Danny Ainge weighs in on the ‘Brady vs. Belichick’ debate
By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
Danny Ainge knows a thing or two about what it takes to win championships. He won a pair of rings with the Celtics as a player in the 80’s and another as an executive in 2008. So when he heard about the bickering surrounding who is more responsible for championship teams, he had to give his input.
“I have one more question before you ask me questions,” Ainge said early in his Thursday morning interview with Toucher & Rich. “Why can’t we as New Englanders, just appreciate what a great era we’ve had with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and nine Super Bowls and six Super Bowl rings? And not just enjoy that, instead of having a competition between Belichick and Brady, and who’s more important?”
It’s a good question. Belichick and Brady left Patriots fans with more happy memories than any other coach-QB duo in NFL history. Yet these days, it can be tough to talk about ‘the good old days’ without it turning into a debate.
“That is so weird to me,” Ainge added. “That’s like, ‘who’s more important, Red Auerbach or Bill Russell?’ Like, no! They both had a big role.”
MORE: Danny Ainge’s update on Jayson Tatum
Of course, crossing between sports and eras turns it into an apples and oranges analogy. Still, Ainge offered another example, going as far to compare the situation to his own current roster.
“We live in a world with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Everybody’s always talking about who’s better. ‘Oh, he’s getting better now. He’s may be better than Jayson.’ And like, what difference does it make? We need them both. You need them all. This competition – this internal competition is sometimes created by the outside world, not so much by their own existence.”
Ainge summed up his thoughts at the end, reiterating his original question as his take on the topic.
“I’m just saying that Bill Belichick – the first second he’s done coaching is in the Hall of Fame, one of the greatest coaches of all time,” he concluded. “And Tom Brady’s one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And we had a both and we don’t have nine Super Bowl appearances without either one of them.”
There’s plenty of people on Team Brady. Some still riding with Team Belichick. But for those on Team ‘can we just enjoy the memories,’ you just added a three-time champion to your roster.
You can hear the full Toucher & Rich interview with Danny Ainge below:
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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at Alexander.Barth@bbgi.com
