Tom Brady Reacts to New England Patriots' Slow Start to 2023 Season

The New England Patriots are taking heat for their 1-4 start to the 2023 NFL season. It's the worst start for the Patriots since 2000, which is when the team lost its first four games of the season and finished the year 1-5. 2000 was Bill Belichick's first season as Patriots head coach and it was one year before Tom Brady took over as starting quarterback. On the Let's Go! podcast, Brady shared his thoughts on how Belichick is dealing with the Patriots' struggles this year.

"I think the results are different from what they've been, but I know that he's still got the same work ethic, he's got the same coaching style," Brady said, per Pro Football Talk. "I think the thing that I think as I watch not only the Patriots, but a lot of other things, football's a hard sport. You know, it was very different when I was in there because I could control a lot of the outcome. 

"When I'm sitting here watching from afar I realize, God, there's a lot of variables, there's a lot of things that need to go right in order to have team success. And I was a part of a lot of those teams and I didn't take any of those things for granted. I needed a great defense. I needed a great kicker. Obviously, I needed a great coach. I needed great receivers and a great O-line. If I was gonna be successful as a player, I needed all those things. And I was fortunate to have a lot of those things over a long period of time."

Brady was with the Patriots from 2000-2019. During his time in New England, Brady led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances with six Super Bowl wins. The team only missed the playoffs twice (2002 and 2008) and never had a losing season. After Brady left the team, the Patriots finished 7-9 (2020), 10-7 (2021) and 8-9 (2022).

Because of the Patriots' struggles, many wonder how long Belichick will be the head coach and whether he will change his approach to get the team back on track. "I think that he's got a very consistent approach that he's always taken and, you know, it's the right approach," Brady explained. "It's try to prepare the players, give them the best opportunity to succeed. You know, you get out there on the field in the end, the coaches, once the play is called in the players gotta go do it. And it takes a great coaching staff to win. It takes great players to win. It takes great front-office support to win. It's an organizational win. It's an organizational loss."