How Tom Brady Reacted To Patriots’ Latest Blowout Loss

The New England Patriots lost by 30 or more points just once in Tom Brady’s 20 seasons with the franchise. One time: the famed 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills days after the team cut Lawyer Milloy.

How did it feel, then, for Brady to watch from afar as his former club was clobbered by 35 points last week, then again by 34 this past Sunday?

The retired quarterback offered his take on the back-to-back bludgeonings and how head coach Bil Belichick must be dealing with them in the latest episode of his “Let’s Go!” podcast.

“I think the results are different from what they’ve been, but I know that he’s still got the same work ethic, he’s got the same coaching style,” Brady said. “I think the thing that I think as I watch not only the Patriots, but a lot of other things, football’s a hard sport. You know, it was very different when I was in there because I could control a lot of the outcome. When I’m sitting here watching from afar I realize, God, there’s a lot of variables, there’s a lot of things that need to go right in order to have team success.

“And I was a part of a lot of those teams, and I didn’t take any of those things for granted. I needed a great defense. I needed a great kicker. Obviously, I needed a great coach. I needed great receivers and a great O-line. If I was gonna be successful as a player, I needed all those things. And I was fortunate to have a lot of those things over a long period of time. So, the teams that lose, they’re putting a lot into it. The teams that win, they’re putting a lot into it. It’s a relentless sport and nothing is given to you. It’s all hard. Losing is hard, winning is hard. To be in it year in and year out is hard. To lose and have a horrible season is very hard.”

That’s been part of the problem, though. When the Patriots had the greatest QB of all time behind center, they could get by with less talent at other positions. Mac Jones needs a stronger supporting cast to succeed. He doesn’t have it, and as a result, the Patriots’ offense is in free fall, with zero touchdowns in its last 10 quarters.

New England’s recent nosedive cranked up the heat on Belichick, who has a losing record in the post-Brady era and zero playoff wins in the last four seasons. Brady was asked whether he believes Belichick will have the same “demeanor and approach” this week coming off the two most lopsided defeats of his career.

“Absolutely,” Brady replied. “I think that he’s got a very consistent approach that he’s always taken and, you know, it’s the right approach. It’s try to prepare the players, give ’em the best opportunity to succeed. You know, you get out there on the field in the end, the coaches, once the play is called in the players gotta go do it. And it takes a great coaching staff to win. It takes great players to win. It takes great front office support to win. It’s an organizational win. It’s an organizational loss.

“To ascribe a win or loss to one player — and they did that for me a lot with winning and I always say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about us.’ And when you lose, as a leader, when you lose you take the blame and you give the credit when you win. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport.”

The Patriots will look to avoid falling to 1-5 on the season when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.