Curtis: Belichick's Arrogance Once Again Leaves Brady Short-Handed
BOSTON (CBS) - It is finally time to put away the kid gloves when discussing the off-field decisions of Bill Belichick.
His effort to appear smarter than his peers has once again left the best player he will ever coach short-handed.
Need I remind anyone who "The Hooded One" was when he had the likes of Drew Bledsoe and Bernie Kosar as his quarterback? He was a 41-57 coach, already fired once and on his way to being fired again. So one would think that he would treat the man who has helped make him a Hall of Famer with a little bit more respect.
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Belichick arrived in New England by way of a tumultuous ending in East Rutherford with the Jets, but today sits atop the coaching landscape along side the likes of Shula, Lombardi and his idol Paul Brown thanks to the 199th overall pick in the 2000 draft.
Think of all Tom Brady has done for Bill Belichick. He's done everything that has been asked of him for the past 15 years; pay cut after pay cut, restructure after restructure. It's been team first, ego second.
How is he rewarded?
He is rewarded by a disingenuous head coach who creates a false need for cap space by "outsmarting" his contemporaries and occupying his roster with 10 dimes instead of a dollar bill. The fact is that the team gets into pissing matches with great players for no reason other than to assert its own power over the superstars.
There is no reason that Richard Seymour should have been traded for a future first-round pick to Oakland. Deion Branch should have been a career Patriot, and Mike Vrabel should have never been packaged as part of the Matt Cassel trade to Kansas City.
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The last time Brady re-did his deal to benefit the team was in the offseason of 2005, when Bill surrounded him with one flotsam after another jetsam at wide receiver. Somehow, Brady was able to have the greatest season by the best QB I have ever seen, leading a collection of Reche Calldwells and Jabar Gaffneys to a three-score lead in the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. If Branch had never been shipped to Seattle earlier that year, the Patriots would have, without a doubt, won their fourth Super Bowl.
Brady's biggest hurdle during his time in New England has been his ability to work new receivers into the diverse offensive scheme. Tom came into the league with the greatest possession receiver of all time in Troy Brown, was then was able to work with Branch, and the torch was passed to Wes Welker in 2007.
So, one would assume that the brilliant head coach would surround Brady with as many talented players who have the understanding of said offense in order to capitalize on the waning days of Brady's career.
Nope.
Over just $2 million -- after Brady restructured and extended his contract -- "The Man Who Invented Football" decided to allow Tom's top target to go to Denver and play for the one quarterback Brady will always be judged against. Instead of bringing back Welker, the man who thrived in this system to catch the most passes in the NFL over the last six years, Belichick brought in the injury-prone Danny Amendola.
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"The Hooded One" has to know he only has two more peak years of the greatest QB of his generation, so logic would dictate that you would do whatever you can to surround Brady with the best collection of receivers in order to claim another Lombardi Trophy and erase the stain of Spygate.
But that is not the case. Bill seemingly is keener on winning at the negotiating table in March than on the first Sunday in February.
Chris Curtis is the producer of 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show. Follow him on Twitter @_ChrisCurtis.
