As you marvel at the ageless Tom Brady reaching the Super Bowl for a 10th time, and rewind his latest hype video with Rob Gronkowski yet again, spare a kind thought for poor Bill Belichick.
It has not been an easy year for the New England Patriots coach. He got dumped by his Hall of Fame quarterback. Endured his first losing season in 20 years. Had to turn down the Presidential Medal of Freedom because the guy who wanted to give it to him incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Now the Super Bowl matchup seems to have provided the definitive answer to all those “Brady or Belichick” questions — and not in a way that’s favorable to Belichick.
What next? The “VIII Rings” springs a leak? His adorable dog runs away?
All of this is, of course, just a wee bit of an exaggeration. But, admit it. Unless you live in New England, or are a Patriots fan, it’s almost impossible not to delight in the sudden reversal of fortunes for a guy who has won so much, for so long.
Especially since he was so proudly curmudgeonly about it. The widely beloved Andy Reid, Belichick is not.
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Tom Brady will be making his 10th Super Bowl appearance. (Photo: Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
But easy a mark as Belichick is right now, the barbs are also off target.
There was always going to be a hefty price to pay for the Patriots’ two-decade streak of dominance, and it was going to be Belichick and the organization, not Brady, who had to foot the bill.
When Brady decided last spring to leave New England, he had his pick of who to play for next. The Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers — all were considered potential landing spots and, had Brady given them any indication he was seriously considering them, would likely have rolled out the red carpet.
Ultimately, Brady chose the Bucs. Playing for Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, whose only two modes are aggressive and “buckle up, we’re going to stomp on the gas pedal” was appealing enough.
SportsPulse: Tom Brady made the right call. By leaving New England and joining Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay he was able to get the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl in 18 years.
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But the Buccaneers also offered a supporting cast Brady could only dream of in his last decade in New England. Game-changing receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and, after heavy lobbying by Brady, Antonio Brown. Gronkowski came out of retirement to play with his old buddy, giving Brady two elite tight ends with Cameron Brate.
He’s playing behind a solid offensive line — his 21 sacks tie for the third-fewest of his career — and the running back tandem of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones is a considerable upgrade from anything he ever had in New England.
Tampa Bay’s defense is also the ultimate safety blanket. Brady did his best to give away the NFC championship, throwing picks on three consecutive possessions late in the game. But the Packers came away with just six points off the miscues.
“This is the ultimate team sport,” Brady said after the 31-26 win. “We had a lot of people work really hard over a long period of time.”
Back in New England, meanwhile, Belichick has to worry about more than one position. Or position group. Or side of the ball. He has to rebuild the entire 53-man roster, which this season was hampered by salary cap limitations and COVID-19 opt-outs.
It didn’t help that the Patriots allowed themselves to get old, holding on to key players — Brady, Edelman, Gronk, Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty — even as they hovered around the wrong side of 30.
“It’s obvious we didn't have any money,” Belichick said in a Nov. 1 interview with Boston radio station WEEI. “It's nobody's fault. That's what we did the last five years. We sold out and won three Super Bowls, played in a fourth and played in a AFC Championship Game. This year we had less to work with. It's not an excuse, it's just a fact.”
Belichick skips over the fact that this was his doing, given he’s the de facto GM in New England. But he makes a good point: There isn’t a team in the NFL that wouldn’t make the same bargains in exchange for the success the Patriots had.
And Brady and Belichick both deserve credit for it. While it’s easy to point to the vastly divergent fortunes of Brady’s current and old teams this season as evidence to the contrary, it ignores the fact that who he is as a player is largely shaped by those two decades with Belichick.
Brady won because of Belichick. Belichick won because of Brady. One season, even one that ends in a Super Bowl appearance, can't change that.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.
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