For two decades, the New England Patriots had the best dynasty in football, headlined by quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. Then, the two had an awkward split at the end, as Brady moved on from New England. That was a monumental moment in NFL history, and now, it’s one Pittsburgh Steelers star James Harrison wants to take some credit for.
Harrison played for the Steelers for several stints during the Patriots’ dynasty and became a key figure in the rivalry that developed between the two sides. However, in 2017, he switched sides and joined the Patriots for his final NFL season, and that gave Robert Kraft some access to him.
Recently, Harrison said on his Deebo and Joe podcast that Kraft spoke directly to him about Brady and Belichick. In that conversation, he credited Belichick, which may have given him the edge in their debate.
“When I was in New England, Kraft pulled me to the side, and he was like, ‘James, I want to talk to you.’ I’m like, ‘Cool, what’s up?’ He said, ‘Why is it that we were able to beat you guys even though, for the most part, you guys were more talented altogether than we were?’ And he said, ‘Do you think it’s Tom or do you think it’s Bill?’ He basically was telling me, at that point, that was 2017, he was thinking about moving on from one or the other,” Harrison said.
“He’s trying to make a decision. And I’m like, ‘I think Bill does a great job of coaching. He puts his players in positions to be able to get out of them what it is they do best…’ I was like, ‘He’s good. He’s damn good.’”
It’s a pretty safe bet that Robert Kraft wasn’t going strictly off the recommendation of James Harrison. At the same time, this is the kind of thing that does make you wonder how many people Kraft spoke to and what their influence ended up being.
Tom Brady Seemingly Won the Split with Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
GettyTom Brady and Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots
In the end, the New England Patriots moved on from Tom Brady following the 2019 season. At that point, he had won six Super Bowls and three NFL MVPs. However, the team had taken a step back and was coming off a home playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans that ended with a Brady interception.
That became one of the biggest free agent decisions in NFL history, with Brady landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Belichick and the Patriots went into the wilderness at the quarterback position. From there, Brady clearly had more success.
While playing with Tampa Bay, Brady would win his seventh Super Bowl as a starting quarterback. That included his fifth Super Bowl MVP. It turned out he had several more high-profile seasons left in him and wouldn’t retire until after the 2022 season.
Belichick and the Patriots, meanwhile, went with Cam Newton at quarterback for a season. After that, they took Mac Jones in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, he ended up being a bust who struggled mightily while Belichick garnered criticism for his coaching choices, like hiring Matt Patricia to be the offensive coordinator.
After four seasons and just one playoff appearance, Kraft and the Patriots decided it was time to move on from Belichick. That became an awkward divorce as well, signaling the end of more than two decades of success.
James Harrison had a Forgettable Tenure with the Patriots
GettyJames Harrison with the New England Patriots
In December of 2017, James Harrison signed on with the New England Patriots. That was on a one-year deal, with the team looking to add a veteran to the defense late in the year. There was some hope he could bolster a Super Bowl run.
Harrison managed to play in just one regular season game with the Patriots. Still, in that brief time, he managed 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble. He then went on to play in three playoff games with the Patriots, starting two of those, but he did not register another sack while making 8 tackles.
The Patriots did end up going to the Super Bowl. However, that ended up being a loss, dropping the game to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post James Harrison Admits His Role in the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick Split appeared first on HEAVY.