Has the luster of six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots waned recently?
It’s more than possible with the Patriots having struggled in the three seasons since Tom Brady left the organization.
Selected by Belichick and the Patriots in the 2003 NFL Draft, former Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel took aim at his ex-coach. Samuel was asked if Belichick is the greatest head coach in NFL history during a recent appearance on the All Things Covered podcast. His response was not friendly to the suddenly embattled coach.
“Absolutely not. Are you crazy? Look at his record without Tom [Brady]. You’ve got to win without Tom. One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everybody knows it. Tom knows it but he ain’t going to admit it because he wants to be politically correct. That’s why I’m here and I’m going to tell the truth.”
Asante Samuel on Bill Belichick
Samuel was extremely animated when taking this stand. He obviously didn’t hold back, either. Talk about telling us exactly how you feel.
All of this comes amid rumors that Belichick could very well be on the hot seat despite being one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history.
Related: Top 20 NFL head coaches of all time, including Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick coaching record: 298-152, .652 winning %, 6 Super Bowl titles
That’s an amazing track record. But if we were to listen to what Asante Samuel was saying, there is a belief that Brady played a larger role in New England’s success.
In Belichick’s 19 seasons with Brady as his starting quarterback, he posted a 222-72 record. Whether it was with the Cleveland Browns earlier in his career or in the post-Brady era in New England, Belichick is 76-80.
It does seem that the respect factor surrounding Belichick has waned to an extent recently.
“He’s on the hot seat. And he’s been there at different levels of warmth since 2019,” Patriots insider Tom Curran on Bill Belichick.
Ouch!