Former All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy has successfully transitioned into a career in media, and you'll likely see him making the rounds in the next few days after some viral comments made Monday.
In an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams," McCoy pushed back on the widely accepted narrative that Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in NFL history and a football genius:
It is true that Belichick owes a great deal of his success -- 295 career wins, six Super Bowl titles -- to having struck gold in drafting Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Belichick was 36-44 in five seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the 1990s, guiding the franchise to just one playoff appearance. In parts of three seasons since Brady left New England, the Patriots are 22-20, a solid mark, but certainly not spectacular. The Patriots did reach the postseason with rookie quarterback Mac Jones in 2021, but were throttled 47-17 by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
At the same time, any team could have drafted Brady and tried to develop him, and as Kay Adams put it, Belichick and company deserve credit for actually doing so. There's also something to be said for the fact that the Patriots had tremendous defensive units during the first three Super Bowl titles that the duo won together, and they didn't ask Brady to do as much as, say, the Indianapolis Colts did with Peyton Manning during the same period.
We can talk about what Belichick has been pre and post Brady, but the three-time NFL MVP suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 season. The Patriots -- a year after going 16-0 -- still managed to finish 11-5, with Belichick getting the most out of Matt Cassel, a largely average to below average NFL starting quarterback.
Most would agree that Aaron Rodgers is more physically gifted than Brady, but he's won just one Super Bowl, and hasn't been back to the biggest stage in the sport since. Brady unquestionably deserves credit for leading the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances. But so does Belichick, because perhaps no other coach would have been able to build a culture that got as much out of Brady's peak.
Brady winning a Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was perhaps the most impressive thing he's ever done, squashing any idea that he was just a product of New England once and for all.
It's entirely possible that Belichick, 70, won't win another championship. But there's still a part of you that thinks even if Brady was destined to be great, he would probably have a few less rings if he hadn't crossed paths with Belichick.
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