"When he had Brady, he was the GOAT" - Max Kellerman compares Bill Belichick's and Tom Brady's era to Gregg Popovich's and Tim Duncan's

Ever since Tom Brady left Bill Belichick behind for the sunshine in Florida, the New England Patriots have not been the same powerhouse that they were for many years. Some could argue that the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was the glue that held the championship team together. Others could also argue that the Patriots just need time for Belichick to work his magic again. Max Kellerman seems to think the quarterback makes the coach.

"When [Belichick] had Brady, he was the GOAT...now he's back to being a really good coach."

Kellerman's co-hosts, Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams, came to the immediate rescue of Bill Belichick's status as one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history. Keyshawn brought up one of the biggest things on Belichick's resume: nine Super Bowl appearances which resulted in six Super Bowl wins.

Even with this statistic, Kellerman doubled-down on his hot take and stated that Belichick now needs to prove he is just as good without Tom Brady.

"Without Tom Brady, Belichick can be a great coach...the results he's gotten without Tom Brady puts him in the category of very good."

Max went on to use the NBA San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and his now-retired superstar Tim Duncan to further illustrate his point.

"Gregg Popovich...one of the greatest coaches of all time. When a coach takes that next step in historical greatness, he almost always has a player that's an extension of himself on the field...When Popovich had [Tim] Duncan, he was among the greatest coaches ever. Without Duncan, he is a good head coach."

Valid arguments were made against Kellerman, and one was that, even without Tom Brady, Belichick was able to make the playoffs with a rookie quarterback, an undrafted No.1 receiver, and a roster he built in one offseason. The Patriots, however, are not a Super Bowl-caliber squad at this point. But the verdict is still out on whether Ole Bill can create another championship team with Mac Jones.

Will Bill Belichick be able to make the 2022 NFL playoffs without a Tom Brady-level player?

Mac Jones proved to be a good starting quarterback as a rookie last year, but he's nowhere near "superstar" status. As of right now, it's hard to pick anyone on the roster to put them on that pedestal. The Patriots are currently seen as a rag-tag group of players that Belichick pieced together and squeezed a playoff berth out of last season.

The 2022 season will be a much tougher one for the Patriots. The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills continued to get better this offseason, and it should be a tight race for the AFC East title this year. On top of that, the AFC North and AFC West are stronger and deeper than last year. Even grabbing the final Wild Card spot might be out of reach for the Patriots, even if they win 10+ games.