The Patriots’ continued struggles in the post-Tom Brady era may be reaching a tipping point.
After Sunday’s disastrous 38–3 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, analyst Shannon Sharpe believes it’s time to start re-evaluating legendary head coach Bill Belichick’s legacy given his struggles since Brady’s departure.
Speaking on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, Sharpe said he believes Belichick’s legacy “deserves to take a hit.”
“I’ve been one of those guys that said that Coach Belichick deserved a lot more of the credit than Tom Brady, but I was foolish in my assessment of this,” Sharpe said. “It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that Tom Brady was largely the reason why the Patriots won.”
Here’s Sharpe’s full take:
.@ShannonSharpe believes Bill Belichick's legacy "deserves to take a hit" 😳
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 2, 2023
"It's becoming more and more apparent to me that Tom Brady was largely the reason why the Patriots won." pic.twitter.com/d2Gakm5Gdw
“Coach Belichick wanted to leave no doubt in anybody’s mind that ‘The Patriot Way’… [is] because of me',” Sharpe said. “But what he failed to realize is that he had that general, that 17-star general in Tom Brady that made everything smooth. And he’s finding out the hard way it’s not as easy as he ever thought it would be.”
After winning 11 or more games in each of Brady’s final 10 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick has yet to top 10 wins in a season without Brady. His record in the four years without his star QB is just 26–28. And performances like Sunday’s display against the Cowboys leave many questioning whether Mac Jones can be the quarterback that leads New England back into the perennial postseason picture.
Sharpe’s take certainly generated some buzz on social media.
Dude always used to defend Bill over Brady when debating Skip. Crazy how times change... https://t.co/8zvUEp4CaO
— RJ (@CabbJohnny) October 2, 2023
Tom Brady never had an below average defense his entire career. Bill did his job and built around a qb. https://t.co/l8G2KMd7MM
— Sean (@Nastybilly22) October 2, 2023
Idc who the coach is you aren’t winning without a qb https://t.co/vleghT3dCc
— Curtis Walker (@girlthatscurttt) October 2, 2023
Too black or white on this take.
— jake prosser (@jacobpro_) October 2, 2023
If Belichick came to coach the Chiefs, or even the Bills/Dolphins, they’d probably win the Super Bowl.
Brady left and went to a roster-ready title contender. Belichick doesn’t have a QB on his current Patriots roster. https://t.co/gKg2PoW9tV
Bill Belichick doesn’t remotely have anywhere near the same personel he did under Brady. Ppl forget how elite those Patriot defenses were during the Brady era. https://t.co/umEbKMbPEC
— Jonathan Baker (@Jayb_1411) October 2, 2023
