PHOENIX — Tom Brady could go down as the greatest quarterback of all time, but Bill Belichick still seems to view him as the New England Patriots’ 2000 sixth-round draft pick.
Belichick was asked to compare Brady to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during a Super Bowl XLIX joint news conference with Pete Carroll. Belichick chose not to touch on Wilson, whom he only knows from watching film, but his assessment of Brady seemed understated, given all that the Patriots quarterback has accomplished in 15 seasons.
“The thing I would say about Tom is, Tom didn’t come into the league as the first pick in the draft or the highest quarterback that was rated out of college or anything like that, but he worked extremely hard, he’s very smart,” Belichick said. “He does a great job with his preparation, he’s improved his weaknesses, he’s been able to build on his strengths, and he has a great understanding of the football game, and he can accurately throw the ball.
“So, those are his strengths. I wouldn’t say they were all in place in 2000. I think each year that they’ve gotten better, and I’d say his success as a quarterback is in large part due to his hard work, his diligence and his intelligence to be able to take things that he didn’t do well and be able to improve on them to a very high level so that now his game is pretty strong across the board.”
Belichick is correct: Brady can accurately throw a ball, and he’s “pretty strong” across the board.
Belichick could have given his normal glowing review of Brady, but he knows better than to pump up the quarterback’s ego when he’s best playing with a chip on his shoulder.
Thumbnail photo via Charles Krupa/Associated Press
