believe that the team was going to be competitive enough in the future.
In his first season with the Buccaneers, Brady won the Super Bowl and was named MVP of the big game. Bellichick, on the other hand, did not even make the playoffs. With Cam Newton at QB, the Patriots failed to cut it as even an above-average team.
Asante Samuel believes Tom Brady deserves the most credit for the Patriots success
Former Patriots CB Asante Samuel took to Twitter to give his take on the Brady vs Belichick debate. He said he believes that Bellichick, without Brady, would not have enjoyed much success and would have been like any other coach in the league.
Samuel does have some facts to back up his claim. Belichick has a 25-28 record without Brady playing for him. In 2000, the Patriots ended up with a 5-11 record under him and in 2001, they were win-less before Brady took over the starting QB role.
We’ll never know for sure who had more to do with the Patriots’ success. Both Brady and Belichick are the greatest to ever do what they do and we should appreciate them while they’re here, rather than pin them against each other.
Cam Newton Release: Cam Newton Landing Spots, Why Was Cam Newton Released And Where Can He Go?
Cam Newton was recently released by the Patriots, making Mac Jones the starter, which means he’ll face off against Tom Brady in the biggest revenge game of the year.
Newton’s release was shocking. The former Patriots quarterback hadn’t done anything impressive in his first season with New England, but they still chose to bring him back for one more year, and he looked sharp in some preseason performances.
However, he did recently have some trouble with Covid protocols, even if the whole thing was a misunderstanding, and he recently declined to comment about whether he was vaccinated or not. Perhaps these incidents led to his release.
Now that Cam is a free agent, there are sure to be plenty of teams interested in signing the former NFL MVP. Despite there being rumors that he may go to the Dallas Cowboys, Newton probably won’t end up signing there, not that the Cowboys would want to bring him on either.
Dak Prescott is already firmly established as the starting quarterback, and so Cam probably doesn’t want to walk into a situation where he’s a backup. That’s why teams like the Houston Texans, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and even the Washington Football team make sense.
Some have set starters, but there’s no guarantee on how they’ll play. There’s no guarantee on Cam either, but why not add a safety valve, especially for a team like the Texans, and someone who can compete and push the other quarterbacks for the starting role.
Asante Samuel was livid over the release clearly as the news did come out of nowhere. Newton didn’t have the greatest preseason of all time, but he played well enough to show that he can still be a starter in the league. He’ll certainly find a job elsewhere.
