Tom Brady defended ‘the right approach’ taken by Bill Belichick with the Patriots

Patriots

“It’s a relentless sport and nothing is given to you.”

Though Bill Belichick is facing an increased level of criticism after the Patriots’ latest loss, Tom Brady is still backing his former coach (and his methods).

Speaking during the most recent episode of his SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go!“, Brady responded to a question about how he thinks Belichick is handling the current crisis in New England.

“I think the results are different from what they’ve been, but I know that he’s still got the same work ethic, he’s got the same coaching style,” Brady said. “I think the thing that I think as I watch not only the Patriots, but a lot of other things, football’s a hard sport. You know, it was very different when I was in there because I could control a lot of the outcome. When I’m sitting here watching from afar I realize, God, there are a lot of variables, there are a lot of things that need to go right in order to have team success.

Current Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been criticized for his role in the disastrous 1-4 start. But as Brady pointed out, even when he was in New England (and playing at an elite level), the team succeeded or failed as a unit.

“I was a part of a lot of those teams and I didn’t take any of those things for granted. I needed a great defense. I needed a great kicker. Obviously, I needed a great coach,” Brady added. “I needed great receivers and a great O-line. If I was going to be successful as a player, I needed all those things. And I was fortunate to have a lot of those things over a long period of time.

“The teams that lose, they’re putting a lot into it. The teams that win, they’re putting a lot into it. It’s a relentless sport and nothing is given to you,” said Brady. “It’s all hard. Losing is hard, winning is hard. To be in it year in and year out is hard. To lose and have a horrible season is very hard.”

Of course, Brady wouldn’t know as much about having a “horrible season,” as his first and final seasons were the only NFL teams he played for that had losing records.

But given the lopsided scores of the last two Patriots games, it’s possible Belichick could be heading for a last-place finish.

Following the defeat against the Saints, Belichick promised that the team would “start all over.” Exactly what that means remains to be seen, but in basic terms, Brady thinks it won’t mean a change in his former coach’s fundamental approach to the game.

“Absolutely,” said Brady on if he thinks Belichick will still be the same even during tough times. “I think that he’s got a very consistent approach that he’s always taken and, you know, it’s the right approach. It’s try to prepare the players, give them the best opportunity to succeed. You know, you get out there on the field in the end, the coaches, once the play is called in the players have to go do it.”

Brady again cited the need for a complimentary effort from all corners of the team.

“It takes a great coaching staff to win. It takes great players to win. It takes great front office support to win,” Brady said. “It’s an organizational win. It’s an organizational loss. To ascribe a win or loss to one player — and they did that for me a lot with winning and I always say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about us.’ When you lose, as a leader…you take the blame and you give the credit when you win. But at the end of the day it’s a team sport.”