Colin Cowherd couldn't help but shake his head Thursday, two days after Tom Brady announced his retirement following a remarkable 22-year NFL career.
Because while there was an outpouring of respect shown for Brady, the greatest quarterback in league history, there also was some debate as to whether he intentionally snubbed the Patriots by not mentioning New England in his retirement Instagram post -- a debate that intensified when Bill Belichick waited until Wednesday to release a statement.
"I'm not going to try to validate Belichick or Brady or (Robert) Kraft -- they're all A-plus-plus-plus," Cowherd said Thursday on FS1. "And can we just come to terms with this: that Belichick and Brady really matter to each other. And in the end, they liked working together.
"You don't go with anybody for 20 years -- Shaq (O'Neal) and Kobe (Bryant) at some point didn't like each other, so much so they broke up a dynasty. The Lakers were the best franchise, they had the best team, they had the best coach, and they drove each other so nuts they broke up. Like, that's not getting along. If you can go 20 years with somebody, I don't care of it's a marriage or a football coach, you get along fine."
A lot has been made of Brady's 2020 departure from New England. Understandably so, seeing as the QB won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, before then adding another ring to his collection during his two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Cowherd isn't interested in arguing who was more influential in the Patriots' dynasty. The reality is each pulled his weight over the course of two decades.
"And let's be honest about Brady and Belichick here: Tom early in his career would not have been as successful as he was without Belichick," Cowherd said. "And then later in Tom's career, Belichick would not have been as successful as he was without Brady."
Basically, as Cowherd explained, the Patriots were a defensive-minded team in the early 2000s, with Brady assuming the role of game manager. Their identity then changed over time, largely due to the NFL becoming more pass-oriented, and Brady shouldered a bigger load as a result.
Perhaps, then, we really should appreciate New England's most recent Super Bowl win, which capped the 2018 season. That postseason run required both Brady and Belichick to work their magic.
"The 2018 season was a perfect balance, and it really shows and illustrates what the relationship was," Cowherd said. " ... The greatest example of a season that proved how valuable each was is 2018 playoffs."
"In a two-game stretch, you saw the greatness of Brady when Belichick couldn't stop (Patrick) Mahomes (in the AFC Championship Game), and two weeks later, you saw the brilliance of Belichick when Tom couldn't get anything going (in Super Bowl LIII)," he added. "That sums it up. Early, Bill gets credit. Late, Brady gets credit. And 2018 -- the big Super Bowl, the Chiefs, the Rams -- they split it up. Can we just stop worrying about who thanks who and who goes to Instagram. Boston fans, get over it.
"He thanked you already. And Belichick haters, he's the best coach in league history. We all good with that now? Can the snowflakes stop? Can the outrage stop? Are we all good with it now?"
So, Cowherd's message in a nutshell: Stop complaining, and appreciate what we just witnessed.
