"The greatest player, the greatest career": Tom Brady, Bill Belichick reunite on quarterback's podcast
BOSTON – Tom Brady hosted his first "Let's Go!" podcast episode since announcing his retirement, and this one featured a noteworthy guest – Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Brady's co-host Jim Gray asked the future Hall of Fame quarterback what Belichick did to bring the best out of him during their decades together in New England.
"It's more what did he not do to bring out the best in me?" Brady said, appearing to get choked up. "I couldn't imagine a better teacher."
Throughout the interview, the pair heaped praise on one another.
"The greatest player, the greatest career. A great, great person. It was such an opportunity and an honor for me to coach Tom," Belichick said. "I guess it's got to end at some point. It's the greatest one ever. Congratulations, Tom."
Brady said that in his eyes, people were often trying to pull the pair apart by arguing who was more responsible for the Patriots' six Super Bowl titles.
"From my standpoint, I think it's always such a stupid conversation to say, 'Brady vs. Belichick' because, in my mind, that's not what a partnership is about. Coach couldn't play quarterback and I couldn't coach," Brady said. "In my view, people were always trying to pull us apart. I don't think we ever felt like that with each other. We never were trying to pull each other apart. We actually were always trying to go in the same direction."
Belichick said he always was impressed that Brady "had the bullseye on his back every week, and every week he came through and delivered."
Gray asked Belichick about why he felt it was important to treat Brady like any other player on the roster, despite his superstardom.
"There were a couple meetings where I would say something to Tom after the meeting, 'Hey I didn't really think that was that bad, but I just wanted to include you in there with everybody else,'" Belichick recalled. "And Tom would say 'Coach you have to. If you don't yell at me, then what am I going to do with all the rest of my teammates? I've got to be in there will al the rest of them and say hey he's yelling at all of us and we've all got to do better. But if you leave me out it, then I don't really have a platform to work from. So yeah, go ahead and rip my a— too.'"
Brady told Belichick during the conversation that "There is no one I'd rather be associated with."
