Bill Belichick is, for most intents and purposes, a stone-faced golem of an NFL head coach. He shoots down cliched press conference questions with a sigh and a terse response. He responds to post-loss inquiries by declaring he, and the Patriots behind him, are “on to [insert next opponent here].”
But one way to ensure a insightful answer from the future Hall of Famer is to ask him about a player he likes. He’s peppered press conferences with 500-word soliloquies on the grace and presence of Larry Fitzgerald. He’s called frequent tormentor Ed Reed the “best free safety that’s ever played.” He once devoted a full minute-plus explaining the value of left-footed punters.
So why are we acting surprised that he’s got nice things to say about the quarterback who led him to six Super Bowl wins?
Bill Belichick on would he have had the same level of success without Tom Brady:
"Of course not."
"There's no quarterback I would rather have than Tom Brady. I was very lucky to have Tom."
Rare praise from Belichick for Brady 👀
— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball) October 1, 2021
Outlets across the globe have reported on Belichick’s admission that Brady was an integral part of his success as though it’s unexpected. The reactions to the steely head coach stating the obvious have been portrayed as gamesmanship or deflection or straight-up trying to appease the greatest player in franchise history.
The simple answer? He’s telling the truth, the way he typically does when he sees a player he likes, even when he’s playing for another team:
“I think I’ve been on the record dozens of times saying there’s no quarterback I’d rather have than Tom Brady,” said Belichick. “I still feel that way. I was very lucky to have Tom as the quarterback and to coach him. He was as good (of a quarterback) as any coach could ask for.”
This is all true. None of it is unexpected. If anything, the surprise could be that he didn’t go on longer about his former star, though that could be a function of dealing with these questions all week.
And yes, maybe there is some strategy involved, Belichick knows Tom Brady. He knows he’s able to find motivation in even the most innocuous slight. He’s the quarterback who saw himself as an underdog throughout his final Super Bowl run in New England despite being favored in all but one of their 19 games that season and having spent most of two decades serving as the NFL’s Death Star. You don’t give that guy any extra motivation in a week where he needs none.
All in all, this is Bill Belichick being Bill Belichick, deferring to Tom Brady who he knows will be Tom Brady. Everything he said is true. None of it should be surprising, even if the surly coach stopped short of giving Brady the kind of in-depth analysis he usually reserves for Fitzgerald.
