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2021 was seen by many as "Bill Belichick versus Tom Brady." Many thought the team that did better would win the award for being a more important Patriot during the first two decades of the 21st century. However, one season was not going to settle the score. More data is needed. That said, by the end of 2022, it will be time to make a call, and it doesn't look good for the Patriots' head coach.
Mac Jones will settle the Brady-Belichick argument once and for all in 2022
Many say Brady would not be who he is without Bill Belichick. Without him, Brady would have left the league long ago. Once Brady left the Patriots, the coach was left without a quarterback, thanks to Robert Kraft and Brady forcing the coach to part ways with Jimmy Garoppolo. Basically, the ready-made quarterback already had everything he needed to be successful elsewhere.
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Of course, that is what happened, as the quarterback went on to win a Super Bowl the same season. In terms of the argument, most gave the head coach a leash and a break with Cam Newton. However, 2022 will be the head coach's third season without Tom Brady. He will have had a top rookie prospect in Mac Jones for two years.
For Belichick to prove that Brady needed him to be who he is today, the coach needed to do it again with someone else quickly. If he doesn't, it shows that Brady may not have needed the coach in the first place. In other words, it will show that it was Brady who made Belichick, and not the other way round.
2022 will be Mac Jones' second season in the NFL, and the kid gloves will be coming off. Jones has shown quick progress in his rookie season. However, to prove the head coach's importance with fostering Brady's growth, he needs to at least reach the Super Bowl next season to match what happened with Brady back in the early 2000s.
The expectations may seem impossibly high, but Brady was an impossible quarterback.
If Jones has a repeat season in 2022 in which he looks the same or quite similar to 2021, it is clear that Jones wasn't greatly affected by the head coach. If this happens, Brady could get a lead in the argument large enough to win the competition in most eyes.
That said, it won't erase the fact that the head coach could not reproduce Brady with a top prospect. Meaning, the head coach is mortal and he needed Brady's ability to reach the heights he did. Put simply, it would mean that Belichick has been riding Brady's coattails for the last 20 years.
