The New England Patriots dynasty from 2000-2019 was nothing short of incredible. The Pats won six Super Bowls, had 19 consecutive winning seasons, and 17 AFC East Division titles(ESPN.com). The Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowls in league history at six, and they won all six in an 18 year span.

Many players and coaches came and left during the Patriots dynasty, but two things stayed consistent: Quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick remained with the team for those 19 years, and both are often regarded as the greatest of all time at their respective jobs. However, the debate of who was better is often debated among fans, analysts, and even players. At the end of the day though, it is clear that Brady deserves the majority of the credit for the dynasty.

The difficult part of debating Brady vs. Belichick is the fact that they played together for so long. Brady won MVPs while Belichick won multiple Coach of the Year awards. When they haven’t played much without one another, the man who deserves credit for the success is more difficult to determine. There are two key pieces of evidence for both players though: Belichick’s 2020 season without Brady, and Brady’s 2020 Super Bowl win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ryan Suhaka, a senior at Davis high school, definitely had a strong opinion on this debate.

“Before this year I would have for sure said Belichick, but this year Tom proved that he’s simply an amazing player and can change the culture of a team once he sets foot on the field.”

On March 20, 2020, Tom Brady officially signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went 11-5 on the season and won three road games in a row to reach the Super Bowl, where he led the Bucs to a win over the defending champion Chiefs and won Super Bowl MVP.

Belichick, meanwhile, was decimated by injuries and opt-outs dude to COVID-19, and his Patriots went 7-9.

Gavin Hawley, a football captain for Hillcrest, had a similar opinion.

“Brady had more teamwork and leadership. Belichick didn’t have the leadership skills. Remember, leadership is relationship!!!”

Hawley shared how Brady is often well liked-by teammates for his passion and support, while Belichick takes much more of an emotionless and stoic style to his game.

John Baird, another senior at Hillcrest, was consistent with the others’ opinions on the debate.

“To be honest, before this year I would have given way more credit to Belichick and the Patriots culture, but then this year Brady won a ring and the Patriots didn’t. So, I guess Brady deserves more of the credit.”

While opinions may differ, but winning is winning. Brady made the playoffs, won three games on the road, and dominated Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl at age 43 in his first year with a new team. Belichick managed to have a losing record.

The way Brady has played for more than 20 years, stayed so consistent, won MVPs, and so much more shows the type of player and competitor he is. Belichick may be the greatest coach of all time, but he would be nowhere without Tom Brady, who is the greatest player to ever put on a football helmet.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports shared the following: “History will always remember the dividing line of what the two did together as a head coach and quarterback — followed by what they did apart. And right now, Brady is suddenly looking like he carried more of the Patriots’ load than his critics wanted to believe.”