Tom Brady’s father grills Bill Belichick, blames ex-Patriots HC’s "ego" & “horrible interpersonal skills" for NE’s troubles

Bill Belichick is considered by many to be the greatest head coach in NFL history. He is quickly approaching Don Shula for the most career wins by any head coach ever. He already owns the records for most playoff wins and Super Bowl rings.

The only knock that he may have on his legendary career is that pretty much all of his success occurred during the Tom Brady era with the New England Patriots. While Brady was able to continue his dominance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the iconic duo parted ways, Belichick has struggled in New England without him.

Tom Brady's father Tom Brady Sr. recently gave his thoughts on Belichick and his relative downfall in New England over the past few years. He speculated as to what he believes the issue has been with the Patriots since his son left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady Sr. explained that while he still thinks Belichick is the "best coach in football," his refusal to adapt his style and develop positive relationships, especially with his younger players, has been holding him back. He also implied that if the coach doesn't adapt to the times, he may never find success again.

Brady Sr. told the Boston Globe:

"I don’t think it’s fair what I’ve seen everybody saying that it’s all Tom. Bill is the best coach in football, bar none. The last three or four years of his tenure in New England have been in the dumper. It’s too bad.

"Bill is tough, he runs a military system. It’s a different generation. Bill is a great, great, great coach, but his interpersonal skills are horrible. That’s the bottom line. How many times has he said — back in ‘15 or ‘16 — that he wanted to win without Tommy? When he went without Tommy, he didn’t know what he was losing. You’re losing more than just a quarterback.

"Ego sometimes gets in the way of things. I think it did with Bill. Now, he’s in a situation where he’s gotten crucified for the last few years by everybody, and a lot of luster has come off his rose."

Bill Belichick's record without Tom Brady

Brady and Belichick

In 29 years as a head coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick has compiled an impressive 333-178 overall record, including an excellent 31-13 playoff record. The relative issue with his success is that the splits between his record with and without Tom Brady are a bit concerning.

With Brady, he has an outstanding 249-75 overall record, but without him, he has just an 84-103 record. This includes a 29-38 record since Brady departed in 2020.