Super Bowl LV has added extra fuel to one of football's most popular debates: Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick.
Brady is less than a week away from appearing in his 10th career Super Bowl. The previous nine trips, of course, were with the New England Patriots, who went 7-9 and missed the playoffs in their first season after TB12 joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The difference in directions between Brady and the Patriots has led many to believe it was the star quarterback, not his former head coach, who was more responsible for New England's unprecedented run of success.
Former Patriots executive Scott Pioli has no time for that take, or the debate as a whole.
"My answer to that is I think that the whole question, people questioning who was more responsible, or people choosing to say one or another, it’s being incredibly disrespectful to everyone involved," Pioli told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. "Because they did it together, and it’s not about one or the other. To me, this whole thing, the whole topic, is everything that’s wrong with our country. People think they need to divide to feel better about themselves.
"And why in life does this have to be reduced down to the disrespectful place of one or the other? Everything about that group was about team, unity, the collective greatness. Just like when I was there, people on the outside wanted to pull it apart. And they’re still doing that, just in a different way."
Former Patriot Ty Law's stance on the matter mirrors Pioli's. The Hall of Fame cornerback doesn't believe Brady's success will motivate Belichick, and he's sure the longtime New England head coach will be supporting Brady on Sunday night.
Brady also has had nothing but positive things to say about Belichick and the Patriots throughout the playoffs, further suggesting there might not be as much bad blood here as fans think.
