Bill Belichick had a front-row seat to all the magic Tom Brady created on the field and in the film room for 20 years in New England, but the coach says there was one particular ability that really set Brady apart from his peers.
Belichick was a guest on an episode of Brady’s “Let’s Go” podcast that was released earlier this week. The Patriots coach spent a significant amount of time reflecting on Brady’s career. Belichick at one point shared what he felt was Brady’s greatest skill, which was the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s ability to get the most out of the players who surrounded him.
“He always found a way to make his players productive. It didn’t matter who the receiver or who the tight end was,” Belichick said. “He could understand what would make Rob (Gronkowski) more successful, what could make Troy Brown more successful, what could Wes Welker do — not what did I do with Troy that I can do with Wes Welker, but how can I make Wes Welker successful? How do I make Randy Moss successful? Those players were all great but they were all very different and they had different skills. Tom could always bring out the best of their skills.
“He made all of those players great by understanding what their strengths were and understanding how to use their strengths. It’s very similar to what Bill Russell talked about in terms of using the other teammates on the Celtics and how to get those guys shots, how to get those guys points. I think of all the things that Tom was great at, which is a long, long list. His ability to make players around him better and more productive was ultimately his greatest skill.”
The interesting thing is it almost sounded like Belichick was talking about himself. Belichick has long been praised for his ability to maximize the strengths of his players. The more he spoke, the more it became clear that Brady was basically a coach, quarterback and offensive coordinator during his time in New England.
Belichick’s appearance on Brady’s podcast was a clear message that the relationship between the two is in a good place. They undoubtedly had their differences, especially toward the end of Brady’s time with the Patriots. You can tell by how emotional Brady got during the conversation that there are no hard feelings.
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