Want to know how Bill Belichick really feels about losing his six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback to free agency?
Just read what the New England Patriots head coach told Rich Eisen during NFL Network's schedule release show Thursday night when asked how he'll deal with life after Tom Brady.
“Well, we’ve played at other times without Tom,” Belichick told Eisen. “Whether it was the (2008) season after he was injured -- we played 15 games with (Matt) Cassel and went 11-5 -- or heading into the ’16 season with Jimmy (Garoppolo) and then Jacoby (Brissett) and Tom coming back after the four-game suspension. So, there have been other times where we’ve dealt with that."
"We’ll do what we always do, which is try to prepare the team the best that we can, utilize our players and the skills that they have and put ourselves in the best position we can to be competitive and win. That’s what we always do, and we’ll continue to do that."
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Belichick paid Brady a proper tribute shortly after he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
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But now it's down to business, and Belichick wants to make one thing very clear: He can win without Brady.
The evidence supports Belichick: The Patriots are 13-6 in games played without Brady since the QB became New England's starter in 2001.
That evidence -- and Belichick's confidence in the Patriots' system -- may explain why the team didn't bend over backwards to prevent Brady from walking in free agency.
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It also may explain why the head coach is content replacing Brady with a 23-year-old QB who's attempted four career passes (Jarrett Stidham), a 34-year-old journeyman who's 1-11 in his last 12 games as a starter (Brian Hoyer) and two undrafted free agents (Brian Lewerke and J'Mar Smith).
So, while the outside world forecasts the Patriots' demise with Brady gone, Belichick seems intent to prove Brady's exit is just another "position change" that won't stop the train from rolling.