The debate over whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick had more influence on the Patriots’ success in the first two decades of the 21st century still rages on with the emergence of Shannon Sharpe.
Shannon Sharpe has apologized after downplaying the role star quarterback Tom Brady undoubtedly played in creating the New England Patriots dynasty.
Along with head coach Bill Belichick, Brady inspired the team to six Super Bowl victories from 2001 to 2019, when the Patriots dominated. Because of their achievements, debate has long raged as to who played the biggest role in the team’s success during this period.
As the Patriots suffered their fourth loss of the season to the New Orleans Saints to fall to 1-4 on the year, analyst Sharpe delved into a lengthy conversation about the two men’s roles. To him, the team’s late struggles prove that Brady has acted as an “eraser” when it comes to Belichick’s “mistakes.”
Speaking on ESPN’s “First Take,” the former Denver Broncos player went as far as to apologize to Brady for underestimating his contributions during the Patriots’ glorious era. He say:
“No, I don’t think he is just another coach, I think the success he has achieved with his team over the last two decades is something to be applauded and congratulated.
“I think what happened, and I can only say for myself, do I owe Brady an apology because I don’t think I gave him enough credit. I should have given him a lot of credit.” more credit, because of what Brady has allowed Coach Belichick to do, Brady is the biggest chewing gum in professional sports.
Sharpe was especially harsh in his assessment of legendary coach Belichick’s personnel mistakes. He continued: “Every mistake Coach Belichick made in those two decades, Brady could undo it.
“Would you take a poor receiver? Brady is going to make the mistake you made in the first, second or third quarter and erase it with Julian Edelman.”
Sharp added:
“A typical coach cannot achieve that level of success in two decades. But it goes to show you that it doesn’t matter how you defend or attack, if you don’t have a guy who’s 6’4, 200 pounds and more with one arm, you can whistle in wind.”
Brady would leave the Patriots in 2019 to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he would win another Super Bowl in 2020. Meanwhile, the Patriots had struggled to find success in previous years after losing star midfielder. many years ago. They went 25-25 over the past three seasons after Brady left, and Belichick has been unable to revive his team in the years since. To add to their misery, their struggles were evident after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in recent weeks.