Max Kellerman wants to settle the Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick debate once and for all.
As the Patriots’ dynasty continues, the football world keeps arguing over which figure has been more important to New England’s success: the quarterback or the head coach? In hopes of receiving even a semblance of an answer to this question, Kellerman would like to see the Patriots strike a deal that would ship Brady out of town in exchange for another seasoned veteran.
“It’s always been, ‘Is it more Brady or Belichick?’ I got a solution to figure it out,” Kellerman said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “There have been some rumors that wouldn’t the Los Angeles Chargers be a good place for Tom Brady? Philip Rivers has never gotten over the hump, right? Well, there’s no better experiment to do because their cupboard is bare at backup quarterback in New England, but if Brady went to Los Angeles, Philip Rivers would be available. Let’s see if it’s Brady or Belichick. Send Tom Brady to Los Angeles and we’ll find out who does better, Brady on a loaded team that somehow can’t get it done or Philip Rivers with Belichick. My money is on Philip Rivers with Belichick. Let’s see what happens.”
Given Rivers’ expiring contract and LA’s struggles with consistency this season, the Chargers actually might be open to the idea of bringing on Brady for the second half of the season. But this bizarre hypothetical obviously makes zero sense for the Patriots, who improved to 8-0 on Sunday with a 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. Even if Rivers currently is on par with Brady purely from a talent perspective, it would be an immense burden for Belichick, Josh McDaniels and Co. to get a new signal-caller up to speed with the system. Brady knows the offense inside and out, and his mastery of New England’s core concepts has helped mask the team’s offensive struggles this season.
So yeah, Kellerman probably shouldn’t hold his breath when it comes to the possibility of Brady rocking a powder-blue uniform this season. But Brady’s situation for the 2020 campaign remains up in the air, and the “First Take” co-host believes there are two teams that would be good fits for the six-time Super Bowl champion.
