New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a new title for quarterback Tom Brady. Speaking at the 2016 Salesforce World Tour event in Boston, Belichick pronounced Brady the “greatest quarterback of all time.”
Belichick has many times praised his favorite quarterback and said there isn’t another player with whom he’d rather work. He continued his comments saying he’d place Brady among those “special guys” he’s had the privilege to coach.
“He’s been just a tremendous leader and tremendous player for our organization,” Belichick said during his keynote speech.
According to ESPN, Belichick pointed out that his team was one of the only ones using the 3-4 defense but after the Patriots started having so many winning seasons many other teams began to give the defense a try making it harder for him to find players.
“We’ve had to find different ways to capitalize on the talent that’s available. Otherwise, we’re going to get like the fifth-, sixth-, seventh-best guy at whatever the position is. So we’ve tried to take more of our way in areas that are less populated,” the coach said. He added that it just comes down to having “great players” on his team to drive winning seasons.
Belichick also insisted that from the Kraft family in ownership to the front office, and all the way down to the players, the “hallmark” of the whole organization is being in sync and committed to a common goal. The coach then added that a love of the game drives them all.
“If you like football, and you like to come in and work on football, then the New England Patriots is a great place to be,” he said. “If you don’t, if it’s a job, if you’d rather be doing something else, honestly you’d be better off with another team.
“I think it starts there — a love of the game, the passion for the game, a passion to be part of a team, be part of a group, be part of a commitment to perform at a high level, and be unselfish and to give up some of your own personal goals and desires for the good of the team for the opportunity to be part of something special in a team environment. I think those are the things that help us.”
Brady will begin the 2016 season as the oldest non-kicker in the league at 39 years of age. But even at his age he is still at the top of his game and with a 102.2 passer rating last season he is almost six points higher than his career rating.
His contract has him playing through the 2019 football season, putting him into his early forties. Brady has said, perhaps half-jokingly, that he’d like to keep playing until he is 50.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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