'Tom Brady was the absolute difference'
Rex Ryan spent Monday morning partaking in one of his favorite pastimes: Ripping Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
There’s been no shortage of opportunities for Ryan to torch New England this season, as the Patriots enter Week 13 with the third-worst win percentage in the NFL. The former New York Jets head coach kept the train moving the day after New England’s horrific road loss to the New York Giants when he chastised Belichick for clouding the Patriots’ quarterback situation with uncertainty, even though Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both are lousy options.
Ryan didn’t stop there with the Belichick criticism, though. The loud-mouthed ESPN analyst also made his stance on a popular NFL debate abundantly clear.
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“Tom Brady was the only reason you won anyway, all right?” Ryan said on “Get Up,” as transcribed by CBS News. “I’m just telling you the difference. Tom Brady was the absolute difference. I said from jump, they would never win again, I said they would never win again when that guy trotted down to Tampa.”
Ryan proceeded to salute Belichick as “the greatest in history” and stressed he would never dispute that billing. However, Ryan argued you’d have to be “absolutely crazy” to claim Brady wasn’t the driving force of the Patriots’ dynastic run.
Perhaps Belichick will have an opportunity to change Ryan’s opinion a bit in the years to come. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer finishing his coaching career outside of New England feels like a very real possibility.