Keegan Bradley defends Bill Belichick and asks The Patriots’ fans to have patience
Keegan Bradley is a huge fan of the New England Patriots, his hometown football team. The Pats are going through a rough patch, and many fans see their head coach and general manager, Bill Belichick, as the culprit. Bradley sees it differently.
Whether it's his own experience as a professional athlete or his appreciation for Belichick as a Patriots fan, the truth is that for Keegan Bradley, the team needs time to get back on track.
"I think this team is decent," he said in a recent interview for Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk podcast.
This was part of what Keegan Bradley had to say:
"I think it's brutal. [fans blasting Belichick] I listen to [the 98.5 The Sports Hub's show] Felger & Mazz every day and I can't believe the calls that come in on Belichick... I think this team is decent. I look at the team and I think, if they could just get one wide receiver, I think they're one of the best teams in the AFC."
Bill Belichick has been the head coach of the New England Patriots since 2000. Under his leadership, the team has enjoyed the greatest success in its history, including its only six Super Bowl victories and 18 of its 28 playoff appearances.
Keegan Bradley on the New England Patriots
The golfer also talked about what the New England Patriots mean to him from a sentimental standpoint, beyond the victories. He included Belichick's role in that.
Here's how he put it:
"I say this about the Patriots all the time: The Super Bowls are great but what they gave me over those years with my family, it's my happiest memories. I watched them win their first Super Bowl in my basement with my dad. And when we're high-fiving, it was just the best."
He added:
"I watched a couple with my dad, and then midway through the dynasty I went to two Super Bowls with my wife, who's from New England too. We went to the Butler interception and the 28-3, and then the last Super Bowl, I was holding my son. So my whole life, I base my memories off of Patriot moments. I would love to see Belichick, I would just love to see this team post-[Tom] Brady do well."
The New England Patriots, Keegan Bradley's favorite team, were founded in 1959 (as the Boston Patriots), and their first season was in 1960. Although they won their first division championship in 1963, they were a team that took a long time to get good results.
Their second division title came 15 years after their first (1978), while they won the conference for the first time in 1985. But in 2000, they drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, and history changed.
With Brady as quarterback and Bill Belichick as head coach, the New England Patriots won six editions of the Super Bowl between 2001 and 2018 (2001, 03, 04, 14, 16, 18).
In 2019, their great star ended his relationship with the Pats. From that moment until today, New England have marched with 26 wins and 27 losses.