Rodney Harrison has no time for one of football’s most popular debates.
Phase 2 of the Patriots’ dynasty prompted football fans and media members alike to argue whether Bill Belichick or Tom Brady deserves the bulk of the credit for New England’s unprecedented run of success. The debate resurged in a major way upon Brady leaving the Patriots, as some think the coming seasons could provide some semblance of an answer.
Harrison, however, believes it’s a moot debate. Not only does the former safety think Belichick and Brady brought the best out of each other. He also believes the debate disregards the other key members of championship-winning teams in Foxboro.
“I think it’s stupid because no matter how good those guys were together, guess what? They weren’t very good without Tedy Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest,” Harrison said in an interview with Mike Tirico for NBC Sports. “To me, and I’ve said this before, I just think it’s such an injustice to all the other great players that have come in and really made major contributions to all those championships. It’s not just Brady, it’s not just Belichick. Those two were a very integral part. Without Belichick, we wouldn’t have won those Super Bowls. Without Tom, we wouldn’t have been able to win those Super Bowls. So, to me, it’s just a little unfair to keep comparing these guys. I don’t think either one is as good without the other.”
While Harrison’s rationale makes plenty of sense (and probably is correct), it won’t stop football fans from continuing to jabber about this debate until they’re blue in the face.
