Asante Samuel Has a Strong Opinion on Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Debate

One of the biggest topics of discussion heading into this eventful offseason for the New England Patriots has centered around the combined, and now separated legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Tuesday’s mega-trade that sent Rob Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick from the Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer

Many have debated, does Brady need Belichick more, or is it the other way around? Former Patriots CB Asante Samuel isn’t confused. He has a clear opinion on the subject.

I think Bill Belichick needed Tom to be successful. Do you think Tom needs Bill??? My answer is Nooo. Talk to me

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— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) April 22, 2020

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The Debate Will Never End, But 2020 Will Be Interesting

While we’ll never be able to definitively say Brady meant more to the Patriots dynasty than Belichick or vice versa, the 2020 season will provide some fodder for fans and media who carry this debate into the new decade.

Many believe the Brady-Patriots split had a lot to do with both the former and Belichick wanting to prove they could be successful without the other. While the Patriots’ and Bucs’ 2020 finish won’t provide an apples-to-apples comparison, if New England has a better season than Tampa, it won’t take long for fans to start with the “Brady should’ve stayed” talk.

If the Bucs look better than the Patriots, we’ll see a ton of Belichick memes and gifs implying he’s missing his franchise QB and unable to win without him. None of them will truly prove a point, but it won’t stop the authors of this sort of narrative.

Needless to say, recent social media posts in conjunction with Brady’s defection and Gronkowski’s insistence on playing for another organization has done a lot to establish a Brady-vs-Belichick rivalry.

With Brady turning 43 before the season starts, we won’t have a long time to watch this thing play out, but the seeds for some memorable stuff have been planted. The two teams don’t play each other in 2020, but perhaps we’ll see them meet in the Super Bowl or the 2021 regular season.

Who is Asante Samuel?

For relatively new football fans, Samuel retired after the 2013 season, but when he played (2003-13) he was one of the game’s top cornerbacks. Samuel began his career with the Patriots. He was drafted in the fourth round out of Central Florida and over the first three years of his career, Samuel built himself into a star.

By his fourth season in the league, Samuel had led the league in interceptions with 10 and passes defended with 24. In his last season with the team, 2007, the Patriots slapped the franchise tag on Samuel, much as they did with Joe Thuney this season

That year, Samuel was voted All-Pro, had six interceptions and like many Patriots who become superstars, the team allowed Samuel to walk in free agency. He signed a six-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles before finishing out his career spending his final two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.