Analyzing Bill Belichick’s Performance without Tom Brady as the Patriots Part Ways

Finding a stain on Bill Belichick’s incredible head coaching resume is similar to squeezing water from a stone. Belichick has the most Super Bowl victories by a head coach in NFL history (six), most playoff wins by any head coach (31), and his 302 regular-season victories are the third-most for any head coach (only Don Shula and George Halas have more). 

Again, finding a blemish in Belichick’s career is as scarce as hen’s teeth. There is one weird caveat of Belichick’s legendary career that he has more than enough of a sample size from his tenure with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. 

Belichick is 302-165 as an NFL head coach (.647 win percentage) with an incredible 31-13 postseason record added to that (.705 win percentage). Even with all the success Belichick has accomplished in 29 seasons, the legendary head coach is just 83-101 when Tom Brady was not his starting quarterback (including his five years as the Cleveland Browns head coach).

Of course, Belichick and Brady should be tied together. The head coach-quarterback duo combined for six Super Bowl championships, 18 winning records in 18 full seasons together, 17 AFC East titles (2002 being the only year they didn’t win the division) and 30 playoff victories. 

Belichick’s defense was the backbone of the first three Super Bowl titles in New England, having a top-two defense in points allowed per game in two of those three titles (2003, 2004). The record of Belichick without Brady as his quarterback is just part of his career. 

Belichick was just 47-57 with the Patriots without Brady (.452). He went 219-64 with Brady (.774) during that same span. In the four years post-Brady, the Patriots went 29-38 (.433) with one playoff appearance and zero AFC East titles. 

Belichick has just two playoff appearances in the 10 full years without Brady (counting 2008 since Brady was injured in the first game of the year). He has just three winning records and is only 1-2 in the postseason — with no division titles. 

Didn’t help Brady won a Super Bowl in his first year post-Belichick. Belichick’s record without Brady is actually among the worst head coaching tenures in NFL history. 

Worst win percentage by HC in NFL history — min. 150 games

*Compiled by CBS Sports Research

Belichick still is the greatest winner of the Super Bowl era and his resume arguably may never be duplicated again. His history without Brady is a footnote in a legendary career.