Tom Brady Explains How Bill Belichick Taught Him To Read Defenses In His Early Years
With Bill Belichick and Tom Brady‘s names continually popping up in NFL media, it feels like an appropriate time to revisit a recent instant of Brady praising Belichick. Back in September, the GOAT quarterback went into detail about how Belichick taught him how to read defenses early on in his career with the Patriots.
Brady made these revelations while appearing as a guest on The Herd.
“When I got to the Patriots, I sat behind Drew (Bledsoe), who was a franchise quarterback, right?” Brady said.
“In my second year, it’s training camp, and we had a very good quarterbacks coach named Dick Rabine, and God rest his soul, unfortunately, he passed away in training camp … it was a very difficult loss for our team, and the way that we found a way to continue on that season is Bill Belichick became more of a quarterback coach than we ever imagined him being.”
“(Belichick) decided to come in every week and talk to the quarterbacks about coverage,” Brady continued. “That’s how I developed and learned … So I learned from an offensive standpoint, watching Drew and having very good offensive coaches. Then I had a defensive coach, the best one of all time, teach me how to read defenses.”
From 2000 to 2019, Brady and Belichick forged one of the NFL’s most dominant partnerships, capturing six Super Bowl titles and nine conference championships. Brady stepped in after Bledsoe’s injury in 2001 and ignited a dynasty that included iconic comebacks like Super Bowl LI’s 28-3 rally. Belichick’s defensive mastery and innovative schemes complemented Brady’s precision, amassing 89,214 passing yards and 649 touchdowns over their tenure.
As the Patriots, now in a new era, seek to clinch their first division title without the Brady-Belichick duo since 1997, the Pats’ dynasty era remains a blueprint for sustained excellence, blending grit, strategy, and unyielding preparation.