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The Patriots’ last trip to the Super Bowl came with a lot of scrutiny of the relationships between key members of the organization after an article by Seth Wickersham of ESPN reported that many of those relationships were frayed.

Talk that the team would splinter turned out to be off the mark and the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl a year later with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick still leading the way for the franchise. Audio of their postgame embrace on Sunday night picked up the two men expressing their love for one another and Brady did so again on WEEI Monday.

“We’ve always got along great,” Brady said. “We’ve worked together for 19 years. We’ve had the same goals in mind for 19 years and he’s been just a great, great mentor in my life. A great coach. He’s taught me more than anyone ever could about the game of football and I have just always loved playing here and playing for him. He’s the greatest coach of all-time and we’ve had some incredible moments together.”

It’s all but impossible to work that closely with another person and not have some rough spots that need to be smoothed over to continue the relationship. It’s also all but impossible to think of duos who have weathered those storms with the kind of success Brady and Belichick have had over the last two decades.