Asante Samuel, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, made an extremely bold assertion while speaking with TMZ Sports on Monday.
Samuel stated that if seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady came out of retirement to play for the Patriots, New England would win another championship this season.
“This terrible team that everybody sees it is a terrible team,” said Samuel, who played in the NFL from 2003 through ’13, including five seasons with the Patriots. “Brady can come right now, today, and win a Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Because that’s Tom Brady.”
The Patriots are off to a 1-4 start this season largely due to the disappointing play of third-year quarterback Mac Jones and a porous offensive line. Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowl selection as a cornerback, blamed coach Bill Belichick for failing to add new talent to the roster.
“I don’t understand why is there such a big drop-off [in success] when one man [Brady] leaves the 53-man roster. Why is it such a big drop-off, and you can’t replace it, but you’re supposed to be a great coach?” added Samuel.
Samuel went on to bash Belichick while claiming Brady was the primary reason for the Patriots’ previous success.
“Maybe it’s [Belichick’s] ego that he thinks that he really was the person who was making all of these things work, and now he is trying to be the same Bill Belichick, and it’s not working.”