While many people have picked a side in the age-old Tom Brady or Bill Belichick debate, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft believes the answer is more nuanced than that.
Kraft, who has owned the team long enough to see the entire tenures of both Patriots icons, was actually asked that question during an appearance on CNN’s “This Morning” on Thursday following Brady's retirement announcement. Kraft refused to pick a side.
“This is our 29th season [owning the team] we just completed, Kraft said. “And we were privileged to go to ten Super Bowls and win six of them. And what I learned is: It’s a lot of things … The sport of football and winning in it requires team effort like nothing else, which is so important for our society. And you need great stars like Belichick and Brady. But you need a lot of other people pulling in the same direction. In the end, though, to answer your question, you can’t win if you don’t have a good coach and a good quarterback.
“I was blessed to have both of [those], probably the best in the history of the game,” the Patriots owner continued. “You know, I think back, whether there – there’s over 25,000 or 30,000 players who played football, how lucky are we up here in New England to have the greatest that’s ever played? And really played for us for 20 percent of the history of the league in 100-odd years. I don’t think there are too many quarterbacks that played for one team [for that long].”
Patriots Owner Bob Kraft joins @PoppyHarlowCNN and @donlemon to talk @TomBrady retirement after 20 years with the New England Patriots and six Super Bowls together. pic.twitter.com/B5JCpK3dQv
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) February 2, 2023
It’s certainly tough to deny that both Brady and Belichick played significant roles in making the Patriots a dynasty. The quarterback didn’t play at the MVP level that we came to know him for over New England’s first three Super Bowl titles, but as time passed, he certainly elevated the Patriots.
In Belichick’s five seasons with the Patriots that Brady hasn’t started at quarterback, he’s gone 41-41 with just one playoff appearance. Meanwhile, Brady made the playoffs in all three seasons he was with the Buccaneers and won the Super Bowl in his first season in Tampa Bay.
As he brushed the Brady-Belichick debate aside, Kraft’s next goal is to bring the quarterback back to New England and sign him to the Patriots for one last day. “Not only do I want it, our fans are clamoring for it,” he said. “To us, he is always has been and always will be a Patriot.
“We will do everything in our power to bring him back, have him sign off as a Patriot and find ways to honor him for many years to come.”
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