Tom Brady today called the question of whether he or Bill Belichick is more responsible for the Patriots’ success “a s--tty argument.” Shortly after that, Rex Ryan went on ESPN and engaged in that argument.
Ryan, who faced Brady and Belichick twice a year for eight years as head coach of the Jets and Bills, said he thinks Brady had more to do with the Patriots’ success than Belichick.
“It was definitely Tom Brady,” Ryan said. “If I’ve got to take one I’m taking Brady.”
Ryan said he would have won a trophy case full of Lombardi Trophies if he’d been coaching a quarterback as great as Brady. And although Ryan called Belichick “the best of all time,” he added that he doesn’t think Belichick would have done as well if he’d been stuck with a bad quarterback -- like, say, Geno Smith, whom Ryan coached in his last two years with the Jets.
“Let’s give him somebody else, let’s give him Geno Smith, let’s give him whoever, and let’s see how many Super Bowls he would have won. We saw the answer was zero in Cleveland,” Ryan said.
Brady will play without Belichick for the first time this season, and although Brady claims he is not concerned about his legacy, Brady may be motivated by a desire to prove he can win without Belichick.
