Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been together with the New England Patriots since 2000.
Of course they’re going to have some disagreements.
That’s how former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, now an NFL analyst for CBS, feels about the Brady-Belichick dynamic amid rumors this offseason that tension exists between New England’s legendary QB-coach tandem.
“I just think when you’re together for 15-20 years, whatever it is, I think invariably when you’ve had the success that they have had, people have to come up with stuff,” Romo recently said on NFL Network. “I also think that I’ve been upset with my coaches before and then you come back and you’re fine, and then you get upset with them and then you come back and you’re fine. It’s part of just sports.
“When you’re winning at that level, I think that there’s a lot of reasons that you do. Tom Brady being there is a big, big reason, obviously. Bill Belichick being there, it’s a big, big reason. I don’t really think that there’s a whole lot to it. I think they probably squabble just like any married couple for 20 years and then they also love each other.”
It’s been a strange offseason for the Patriots, who are coming off a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. There were rumors last season of tension in Foxboro, and speculation of such has grown ever since, especially with Brady skipping organized team activities.
But perhaps we’re putting too much stock into those rumblings. Is a rift between Brady and Belichick notable? Of course. It’s also a reasonable byproduct of spending nearly two decades together in a pressure-packed environment.
Romo, for one, doesn’t think Brady and Belichick not seeing eye to eye all of the time as a major issue. In fact, he finds it hard to imagine Brady, who turns 41 in August, playing anywhere else before retiring.
“At this point, probably not,” Romo said. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask Tom. But I think he’s probably to the point where he’s taking it year-by-year and make those decisions as they come up. My rough guess is he’s going to finish his career in New England, no question.”
Even the happiest of marriages include bumps in the road. Why would Brady and Belichick — winners of five Super Bowls together — be any different?
