Brady notably failed to mention Belichick’s role he performs in New England besides coaching as he made his remarks

TOM Brady has defended the under-fire New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick amid the team’s disastrous 2023 season.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion, 46, suggested it’s on the Patriots stars to turn their fortunes around.

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Tom Brady has defended his former New England Patriots head coach Bill BelichickCredit: AP:Associated Press

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Belichick has been under pressure with the Patriots entering their bye week with a 2-8 recordCredit: Getty
Brady released another episode of his Let’s Go! podcast with Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, 68, making an appearence.

After the two discussed the two-time Oscars winner’s illustrious career, the actor asked the retired NFL star how his former head coach dealt with the growing pressure in 2023.

The Patriots dropped to 2-8 on the season after a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany before entering their bye week, prompting rumors of a possible head-coaching change in New England.

Answering Washington’s question, Brady said there’s only so much Belichick, 71, can do to lead his team to a win.

“I know he’s coaching the same way now that he did when we were undefeated,” the three-time NFL MVP said.

“It’s just, football is a hard sport, man. It’s just like acting, you show up on set, there’s so much you can do.

“In order to get the team to play a certain way, a lot of things need to happen. You’re one part. You act like you’re one part.

“You need people to write the script, you need people to shoot it right, direct it right, edit it right, score it right, market it right, release it at the right time.

“It’s like, s**t how does it happen? Well, it takes a lot.

“That’s why I love team sports.”

Brady added: “The head coach on game day, he doesn’t play much of a role in my opinion. The players do.

“The coach’s job is to prepare the team to play. The players’ job is to go and play and execute to win. The coach can stand on the sidelines, sometimes calling plays, sometimes calling timeouts.

“But I think the players’ got to make the play.”

As he continued discussing the Patriots’ woes, Brady recalled his playing days and pointed out he was surrounded by tremendous talent in New England — seemingly suggesting that’s something Belichick doesn’t have at his disposal on the current roster.

The retired quarterback said he shared the field with exceptional players — such as Randy Moss on offense and Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau on defense — who made his job easier.

The greatness around him made sure he played to the best of his ability during his career, the NFL icon continued, making sure he didn’t let his teammates down.

Brady said: “In sports, you want great people around you because it makes you great.

“And believe me, when you work around great people, man, it’s fun because you don’t want to let them down.

“When I played with great players, when I played with Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski and [Julian] Edelman, I didn’t want to let those guys down. That was my motivation.”

Brady notably failed to mention that Belichick serves as the Patriots general manager in addition to his head coaching role.

Being in control of New England’s football operations, he’s had a say in shaping the current roster — by selecting the struggling quarterback Mac Jones and guard Cole Strange in the first round of the 2021 and 2022 NFL Drafts, among other decisions.

On Tuesday, Belichick didn’t rule out changing his starting quarterback for the Week 12 clash with the New York Giants.

With the Patriots head coach openly discussing his Sunday gameplan, it appears he will retain his job for at least another week.