Former NFL cornerback and four-time Pro Bowler Asante Samuel believes the New England Patriots are just one piece away from being a Super Bowl contender. That one player? Tom Brady.
The Patriots might be 1-4 with a pair of 30-plus-point losses in back-to-back weeks, but that’s nothing a retired quarterback can’t fix. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Samuel started his comments about New England’s pitfall by saying head coach Bill Belichick (essentially) hasn’t accomplished anything without Brady under center.
“He has no clue what to do without Tom, as we can see. It’s just amazing that he was able to pull this wool over everybody’s face and become this great coach,” Samuel said. “Because I was there. I watched everything. I was the guy wondering how we were bringing in these mediocre players, putting offensive players on defense and still win.
“So, he’s still the same Bill Belichick.”
When asked how the Patriots can turn things around, Samuel suggested that signing Brady would be a huge help. He not only believes New England would be better, he thinks it would become a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
“This is what they can do: Tom Brady, right now, he can win a Super Bowl for the New England Patriots,” Samuel said. “So bring him back because he can win. This terrible team, that everyone can see is terrible, he can come right now, today, and win the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Because he’s Tom Brady.”
Samuel understands that’s not exactly going to be on the top of the list of Brady’s priorities. So he explained why he believes the quarterback could have made a big difference.
“I compare this team to the 2015 Super Bowl champions,” he said. “And I see the exact same team, it’s only minus Tom Brady. … My point in saying that is Belichick is just a guy there that is not really providing much for the team.”
Samuel’s comments on Belichick are interesting, but he would know the coaching style pretty well. The cornerback played for New England from 2003-07, winning two Super Bowls with the franchise. He then had stops with the Philadelphia Eagles (2008-11) and Atlanta Falcons (2012-13).
Brady retired from the NFL (for the second time) following Tampa Bay’s Wild Card exit from the playoffs last year. Because of his success and affinity for the game, many thought he still might return.
It doesn’t appear that will be the case.
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