When Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of 2020, even though he didn’t mention it, everyone knew there was an immediate motivator – win a championship without Bill Belichick as his head coach.
Don’t believe me? Check out this Howard Stern interview from a month later where he was asked if he could win without the hall of fame bound coach. In that interview his response to that question was: “I think it’s a pretty s**** argument actually that people would say that, because again, I can’t do his job, and he can’t do mine.”
And Belichick? When asked if Brady’s departure felt strange, in characteristic deadpan fashion, he stated “Well we’ve had a lot of great, great players over the course of that time. You could have the same conversation about all of them.”
Hmm…not really. Nine superbowl starts. Six wins. Four Superbowl MVP awards, and #1 all time in career touchdown passes. You can’t have that conversation about anyone but Brady.
All aside however, the question is: who is the winner in this gridiron breakup?
Time will tell.
As of this weekend, Belichick’s Patriots stand at 6-9 after being trounced by the Buffalo Bills – their former whipping boys with Brady at QB. And Brady’s Bucs? They sit at 10 wins and are playing great football going into the playoffs. One team in the playoffs, one team out. But anyone following this story knows that the eventual winner will be determined by one factor: a Superbowl win. If Brady wins a seventh ring, conversation over. He signed a two year contract, and at 43 years old, if it’s not now or next year, it likely won’t happen. But for now, let’s assume that he does win one more.
He solidifies his already crowned position as the GOAT (Greatest of all Time).
He shows that he didn’t need Belichick to win a Superbowl.
He settles the argument that Belichick and the Patriots needed him more than he needed them.
He wins.
Or does he?
What if Belichick coaches the Patriots with another quarterback to a Superbowl win two, three or five years from now? Do we look at things differently then?
Many have already crowned Brady as the winner of the NFL’s version of Lebron leaving Cleveland. With the Bucs ready to challenge for a championship, and the Patriots sitting well out of the playoff race, the answer seems clear. But here’s what I’ve learned about wins and losses: time always determines who really triumphs.
So here’s the resilience lesson – stop looking at people around you who seem to be “winning” more than you are. Stop looking at social media, or your next door neighbor, or that relative or friend who appears to have everything you don’t.
What seems like a loss to you now, may turn out to be a benefit later on. If you feel like everyone’s winning while you’re losing, just focus on your own goals and path. Just like Belichick only focuses on the team they are playing this Sunday, stay focused on you and where you want to go. Because while it may seem as though success belongs to everyone but you, it’s time that will determine who really triumphs.
The winner is the one who chooses consistency over comparison.
Perhaps Belichick’s remarks about Brady leaving seems cold to some, but at the end of the day he’s focused on the next step for the Patriots. He’s focused on his team, not watching Brady and the Bucs.
Any “Brady’s” that you need to stop watching?
