After week three of this past football season, a familiar situation was beginning to take place. The New England Patriots had just lost two games in a row to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. Brady wasn’t looking great and people were once again beginning to ask if the Patriot’s dynasty was coming to an end. I even specifically remember a conversation I had with my friends about it. I told them that although they were struggling early on, this is the Patriots we’re talking about and you can’t ever count them out. This past Sunday, the world watched Brady and Belichick do what they do best: win.

As much as I want to hate the Patriots, I just can’t. I simply respect them too much. This year the Patriots went 11-5 in the regular season, which was the worst record they have had since 2008. That is absolutely mind boggling. I am almost 20 years old and my favorite team, the Washington Redskins, have not once won ten games in a season. Before the postseason some were even calling this a down year for the Patriots. Imagine considering 11 wins a down year?

Now I understand the cheating allegations and I do think that should hold some stain over the Patriot’s legacy, but deflating footballs won’t win you six Super Bowls. You win six Super Bowls by outsmarting every other team in the league, which is what the Patriots continue to do year in and year out. Bill Belichick has put a system in place that allows his team to win by utilizing every player to the best of their potential. Their system focuses on doing the little things right like special teams, ball protection, tackling, etc. It ensures they have the most fundamentally sound football players on the field and that is what wins Super Bowls.

You cannot deny that Belichick’s job is made easier by having Tom Brady, who is the greatest quarterback of all time. However, despite the Super Bowl win I actually think he has regressed a little bit. His stats are still pro bowl caliber as he threw for 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this year, but he doesn’t seem to have the gun-slinging ability that he used to. Yet he still manages to win the big one because he is smarter than any quarterback who has ever played the game.

Nobody takes care of their body the same way the Tom Brady does. He has an extremely strict diet specifically tailored to his needs that help him reduce injuries. I looked it up and it honestly looks miserable. It is a mostly organic, local, and plant-based diet that excludes processed foods.

However, it isn’t necessarily what he does eat that fuels his performance, it’s what he doesn’t. He does not consume alcohol, gluten, trans fats, sugar, and basically everything that is actually enjoyable to eat. As much as I would hate being on a diet like that, you can’t deny that it works. The man is 41 and literally just won the Super Bowl, while seemingly avoiding injury over the past few years.. It wasn’t necessarily the greatest performance of his career, but he followed the Patriots motto and did his job, and because of that he now has more rings than any player in history.

People often question whether or not Brady or Belichick are more vital to the success of the team. Some will say Brady is merely a system quarterback while others argue that having Brady is the only thing that has made Belichick such an outstanding coach. If I have to give my two cents, i say they are equal. I say that because who nobody knows where they would be without each other.

We can only go off of what we have seen and what I’ve seen is a HC/QB combo that has absolutely dominated the sport like no dynasty ever has. With their sixth title I think it is safe to say they have surpassed Joe Montana’s 49ers teams of the 1980’s. Without Brady, Belichick may have never been considered a great coach and perhaps if he had been drafted by another team, Brady would have been your typical sixth sound pick who only lasts a few years as a third stringer. But none of that matters because they were put together and they have nothing but greatness to show for it.

You can hate the Patriots all you want, but it’s time we stop lying to ourselves and admit these two are the greatest in the history of the game. If we don’t, they may just have to win another one to prove it.