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Man, Bill Belichick sure is one surly motherfucker, isn’t he? Sure, the New England Patriots head coach is the GOAT, winning six Super Bowl titles during his tenure with the franchise, but, sheesh, when it comes to showing any emotion at all, the guy doesn’t tip his hand at all. It’s sort of Belichick’s M.O., so we probably shouldn’t expect the 67-year-old to change given it’s worked for him all these years.
Still, one would think that Bill Belichick would loosen up a little bit when being asked about Tom Brady. You remember that guy, right? He’s the perceived greatest quarterback of all-time — well, unless you ask Terry Bradshaw — who, while paired up with Belichick in Foxborough, created the longest dynasty we’ve seen in sports in our lifetime. He left the organization to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, with reports suggesting he was exhausted by the “Patriot Way” that his head coach had created.
In terms of the coach-player relationship that Brady and Belichick had, it’s officially over. But you’d imagine there’s still plenty of mutual respect between the two competitors — which both seemed to voice during their parting statements over the past couple of weeks.
While that may be what fans think, it didn’t seem like it on Monday when Bill Belichick was asked about his now former iconic quarterback, giving a classic reply that only he could come up with.
Talking to the media leading up to the NFL Draft, Belichick was outright asked about having a desire to bring Brady back under center. Instead of letting down his guard and complimenting the future Hall of Famer or reminisce about the good days together, Belichick spit the driest — and most Belichickian — answer ever.
Q: Did you have a desire bring Tom Brady back?
Belichick: "Water under the bridge. We're really focused on this season and trying to look at our opportunities and make decisions and plan and prepare to be as competitive as we can this year."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) April 13, 2020
Well, tell us how you really feel, coach.
Look, it’s not part of Bill Belichick’s personality to reflect on the past or praise Tom Brady’s accomplishments while the two were together. But, damn, to be so heartless as to say what he did above goes to show how differently he’s built. It’s part of the reason why he’s been so successful, and why he’s able to continue to replace superstars each and every year. Brady’s a different animal, yet Belichick’s still treating him as if he was a third-stringer who the team released and moved on from. It’s gutless. It’s unapologetic. It’s unpopular. But it’s the Belichick (and Patriot) way of doing things.