Is Brady & Belichick The Best QB-Coach Duo Ever?
Ryan Mayer
The New England Patriots just wrapped up their fifth Super Bowl title by beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston. The fifth Super Bowl win is the most ever for any quarterback or coach in NFL history, so Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have solidified their place in the history books. With that comes the question however, is Brady and Belichick the best quarterback/coach combination ever?
Read: All The Records New England Broke Or Tied In Super Bowl LI
Well, in terms of championships won, as alluded to above, the answer is yes. The five titles is the most ever by any coach and QB combo. They also hold the record for most Super Bowl appearances with seven. The next closest duo is the Steelers Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Noll (4 titles, 4 appearances), and the 49ers Joe Montana and Bill Walsh (3 titles, 3 appearances; one of Montana's titles came with George Seifert as coach).
If championships aren't your sole measuring stick, then let's take a look at win-loss record. Brady and Belichick have been together since 2001 when Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe. In the 16 years since, they have racked up a 183-52 record which is good for a .778 win percentage. The next highest total for wins is Dan Marino and Don Shula with 116. In terms of the next closest winning percentage, that would be the Cowboys' Roger Staubach and Tom Landry who combined for a 85-29 record over the course of ten seasons, good for a .746 win percentage. However, Belichick and Brady have racked up a higher win percentage while playing 121 more games than the Staubach/Landry duo.
If playoff success is your thing, Brady and Belichick have combined for 25 wins with just nine losses (.735 win pct). Here's the rest of the list of legendary QB/coach tandems in terms of playoff win-loss records:
Bradshaw/Noll: 14-5 (.736 win pct)
Montana/Walsh: 10-5 (.667 win pct)
Staubach/Landry: 13-7 (.650 win pct)
Griese/Shula: 7-5 (.583 win pct)
Marino/Shula: 6-7 (.461 win pct)
Bradshaw and Noll have Brady and Belichick beat but .001 percent in this category, but, they also played in 16 less postseason games than the Brady/Belichick tandem.
We'll leave the final verdict up to you, but one thing is undeniable. The stats that Brady and Belichick have put together over the course of their partnership are some of, if not the best in NFL history.
