Watching Tom Brady play quarterback for the New England Patriots, one might presume that everything was always good between him and his longtime head coach, Bill Belichick.
While they may have had their differences at times, Brady, who won six Super Bowl championships under Belichick’s leadership, understood what his coach wanted from him. Even now in his post-NFL career, Brady still remembers those moments.
What Tom Brady Thought Of Former HC Bill Belichick
Brady recently sat down for a conversation on “Spittin’ Chiclets,” a hockey-themed podcast from Barstool Sports.
During the discussion, Brady talked about what made Belichick such a unique coach.
“He’s the best coach to ever coach in the NFL,” Brady, who is now part of the ownership group for the Las Vegas Raiders and a Fox Sports NFL analyst, said. “One of the greatest motivators. There are so many things that are just uncanny about his coaching style.
“He had such high expectations for us, and he never let off the gas,” Brady said. “It didn’t matter if it was March. March was really important because March led to April, and April was important because it led to May, and so forth. All the way up to the start of the season, all the way up to the final games of the season to prepare us for the playoffs.”
.@TomBrady talks about what Bill Belichick was like as a head coach @spittinchiclets pic.twitter.com/JmoJyhoZL7
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 13, 2026
Brady continued: “And if we’re fortunate enough to make it to the last game, we were so prepared because every day was important. There was never a day where, you know you could go in there and underperform on a practice and him not call you out.
“And that’s hard, you know, hard to live up to that standard every day,” he said. “But when you look back, we all appreciate the coaches that got the best out of us.”
Before Belichick arrived in New England, where he coached under owner Robert Kraft, he spent five seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995. During that span, Belichick had just one winning season. Over his 24 years with the Patriots, he won six Super Bowls along with multiple AFC championships.
Belichick had only four losing seasons with New England, though three of those came in his final four years with the team. The “Patriot Way” became widely known across the NFL, thanks to Belichick’s demanding coaching style, which Brady referenced during the interview.
Brady clearly learned a great deal while playing under Belichick. Now, he likely hopes to pass those lessons along within the Raiders organization as the team searches for a new head coach following Pete Carroll’s dismissal after a difficult 2025 NFL season.
As for Belichick, he remains in the coaching ranks but has transitioned to college football at North Carolina. He is expected to pass along those same lessons to his young Tar Heels as he pursues another championship.
This season’s Patriots team, under head coach Mike Vrabel, has advanced to the AFC Divisional Round, where it will host the Houston Texans on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Drake Maye has taken over quarterback duties in New England.
Maye has had an outstanding season. According to the PFSN NFL QB Impact Metric, which measure data through the regular season, Maye finished with an impact score of 91.1 and earned an A- grade. Only San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy ranked higher than Maye in the PFSN metrics.
