Devin McCourty seems to think the apparent shot Danny Amendola made at Bill Belichick actually wasn't about the New England Patriots head coach at all.
Rather, it was about propping up Tom Brady.
Amendola, a close friend and former teammate of the legendary quarterback, raised eyebrows earlier in the week when he declared the "Patriot Way" is all about Brady.
“When you see the ‘Patriot Way’ in the dictionary, it’s got Tom Brady’s picture next to it,” Amendola said. “None of those coaches threw any passes. None of those coaches caught any passes. None of those coaches made any tackles. They got guys in the right position because they watch a lot of film and they spend all their time at the facility.
“But Tom Brady is the ‘Patriot Way,’ and that’s the reason why Tom Brady’s in the Super Bowl right now and the Patriots aren’t.”
Amendola was roundly criticized for the take from pundits and former Patriots alike, and he's since walked back his remarks.
McCourty, a longtime Patriots captain, thinks Amendola simply misspoke.
“I think Dola is trying to let people know Tom’s greatness. I don’t think that came out the correct way at all," McCourty said Friday on ESPN's "Get Up!" as transcribed by WEEI.com. "What he said about the coaches is true, that’s what coaching is — it’s watching film and putting guys in the right position and when I think about the Patriot Way, I think about a team. ...
“Whether you want to call Tom the leader of the Patriot Way, because I think a lot does trickle down from him, but I think it was a little bit of a slap in the face to all of the other guys that are not Tom Brady,” McCourty also said.
"I don’t think he meant it that way, I think he really wanted to push Tom Brady’s greatness and what Tom Brady is because everyone puts us in this Brady vs. Belichick kind of arena and I think Dola was trying to tell people, like Tom is a great player. For me, I don’t think you have to defend that. Turn on the film, turn on this year. If you thought Tom Brady was a system quarterback, you probably need to go dive in the snow if you’re in the Northeast right now, head first, because he’s shown every bit of him. He can go win anywhere and really at any moment. The guy is 43 years old and is playing in another Super Bowl — his 10th. His greatness is definitely out there."
Even if he did misspeak, Amendola certainly had to have known the firestorm that was coming from the remarks given how polarizing of a topic it is.
Nevertheless, this all probably will be in the rear-view mirror relatively soon.
