New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick endured a tough season last year without Tom Brady under center, as New England stumbled to a 7-9 record. Meanwhile, Brady won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and enjoyed excellent media coverage, with many pundits going so far to say that Brady had much more to do with the success of the Patriots than Belichick, which was always a stretch. Well, even in the midst of success with the Patriots 7-4, Bill Belichick is still in the shadow of Tom Brady. Here are two reasons why that should no longer be the case.
Belichick has found his quarterback
One of the narratives that emerged after Tom Brady was victorious with the Buccaneers was that the Hall of Famer could succeed without the coach but that the coach couldn't do it without the Hall of Fame quarterback.
Belichick has yet to win a Super Bowl without Brady but it needs to be acknowledged that he is succeeding without Brady. Not only that, but Belichick seems to have found a worthy successor to lead the Patriots forward in Mac Jones.
No one is saying that Jones will be the next Brady, or even nearly as good. But Belichick, who perfected the winning formula in New England after experimenting with the Cleveland Browns, knew exactly what he was looking for in his next signal-caller.
Belichick wanted someone who was a winner and who was experienced playing for a tough coach. Belichick was confident that someone like Jones, who had played under old friend Nick Saban, could handle the demands of the tough Patriots system. So far, it looks like he was right.
It's fitting that the next Patriots' franchise quarterback tabbed by Belichick would have ties to the head coach's early beginnings in Cleveland. While the Patriots have yet to win anything big with the Belichick-Jones partnership, it's clear that they're on the right path, thanks to the leadership and decision-making of the head coach.
Belichick made savvy offseason moves
Look at the Patriots offseason overall. With Brady as the Patriots quarterback, New England rarely made free agent splashes. But Belichick knew that he had to adjust without his star quarterback and make the entire team better- and fast.
He went out and signed seven players on the first day of free agency, including star pass rusher Matt Judon, who has been instrumental to the Patriots defensive success.
New England has allowed the fewest points per game and the third-fewest yards per game in the NFL, thanks to newcomers like Judon and Jalen Mills, old faces like Kyle Van Noy and diamonds in the rough, such as J.C. Jackson.
On the offensive side of the ball, Belichick focused on adding speed at the receiver spots- Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne- and dependability at the tight end spots, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. The result? An efficient offense that ranks sixth in the NFL in points per game.
The Patriots platers had to go out and execute, but none of this would have been possible without the vision of Bill Belichick. Belichick is proving that he deserves more credit for thriving without Tom Brady.
Follow Us
Subscribe