Tom Brady and Bill Belichick weighed in on the Patriots: As the two towering figures of Patriots history, the voices of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will always carry significant weight when discussing their former team.
This made Belichick’s recent response to current New England head coach Jerod Mayo’s charge about his team being “soft” so notable. Belichick initially replied during his Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I’m kind of hurt for those guys because to call them soft — they’re not soft, they were the best team in the league last year against the run,” Belichick said of Mayo’s comments, citing the plethora of players from his previous roster that New England opted to retain in the offseason.
On Monday night, both Brady and Belichick joined Jim Gray for the “Let’s Go!” podcast (which Brady was previously a co-host of before handing it off to Belichick in 2024).
Each weighed in on Mayo’s comments.
“You know, look, I think when you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn’t always go over well,” said Belichick. “Now, every coach has their own style and maybe sometimes that can be effective and all, but ultimately I always felt like when a team played bad, that was my responsibility, too. We might’ve had bad playing, but we had bad coaching that led to bad playing. So I think it’s always best to kind of take a look at yourself and do what you can do to help the team. And then, you know, if you have constructive criticism as a coach, that’s your job.
“You know, last year the Patriots led the league in rushing defense yards per carry,” Belichick added, mirroring his talking point from the McAfee appearance. “Number one in the league. This year, they’re 26th or whatever it is. It’s the same players. I don’t think that those players on defense are soft, but they haven’t stopped the run very well this year.”
Brady was more measured in his take.
“I think that’s an interesting point too, Coach, because I think when we say something like that, Jim, and you say, ‘Are they soft?’ We think that that’s almost like a trait. And I think the thing I always learned from Coach Belichick was there’s actually statistics that support that. Toughness was about stopping the run and running the football and covering kicks. And if we did all three of those things on the teams that I was a part of, we considered ourself a physical football team.
“There were years where we couldn’t run it,” Brady continued. “You’re right, at the offense line, we weren’t moving people, we weren’t aggressive in our blocks. Maybe we weren’t decisive. So all those things played a part. But the reality is when you look at like the Lions, they’re running the ball well, they’re stopping the run. You look at the Chiefs, they’re running the ball well, they’re stopping the run. The teams that are tough, to me a statistical thing as well, just look at the teams that run the ball well and that stop the run. And I think that’s the answer that you’re looking for.”
In conclusion, Belichick clarified that the circumstances — commenting on the Patriots, specifically — were irrelevant.
“You know, I look at the Patriots yesterday, they couldn’t stop the run against Jacksonville, which is one of the worst running teams in the league,” he explained. “Their backs ran for 18 yards and they give up a 96-yard punt return. So those things aren’t good. You know, obviously I don’t care who you play for or what team you are, that’s not a good formula right there.”
Statistically, the Patriots have indeed not been this bad against the run since pre-Belichick.
According to X user Boston Sports Info, the Patriots have allowed at least 170 rushing yards in three straight games for the first time since 1993.
Trivia: Speaking of the 1993 Patriots, New England allowed a season-high 209 yards rushing in a Week 3 loss against the Seahawks that year. Who led Seattle in rushing that day?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Hint: A three-time Pro Bowler, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards four times (all with Seattle) from 1992-1995.
Scores and schedules:
Tonight, the Celtics begin the 2024-25 season at home against the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. Boston will raise its latest championship banner in a pregame ceremony.
The renaming of the North Washington Street Bridge: The City of Boston unveiled the official name change to the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge. Jaylen Brown was among those who spoke at the ceremony.
Former Patriot on the move: Ex-Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe is reportedly joining the Browns via the Chiefs’ practice squad.
On this day: In 1975, a little more than 30 minutes past midnight in the bottom of the 12th inning of a dramatic Game 6 of the World Series, Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk hit a deep drive to left field. The only question was whether the ball would drift foul.
“There it goes! A long drive, if it stays fair,” began television play-by-play commentator Dick Stockton. The ball eventually struck the left field foul pole, emphatically signaling a Boston win.
“Home run,” Stockton declared. He paused, letting the roar of the Fenway Park crowd play out — mixed with the visual scenes of fans celebrating as Fisk stoically sprinted around the bases — before adding, “We will have a seventh game in this 1975 World Series.”
The 7-6 Red Sox win remains one of the iconic games in the history of the Fall Classic.
Daily highlight: Kyler Murray was the difference for the Cardinals in the Monday night win over the Chargers, sprinting around the edge for a 44-yard touchdown run.
