Patriots

Danny Amendola explained why Tom Brady is the ‘Patriot Way,’ not Bill Belichick

"Tom Brady is the 'Patriot Way,' and that's the reason why he’s in the Super Bowl and the Patriots aren't."

By Hayden Bird

February 1, 2021

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When it comes to the Bill Belichick vs. Tom Brady debate, there is no question which side former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola is on.

Speaking during a segment on FS1’s “First Things First,” Amendola — who helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls during his five seasons with New England — stressed the importance of players over coaches in the ongoing argument.

“When you see the ‘Patriot Way’ in the dictionary, it’s going to have Tom Brady’s picture next to it,” declared Amendola. “None of those coaches threw any passes, none of those coaches caught any passes, none of those coaches made any tackles. They got guys in the right position because they watched a lot of film and they spent all their time at the facility. But Tom Brady is the ‘Patriot Way,’ and that’s the reason why he’s in the Super Bowl and the Patriots aren’t.”

“When you see the ‘Patriot Way’ in the dictionary, it’s got Tom Brady’s picture next to it. None of those coaches caught any passes. … Tom Brady is the ‘Patriot Way.’ That’s why he’s in the Super Bowl & the Patriots aren’t.” — @DannyAmendola pic.twitter.com/XtVd0ntJPc

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 1, 2021

Of course, the debate between Belichick and Brady isn’t necessarily one in which the two parties have differing opinions.

As WEEI’s Ryan Hannable pointed out, Belichick has never tried to claim more credit for the team’s success. He explained this in 2019 after reaching his 300th win as an NFL head coach.

“It’s a great privilege to coach this team and to coach the guys that I’ve coached throughout my career,” said Belichick. “Fortunately, I didn’t play in any of those games. That’s a good thing for us, but I’ve had a lot of good players, a lot of great players and they’re the ones that win the games. I’ve had a lot of great assistant coaches on my staff through the wins at Cleveland and certainly here. I was a part of those but, honestly, players win games in this league and I’ve been fortunate that I’ve coached a lot of great ones.”