WS Chronicle

I waited a few weeks to write this article because I did not want to be a prisoner of the moment, so to speak. After some careful reflection and some research, the partnership between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick might be the best in the history of not only football, but quite possibly all of sports.

It pains me to admit that, because as a fan, I do not enjoy seeing the same team winning all the time. Now, my attitude would possibly change if it were my team winning all the time, but since that will never happen, I have to stick with reality.

The Brady and Belichick combination has won a total of six Super Bowls and have been to a total of nine overall. That is a staggering number of appearances and victories, more than any other player or coach.

As I sat and thought about the great player/coach combinations in the history of sports, a few great ones came to mind. Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, Joe Torre and Derek Jeter, Chuck Knoll and Terry Bradshaw, Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, Tim Duncan and Greg Popovich, and Pat Riley and Magic Johnson all dominated their respective sports for an extended period of time, winning multiple championships along the way.

While all the above-mentioned combinations were great, none of them has sustained greatness like Brady and Belichick have. Since taking over as the starter for the Patriots back in 2001, Brady has routinely kept New England in the Super Bowl hunt every year. That is nearly two decades of dominating the NFL.

Brady and Belichick are still going just as strong as they were when the duo got together in the early part of the 2000s. And to think they are not done yet must be scary for the rest of the league. Brady has stated multiple times that he wished to play until the age of 45. That means defenses have to deal with him for another three years.

The most intriguing thing about the duo is that they are arguably the best at their craft in the history of the NFL. I think this is what separates Brady and Belichick from all other coach/player combos. 

In a league that is tailor-made for parity, New England has bucked the system and has remained relevant for so long. The only constant pieces in the Patriots dynasty have been Brady and Belichick.

Brady has been able to win regardless of the weapons, or lack thereof, he has on offense, which speaks to how great he really is. Belichick has one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of the game. It seems no matter how good the opposing offense is, he will find a scheme to stop it, no matter who is playing on defense.

As a fan of the sport, you have to give them the proper credit they deserve. We will probably never see anything close to this ever again, especially in the sport of football.