Brady–Belichick era
The Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era, also known as the Brady–Belichick era, the New England Patriots dynasty, or the Patriots dynasty, was a sports dynasty of the New England Patriots in the National Football League that lasted from the 2000 to the 2019 season. The dynasty is named after quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, who are regarded as among the greatest in their respective positions. Belichick and Brady are generally credited with the Patriots' success and for creating one of the sport's longest and most dominant dynasties. They are also credited with helping to create a team culture, dubbed the "Patriot Way", that emphasizes personal accountability, consistent improvement, and team success over personal gain.
Under Belichick and Brady, the Patriots played in nine Super Bowls, more than any other NFL franchise, and won a league-record six. They also had 19 consecutive winning seasons, 17 division titles, 13 AFC Championship Game appearances, and the league’s only undefeated 16-game regular season in 2007. The Patriots appeared in half of all Super Bowls played during Brady's 18 seasons as the primary starter and won two-thirds of those.
In addition to helping set the Patriots' franchise records, Brady and Belichick hold the records for the most Super Bowl appearances and victories by a player and head coach, respectively. Belichick also holds the records for the most playoff wins by a head coach and Super Bowl appearances by an individual, while Brady holds the quarterback records for career wins, regular season wins, and playoff wins and the record for Super Bowl MVP awards.
The era ended when Brady left the Patriots as a free agent for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, where he went on to win a 7th Super Bowl. Belichick remained as head coach of the Patriots until the end of the 2023 NFL season, which coincided with Brady's retirement from the sport.
Bill Belichick
Belichick joined the Patriots in 1996 as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for Bill Parcells. He previously spent 13 years with the New York Giants from 1979 to 1990. During this period, he was the defensive coordinator during the Giants' 39–20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI and 20–19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.The Patriots went 11–5 in 1996 and earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXI, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. Belichick subsequently served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. When Parcells, then their head coach, retired in 1999, Belichick was supposed to be his successor, but resigned abruptly and went to New England instead, this time as their head coach. During his tenure in New England, the Patriots missed the playoffs only six times: 2000, 2002, 2008, 2020, 2022, and 2023. In 2008, Belichick coached the Patriots to an 11–5 record despite losing franchise quarterback Tom Brady in Week 1 versus the Kansas City Chiefs. A series of division tiebreakers left the 11–5 Miami Dolphins as AFC East champions, making the 2008 Patriots the second team in NFL history to go 11–5 and miss the playoffs.
In 2010, he was selected as the first-team head coach in the National Football League 2000s All-Decade Team. He has won the AP Coach of the Year award three times in his career, all during his time with the Patriots. As head coach, Belichick is 225–79 in regular season games and has coached the Patriots to 40 postseason games, winning 30. From 2010 to 2017, Belichick coached the Patriots to 8 consecutive 12+ win seasons, an NFL record. The Patriots, since 2002, have lost more than 5 games just three times. As the Patriots head coach, Belichick has had just four losing seasons, in 2000, 2020, 2022 and 2023. In 21 seasons from 2001 onwards, the Patriots have won 16 AFC East titles and earned a wild-card berth in 2021. Such dominance in the salary cap era, which limits teams in how much they can pay players and therefore forces parity, is credited to Belichick's football prowess.
Belichick is known for taking players who had lackluster or declining careers and making them productive for one or more seasons, including RB Corey Dillon, who gained 1,738 yards from scrimmage, including 1,635 rushing yards. Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss was traded to New England in 2007 after lackluster play for the Oakland Raiders, but went on to catch 23 touchdowns in 2007, setting an NFL record. Belichick drafted wide receiver Julian Edelman in the 7th round. Edelman went on to set a franchise record for postseason receptions and caught one of the most memorable catches in Super Bowl LI. He also earned a Super Bowl MVP award two years later. Most notably, Belichick is credited with drafting Brady with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady went on to help the Patriots form a dynasty that lasted from 2001 until 2019, and currently holds every NFL postseason passing record except yards per attempt and completion percentage.
Belichick is third all-time for wins as a coach. He was the longest tenured active coach in the NFL when he left the Patriots. He has the most postseason wins, with 31. He is the only coach to win three Super Bowls in four years and the only head coach to have won six Super Bowls.
Tom Brady
Brady attended college at the University of Michigan, where he battled for the starting role with Brian Griese and Drew Henson. He led the Wolverines to the 2000 Orange Bowl, with a record 10–2 as starter during the regular season. Despite trailing by two scores twice during the game, Brady led the Wolverines to an overtime win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, 35–34. His come-from-behind victory earned him the nickname "Comeback Kid".Due to questions about his starting ability in college and uninspiring physical measurables, Brady fell in the 2000 draft until he was selected in the 6th round by the New England Patriots. He spent his rookie year as backup to franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe and would not start a game until the next year when Bledsoe, who had signed a 10-year, $103 million contract that offseason, was seriously injured by a sideline hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis on September 23, 2001.
Brady went 11–3 as a starter in 2001, leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams. After trailing 17–3 in the second half, the Rams stormed back to tie the game 17–17 with 1:30 left in the game. With no timeouts, the Patriots drove downfield to set up a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri to win the game in the closing seconds.
Brady holds the NFL postseason record for appearances, wins, pass attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, Brady holds the record for most pass attempts, completions, touchdowns, and yards. In Super Bowl LI he helped the Patriots, who were down 28–3 in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, score 31 unanswered points and win the game in overtime, 34–28, and set a Super Bowl record with 466 passing yards. The following year, he broke his own record by throwing for 505 yards in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brady holds every Super Bowl record in passing except for completion percentage and interceptions. In his 10 appearances in 22 years, he has come away with 7 wins and 5 Super Bowl MVPs.
With the Patriots, Brady threw touchdowns to 77 players, breaking the NFL record of 70 held by Vinny Testaverde. By retirement, he had extended his record to 96.
Brady–Belichick era
In the 2000 NFL draft, first year head coach Bill Belichick was looking for ways to improve a New England Patriots team that had not been to a Super Bowl since 1996. Belichick had been hired after 3rd-year head coach Pete Carroll was fired following the 1999 season. Before the draft the Patriots sent quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein to scout quarterbacks for the draft. When Rehbein returned, he stated that Brady was the best quarterback prospect for the Patriots' system. Despite the Patriots already having a franchise quarterback in Drew Bledsoe, they drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round.2000–2002: Beginnings and first Super Bowl
The Patriots went 5–11 in 2000, the last losing season the Patriots had until 2020. Belichick, after a loss during the season, claimed that "I can't win games with 40 good players while the other team has 53" after many players showed up to camp out of condition.In 2001, Belichick made major reforms. The beginning of the culture he brought to New England, dubbed the "Patriot Way", was beginning to show with wide receiver Terry Glenn's contract holdout. The Patriots could not afford to raise Glenn's salary, and Belichick suspended Glenn indefinitely after repeated failed drug tests. Glenn did not receive a ring when the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI that year.
The Patriots started 0–1, and faced a division rival in Week 2 against the New York Jets. Late in the game, down 10–3, quarterback Drew Bledsoe rolled out of the pocket and tried to scramble down the sideline, until he was hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. In the hospital later that day, Bledsoe came perilously close to death resulting from internal bleeding sustained in the hit. The concussion alone had been more than enough to sideline him for the remainder of the game. The Patriots lost the game, moving to 0–2. Second year backup QB Tom Brady started the next game against the Indianapolis Colts, the first of 17 games in the famous Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry. Brady landed the opening salvo, taking the first of his 11 wins in the series, including two playoff games. The Patriots finished the season on an 11–3 run to go 11–5 overall. The playoffs saw New England beat the Oakland Raiders in the Tuck Rule Game that closed Foxboro Stadium, then the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road; they ended the season with an upset of the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, 20–17.
The Patriots started off 2002 hot, winning their first three games to open up the new Gillette Stadium, but losing the next four. They ended with a 9–7 record, but a series of division and conference tiebreakers forced the Patriots out of the playoffs. It was one of only two times in the Brady–Belichick era that the Patriots missed the playoffs, and the only time with Brady as their starting quarterback.