NFL

Crazy how the HC with the most Superbowl trophies has had a reputation fall off so hard.

The bad Browns tenure I can chalk up to the Browns just being a bad organization. The Jets incident was more funny than anything else. But then the cheating scandals kept coming and putting asterisks on those wins. The question of whether Brady or Bellichek was more important loomed over the franchise. Matt Cassell had a decent year in 2008 that suggested it might be Bellichek, but the question was pretty solidly answered with "Brady" when he went on to win another one with Tampa and have a couple of good years there while Bellichek floundered without him and was eventually let go.

He was a terrible GM. So many bad contracts and bad draft picks. Brady's willingness to play for less could only go so far to fix that. Despite going under .500 in 3 of his last 4 seasons he left the cupboards bare.

His coaching tree is almost a meme for his bad it is. Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, Jim Schwartz, Joe Judge, and more have been anywhere from some of the worst coaches in the league to maybe mediocre at best.

There are a couple of guys with potential still. Flores really got screwed by the Dolphins and seems to be on a path to getting another shot, but how much credit does Bellichek deserve? Do Tomlin and O'Connell get credit (although I suppose you could argue O'Connell should be part of Bellichek's tree from his time as a backup QB?). Daboll... Idk what's going on in New York but I wouldn't be shocked if they make a change there within the next couple of years. Mayo is just getting his first shot here so maybe there is hope for him. Bill O'Brien I thought was a good coach and terrible GM for the Texans.

And now here he is trying to absolve himself of culpability for the terrible team he left behind in New England. He should have retired when Brady left- could've rode off into the sunset as a hero and no one would've cared if he left behind a roster full of holes in the 2020 covid season.