Bill Belichick Gets Very Honest About Tom Brady
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick got very honest about Tom Brady on Monday morning.
Fresh off a big 21-11 Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Belichick sat down with the media over a zoom call and reflected on everything that has transpired.
Most notably, Belichick delved into just how much of the offense used to be catered specifically to Brady.
“Everything we’ve done for the last 20 years, and rightfully so, was for Tom Brady,” he said.
“Everything was dedicated to him other than the games he didn’t play in. Like when (Matt) Cassel played or Jimmy (Garoppolo) and then Jacoby (Brissett) when Brady was suspended.
“There were times when we had to plan differently, but when your starting quarterback has things that he’s good at or things that you can take advantage of then I think you try to take advantage of them.”
Not a great start for the Bucs. https://t.co/Z25Gfw1Oc1
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 14, 2020
This past offseason, Brady defected to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his place, the Patriots signed former league MVP Cam Newton.
On Sunday, Newton performed very well against Miami, completing 15 of 19 passes for 155 yards and running the ball 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Brady, meanwhile, threw for two interceptions in a 34-23 loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.
For his part, Belichick doesn’t think the Patriots will be able to execute the exact same game plan with Newton going forward. He understands that the circumstances that allowed for it to work against the Dolphins may not repeat themselves – especially all the opportunities Newton had to run the ball.
Not a great start for the 49ers. https://t.co/EF8YpXLe8S
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 14, 2020
“Well some of those runs were option-type runs so we don’t know who is going to get the ball,” he said.
“It depends on how the defense plays it. It’s not like handing the ball off to the halfback running it up the middle. When you run plays that have some type of an option to them, you don’t know for sure who’s going to get the ball.
“That’s just an unpredictable part of that play. It’s like running a pass play. Unless it’s a screen pass, when drop back and throw the ball you don’t know which receiver you’re throwing to.”
Belichick also admitted that, in a way, he expects Newton’s rushing numbers to decline from what they were after Week 1.
The President thinks he knows why. https://t.co/l1vtABjU8Y
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 14, 2020
“So I think those numbers are — with all due respect — I think they’re a little bit skewed,” he noted.
“The defense, if they play it a certain way, they can put the ball in whoever’s hands they want to, if they really want to declare who’s going to get the ball. So we’ll see how teams play us moving forward.”
Because of the 20 years of history that Belichick and Brady share, comparisons will be inevitable this season. Everyone is going to want to know who needs whom less, and how that will manifest itself in terms of wins and losses in 2020.
So far, Belichick seems to be winning the battle – but the war is still being fought.
Related: Cam Newton’s Pregame Outfit Goes Viral (Photos)
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
