Ravens All-Pro Questions If Patriots’ Bill Belichick Is ‘Washed’

The Patriots made the playoffs once in the first three seasons after Tom Brady left, and multiple people around the NFL have questioned Bill Belichick’s legacy.

Brady and Belichick squashed any notion of beef between them, and there are those who praise Belichick for his ability to game plan and be a leader. But Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey stirred the pot when he talked about his alma mater Alabama and the state of the football program under Nick Saban.

The Crimson Tide struggled against lowly USF last Saturday after losing to Texas. Humphrey questioned if the game has past top coaches like Saban and Belichick.

“Is Belichick elite, or is Tom Brady elite?” Humphrey said on his “Punch Line” podcast Wednesday. “That’s the million-dollar question. It’s looking more like Brady. But it is what it is.”

The All-Pro corner has played three career games against the Patriots, and the Ravens won two of those matchups. Humphrey had a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown in 2019, and he got an interception last season, so that might paint his picture of his view of New England.

“I’m saying Tom Brady was there. They were together, though,” Humphrey said. “You can’t say it was one without the other. … I sound like a Belichick hater right now. I feel like I’m Asante Samuel right now because he’s a super Belichick hater. … If this year still goes down, is that three losing seasons or two? Same thing with Bama. Some people are getting washed.”

Samuel arguably has been the most vocal on the anti-Belichick and pro-Brady train, but even Humphrey felt the need to draw a line. He did praise Brenden Schooler for his highlight field goal block last Sunday, but Patriots fans likely will latch onto his questioning of Belichick as a head coach in the post-Brady era.