As all gathered to celebrate the career of the legendary Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, there was much reminiscing on the past between player and head coach Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls together.
Belichick started coaching the Patriots (2000-2023), the same time as Brady started his playing career. That is to say, after selecting the Michigan quarterback with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft, no one could imagine the dynasty that Belichick and Brady would go on to build together.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick back at Gillette Stadium but not in Patriots uniforms/gear.
We are officially old 😢 pic.twitter.com/gwTmVAxCL3
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) June 13, 2024
Belichick took the stage during Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony. He stated his gratitude for the two-decade long partnership shared with his quarterback, which led to much success on the gridiron all those years together in Foxborough.
"Thank you for all you have done for us. Thank you for all you've done for me."
Bill Belichick expressed his appreciation for Tom Brady during the quarterback's Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony speech 👏
"Thank you for all you have done for us. Thank you for all you've done for me."
🎥 @Patriotspic.twitter.com/Qsn7T2QeOF
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 13, 2024
When Brady gave his speech, he reciprocated those feelings back to his coach.
“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us.”
Hopefully Brady has finally put the BB vs Brady nonsense to rest. #tb12 #tb12hof #foxboroforever #foreverne #goat #brady #patsnation pic.twitter.com/quC2nvrYTi
— Stephanie (@smars319) June 13, 2024
"To Coach Belichick: Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to my best. It wasn't me. It wasn't you. It was us. Our hard work, our love of the game and the way we worked for one another, that's what it was all about."
Tom Brady 🤝 Bill Belichick 🥲 pic.twitter.com/yuJbBKVdvP
— theScore (@theScore) June 13, 2024
In case anyone doubted the two's relationship after Brady left New England in 2019 to finish his career in Tampa Bay, the quarterback said Belichick was his favorite coach.
"Let me make something crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick."
Tom Brady on Bill Belichick:
“There is no coach in the WORLD I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.” pic.twitter.com/wQHIcv3OXh
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) June 13, 2024
From the span of 2001-2019, Belichick and Brady never had a losing season, they won 17 AFC East titles together, made nine Super Bowl appearances, while collecting six championship rings along the way.
Notably, in 24 seasons as the head coach in New England, Belichick had a career 266-121 record and won three Coach of the Year awards. When looking at Belichick's resume, he has the most playoff coaching wins all-time in NFL history (31), and ranks third in regular season wins (302). With this in mind, Belichick may go down as the greatest coach of all-time, with his counterpart Brady right beside him as arguably the greatest player of all-time.
To note, Brady has the most passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649) in NFL history.
Although both coach and player were great in their own right, it wasn't until Brady and Belichick joined forces, that legends were born.
To point out, before Belichick met Brady, he also won two Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach for the New York Giants under Bill Parcels (1986, 1990). Then Belichick went on to be head coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-1995), where he had a 36-44 record.
On the other hand before Brady met his running mate head coach, he was a very under recruited backup quarterback at the University of Michigan. Considering this, the best decision Belichick and the Patriots organization ever made was taking a chance on Brady with their sixth round draft pick... the rest is history.
Related: Bill Belichick Said To Be Eyeing NFC East For Next Coaching Gig
