New England Patriots
“You couldn’t get any further on the bench than he was. He was the fourth string, never even played, never even dressed.”
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls together in New England. Jim Davis/The Boston Globe
May 18, 2026 | 6:13 PM
3 minutes to read
Tom Brady’s accomplishments across his 23 years in the NFL speak for themselves.
His seemingly unprecedented rise from the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft to being widely considered the greatest QB of all time stands as an essential part of the Patriots legend’s story and his role in orchestrating a two-decade dynasty in New England.
But, for all that Brady achieved over his 20 seasons in Foxborough, his former coach, Bill Belichick, has been upfront in recent years about how the former Michigan QB was far from a polished product when he first arrived in New England.
Speaking on “Pardon My Take” on Monday, Belichick dove into Brady’s evolution from fourth-string QB to five-time Super Bowl MVP — noting that it was Brady’s own drive and determination that made him grow from a raw prospect into a franchise star.
Bill Belichick on Tom Brady:
“He just day by day takes incredibly small steps that eventually lead to a high performance. He was our 4th string quarterback, you can’t name another 4th string quarterback in any level of football. That’s how far down her was.… pic.twitter.com/Tz8aFlUAKE
— Savage (@Savageboston) May 18, 2026
“If you spend time around Tom, you understand how totally committed he is,” Belichick said. “And how he just, day by day, takes incredibly small steps that eventually — but never backward — that eventually lead to a very high performance. And I mean, really, he was our fourth-string quarterback. You can’t name another fourth-string quarterback, I would say, in any level of football. That’s how far down he was.
“I mean, you couldn’t get any further on the bench than he was. He was the fourth string, never even played, never even dressed. And then I brought in Damon Huard, because I didn’t think he was good enough to be the backup, and he beat Huard out. And then [Drew] Bledsoe got hurt.”
The rest, as they say, is history. With Bledsoe sidelined in Week 2 of the 2001 season due to a bone-crunching sideline hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, Brady took over as New England’s starting QB. New England went 11-3 the rest of the year en route to a Super Bowl win as major underdogs against the St. Louis Rams.
While Brady’s clutch, last-minute drive helped him win Super Bowl MVP, Belichick noted that Brady was more of a game manager during that ‘01 campaign — eventually making strides with each new season until he developed into a superstar under center.
“He didn’t lose games. He didn’t win many, but he didn’t lose them, and we won on defense,” Belichick said of Brady in the early stages of his career. “We won in the kicking game, with Troy Brown’s punt returns, the blocked field goals, and so forth. And then … by 2003, 2004 — we won games because of Tom Brady.
“And from 2004 on, not only did we win games because of Tom Brady, but every week he was the focal point of our opponents. Because, ‘We got to stop Tom Brady’ and ‘What’s our game plan to stop Tom Brady?’ And that’s the real greatness — is when they’re doing something to stop you every single week, and there’s a target on your back, and you’re still producing at a high level. But I always say Tom wasn’t great. Wasn’t even really good, but he became great.”
Belichick touched on several other topics during his extended interview on “Pardon My Take,” including the adjustments from coaching in the NFL to his current role as head coach at the University of North Carolina.
For all of the excitement emanating out of Chapel Hill last summer ahead of Belichick’s first season as head coach, UNC stumbled in 2025 under Belichick’s watch — finishing with a 4-8 record and failing to have a single player selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even with that setback, Belichick stressed that he’s enjoyed his new role, especially coaching younger players.
“It’s a lot more opportunity to coach really at this level than in the NFL and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” Belichick said of making the switch to the collegiate game. “I can go yell at anybody and it’s fair game. If you’re the head coach you can take on anybody that you want and it’s actually a lot of fun.”
“I try to do whatever I can to help improve the players and the team,” Belichick added. “So, whatever that consists of: Giving them coaching points on the field, off the field, watching film, talking about fundamentals. However I can help them reach their goals — play better and help our team reach its goals — that’s what I do.”
Belichick also didn’t mince words over his disdain for coffee, despite having appeared in a Dunkin’ Donuts Super Bowl ad in February 2025.
“I don’t care how much milk you put in it. I don’t care how much sugar you put on. How much whipped cream — you can’t bury that taste,” Belichick said of coffee. “It still finds a way to go through and — ugh.”
Coach Belichick said he doesn’t drink coffee because he gets all his energy from Football. Which is an awesome quote
Then it got really bad for me and coffee lovers everywhere @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/VVCU1krbFS
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 18, 2026
“Let me test you here right now,” host Dan Katz asked Belichick. “Gun to your head. Coffee — or the New York Jets?”
“I’d go with the Jets,” Belichick responded.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
