Tom Brady Gives Decisive Opinion On The 'Brady Or Belichick' Debate With Patriots
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- From basically the moment that Tom Brady announced that he would be leaving the Patriots after 20 years, countless analysts and fans shouted in unison. Brady's out to prove that he doesn't need Bill Belichick to win.
It makes for a juicy, soap opera-level story line, the quarterback hell-bent on revenge against the coach who didn't want him. GOAT vs. GOAT. Winner gets bragging rights for life.
Alas, Tom Brady said revenge is not on his mind at all. And he even admitted to Howard Stern on Wednesday that he doesn't want all the credit for his six Super Bowl victories and unprecedented success.
He believes he wouldn't have reached those heights without Belichick.
"I think it's a pretty sh---y argument actually, that people would say that," Brady said when told that the player would deserve more credit than the coach. "Because I can't do his job and he can't do mine. The fact that you could say, would I be successful without him, the same level of success? I don't believe I would have been."
That being said, Brady thinks that it works both ways.
"I feel the same vice-versa as well," Brady continued. "To have him allowed me to be the best I could be. So I'm grateful for that. And I very much believe he feels the same way about me, because we've expressed that to each other."
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Of course, the relationship between Brady and Belichick has been reported on and speculated about for years. Now a member of the Buccaneers and thus free to say whatever he pleases, Brady indicated that reports of friction between him and Belichick were untrue.
"I think he has a lot of loyalty, and he and I have had a lot of conversations that nobody has ever been privy to, and nor should they be," Brady said. "So many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship or how he felt about me. I know genuinely how he feels about me. I'm not going to respond to every rumor or assumption made about me."
As for the drafting of Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014 and a series of other moves that indicated Belichick was preparing for the end of Brady's career, the quarterback said he understood that course of action and would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed.
"What I could control was trying to be the best I could be in both of those situations," Brady said, noting that Belichick's job required him to consider what's best for the team in the short term and the long term. "So I got into uncharted territory as an athlete because I started to break the mold of what so many other athletes had experienced. So I got to a point where I was an older athlete and he started to plan for the future, which is what his responsibility is. And I don't fault him for that. That's what he should be doing. … If I was ever in a position of authority I would do that too. I understand that. We talked about it."
As for any resentment for Belichick not wanting Brady anymore, the quarterback said he feels none of it.
"No, absolutely not," Brady said. "Because this is a part for me in my life to experience something very different. There's ways for me to grow and evolve in a different way that I haven't had the opportunity to do, that aren't right or wrong but are right for me."
Brady said his "legacy" is not something he ever cared about and is not something he cares about now.
"I would say I never cared about legacy. I could give a s--- about that. I never once when I was in high school said, 'Man I can't wait for what my football legacy looks like.' That's just not me. It's not my personality," Brady said. "So why would I choose a different place? It's because it was just time. I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible group of people."
That conversation naturally led to the end of the road in New England. Brady admitted that after his contract discussions last summer resulted in no extension, he mostly knew that it would be his final year with the Patriots.
"I don't think there was a final, final decision until it happened. But I would say I probably knew before the start of last season. I knew that, you know, it was just, our time, you know … our time was coming to an end," Brady said.
Brady had already said that he had driven to Robert Kraft's home in mid-March to tell him personally that he would be joining another team. As for his farewell with Belichick, Brady said he had to do it over the phone after speaking with Kraft. And Brady admitted that he shed some tears.
"I wanted to tell him right away in the moment," Brady said, noting that he didn't want Belichick to hear the news from anyone else. "I would say I'm a very emotional … because I have a deep caring for the people that I've worked with. And I wish nothing but the best for him."
Brady extended those well wishes to all of his former Patriots teammates, though he obviously said he still would prefer to beat them in the Super Bowl.
It is that quest for a seventh Super Bowl that leaves many folks wondering why Brady plans to play into his mid-40s. For that, Brady had an answer as well.
"I think if you learned anything from like what's going on in this day and age, even as it relates to Kobe Bryant. Like Kobe thought he had a long life, too, you know? I loved watching Kobe play. In a lot of ways, he and I had the same mentality. We had a great connection because of our mind-set. When I look at his life, we all think we're going to live forever. But the reality is we don't know when your day's gonna come," Brady said.
Brady continued: "Why don't I live my life the way that I want and enjoy it in the ways that are going to be most fulfilling to me? To me, it's doing what I love to do. You don't tell a musician to stop singing at 42. You don't tell a great painter to stop painting at 42. ... I don't feel like I should stop playing."
