Chris Simms isn’t buying the report that a “deteriorating” relationship with Josh McDaniels played a part in Tom Brady leaving the Patriots this offseason.
That said, Simms doesn’t seem to believe Brady and McDaniels were in stellar standing as the quarterback fled Foxboro for Tampa Bay.
NFL writer Gary Myers on Monday reported Brady had become “worn out” by McDaniels, who’s been a part of the Patriots’ coaching staff for 16 seasons dating back to 2001, the same year TB12 became New England’s starting quarterback. Brady, in an unprecedented move, took to Instagram to refute the rumor, calling it “nonsense.”
More NFL: Unpacking Brady’s Fiery Response To McDaniels Rift Report
Simms, who served as a Patriots coaching assistant in 2012, offered his take on the matter Tuesday morning on NBC Sports.
” … I don’t think these relationships are bad. I don’t know if ‘deteriorating’ is the right way to say it, either,” Simms said. ” … I think the big thing to me is, I don’t think there’s like an issue here where Tom’s sitting there going, ‘I’m never gonna talk to Josh McDaniels again’ and McDaniels is like, ‘I’m sick of Brady. I don’t want to deal with him anymore.’ No. But do I think the relationship was exhausted a little bit? Yeah, I do. I had heard inklings of that over the past two years up there in New England whether it was Brady and Belichick or — not necessarily that I’d heard McDaniels and Brady or anything along those lines, but McDaniels and Belichick are very similar people as far as the way they approach the job on a daily basis.
” … I think he was worn out by everything in New England. New England’s brutal. It is brutal, and I think Tom Brady got to a point in his career where he’s going, ‘I got enough pelts on the horse’ to where he doesn’t want to be micromanaged and looked after for every little thing he does in the world. In New England, they just don’t give a damn. They don’t care if you’re Tom Brady and you won 10 Super Bowls or if you’re Jarrett Stidham and you haven’t done crap yet. They really hold your feet to the fire on a daily basis and I think that’s where a lot of this talk comes from.”
Despite Brady’s remarks, Myers stood by his report Tuesday during a radio appearance, claiming he’s received several texts from colleagues insisting he was correct. McDaniels has yet to publicly address the matter, but we imagine he’ll have nothing but positive things to say about the six-time Super Bowl champion when the topic is broached.
So yeah, Myers very well could be correct, but we’ll likely never know for sure.
