Tom Brady, Bill Belichick breakup has them both unravelling, NFL analyst claims
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have been broken up for two and a half seasons. Through seven games in 2022, both are 3-4. Most would agree that the writing has been on the wall for a while now in New England, but Tampa Bay is something new. Regardless, according to one NFL analyst, it is clear the that the two needed each other all along.
Speaking on the Herd with Colin Cowherd, here's how NFL analyst Colin Cowherd put it:
Colin Cowherd: [00:00:10] "When Tom was in New England, it was 'do your job. You don't have power. We're going to bark at you. Sacrifice for the team.' He had a lot of success. Structure, structure, structure. He goes to Tampa [and] gets all the power. The longer he's in Tampa. The uglier it gets."
"[The Buccaneers] look like they're approaching an abyss. ... They are threatening to disintegrate before our very eyes and send Tom Brady unceremoniously into retirement."
—@stephenasmith https://t.co/A2ZcwqLWAM
He went on, claiming that the more power the quarterback has, the worse the team gets:
"It's a coaching issue [and] a personal life issue. The team's a mess and sometimes all of us in life want power and we want to do it our way. Structure and sacrifice is hard. I'm watching this thing and in Tampa and the more leverage and power and say [that] Tom has, the uglier it gets every week. That's what I see. They're just unraveling."
I’m so glad Drew Brees knew when it was time to retire. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are embarrassing themselves.
Tom Brady's struggles in 2022
The win-loss hasn't been pretty, but a look at his statsheet says the quarterback hasn't been as off as many 3-4 teams can be at quarterback. This season, Brady has had only one game in which he's thrown for zero touchdowns. He's thrown just one pick this season overall.
Aside from Week 7, Brady has thrown for a touchdown in every game and threw for three in Week 4. He's also had three games in which he's thrown for at least 290 yards. The problem for the quarterback has been his ability to perform at a high level at the most critical times.
Aside from Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Brady has lost two games by two points (Steelers and Packers). Had he found a way to make potentially just one more throw at the right time, the team would be 4-3 and the sentiment around the team would be different for many. After Sunday's loss, the team won't have to wait long as they are set to play the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit the Herd with Colin Cowherd and H/T Sportskeeda.