The New England Patriots have won six Super Bowls in the past 20 years, and they’ve done it primarily by prioritizing Tom Brady, and essentially treating every other player as an expendable piece, at least that’s what Asante Samuel believes.
The outspoken, four-time Pro-Bowler, All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl champion took to Twitter on Friday and dropped some criticism on Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization.
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“I Always Said This and Hate How They Treat Players”
Samuel not only said he hates the way the Patriots treat good players, he also took a swipe at Belichick by saying the organization has only been able to operate this way because of Tom Brady’s presence.
Throwing Brady’s name in the mix is a direct shot at Belichick as the Hoodie navigates a tough 2020 season, the first without Brady, while TB12 is enjoying a strong first half of the campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Samuel Isn’t Alone in His Criticism of Belichick
Former New York Jets linebacker and current NFL analyst Bart Scott also took aim at Belichick recently. He insisted Belichick the general manager should be fired, but the future Hall-of-Famer should be allowed to stay on as head coach.
Here’s what he said:
Right here is a list of all drafts from the last five years of which the great Bill Belichick has had numerous picks. He hasn’t been able to really come up with any stars. I believe he hasn’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2013. So, this is a bigger indictment of Bill Belichick — not the coach, but the general manager — and his abilities to surround his team with talent. I mean this is a big indictment on Bill Belichick, and maybe Bill Belichick the general manager should be fired and on the hot seat. Keep the coach around because the coach is outstanding.
Even Scott decided to throw in his own references to Brady.
When you have the greatest eraser — the equalizer — in Tom Brady, the greatest of all time, it didn’t matter who was out at receiver. He would make it work. I just think that it’s a bigger case for Tom Brady to say he was the reason why that organization was successful for all those years. You take him away, and it’s like when LeBron [James] left the Cavaliers. It’s like, you won with these cats? You go from being maybe winning the division, being a Super Bowl contender to not being able to even make the playoffs? You’re going to get shut out by the Buffalo Bills?
Here is a look at Scott’s entire segment on ESPN’s The Get Up:
Belichick With Something to Prove?
How can arguably the greatest coach in NFL history have something to prove? Because of the unique situation that includes Brady’s long tenure with the team and all of Belichick’s success linked to the quarterback, there are tons of people who attribute the success more to TB12 than the Hoodie.
It’s more likely the two benefited from the other, but more credible people are beginning to surface with this kind of take. The only thing Belichick can do to quiet the doubters is to win, and that starts on Sunday when the Patriots face the Buffalo Bills in a must-win situation.
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