New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised his former quarterback Tom Brady after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star made NFL history by becoming the first player to eclipse the 100,000 career passing yards mark.
The iconic quarterback drove downfield to fire the game-sealing touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining to give the Bucs a much-needed 16-13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the defending Super Bowl champions. It means Brady and co. have snapped a three-game losing streak to move to 4-5 while the Rams sink to 3-5.
During the game, Brady also became the first player in NFL history to throw for over 100,000 career passing yards. It’s a remarkable achievement that not only highlights the GOAT’s longevity, but also his devastating success given he is over 14,000 yards clear of former New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees, who lies in second.
Belichick - whose Patriots moved to 5-4 with a 26-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday - appeared on The Greg Hill Show and commented on Brady’s historic achievement. The 70-year-old said: “It’s a tremendous accomplishment by Tom and a real credit to everything about him.
“Longevity, accuracy, consistency . . . just doing so many things right in the passing game for so long. It’s a phenomenal accomplishment and really happy for him. Nobody deserves it more than he does. He’s worked extremely hard and is very good at what he does. That’s an amazing stat.
“I don’t even know how far 100,000 yards is . . . must be a long way. I don’t know how many miles . . . I have no idea. That’s a great accomplishment.”
When told by the producer that it was 56.8 miles, Belichick chuckled and added: “Jesus.”
No NFL coach demands more of his players than defensive mastermind Belichick, who took over the franchise back in 2000. His no-nonsense, business-like approach meshed well with Brady’s unrelenting dedication to his craft, creating the most successful quarterback-head coach tandem as the Patriots dynasty took hold.
The Pats dynasty - fuelled by the trifecta of Brady, Belichick and owner Bob Kraft - is regarded as one of the greatest in sports history. New England reached the Super Bowl on nine occasions, winning six championships during that period as well as 16 AFC East division titles.
There was plenty of speculation surrounding the relationship between Belichick and Brady when his 20-year career with the Patriots came to an end in 2020. However, the duo clearly respect and admire one another as Brady recently praised Belichick for passing Chicago Bears legend George Halas for the second-most head coach wins in NFL history.
“A remarkable achievement by him and what he’s gone through in his coaching career,” Brady said on his Let’s Go! Podcast with co-host Jim Gray. “In as many years as he’s been coaching and preparing his teams, he’s so deserving of the award.
“He’s been an amazing coach that I got to play for for 20 years. He always has his team prepared. He works incredibly hard, and he’s incredibly deserving of all the accolades that go along with it.
“I’m really happy for him and none of his success really surprises me, getting a first-hand view of what he put into it every week for 20 years that I was there with him."
With the win of the Rams on Sunday, Brady - who passed the 100,000 milestone on a 15-yard completion to Leonard Fournette - avoided his first four-game losing streak since 2002 while he defeated LA for the first time since joining the Bucs. It was a sloppy performance from Tampa Bay, but the win will ultimately prove to be a massive confidence boost for Brady and co.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion, whose Bucs reclaimed top spot in the NFC South, travel to Munich to take on the high-flying Seattle Seahawks in the first NFL International Series clash in Germany on Sunday. Meanwhile, Belichick’s Patriots are on a bye week.
