🏈 Brady Vs. Belichick ♟️
The Dynasty Debate

Who deserves the credit for the nine Super Bowl appearances and the six Super Bowl championships?

Veteran NFL insider and New York Times bestselling author Gary Myers draws on his unparalleled access to Belichick and Brady over the course of two decades, and interviews players, coaches, and family, to get to the bottom of this debate with the promise to RESOLVE it once and for all.

YES-he will pick a side when the book ends.

But, will you agree?
Did I? 🤐

A FEW of the topics explored:

🏈Belichick surviving (but not thriving) in his first head coaching gig in Cleveland
🏈(Skinny) Tom Brady not being drafted until pick #199
🏈SpyGate (Belichick)
🏈Deflategate (Brady)
🏈Alternate Universes -a favorite chapter of What Ifs…

Sure, Brady had success with The Buccaneers after Belichick but he chose a team with great players already in place and recruited some favorites to join him.

Belichick didn’t have success after Brady but what if he had been the one to leave and Brady had stayed behind-if Belichick had immediately went to another playoff caliber team and Brady stayed with the Patriots and their next coach-would the narrative be different?

Despite all of his success, Andy Reid was fired by Philadelphia when he couldn’t get them to the final game, but he’s been there many times now with the Kansas City Chiefs. The difference for him? Was it the QB Patrick Mahomes?

Hmmm…

You can see why the debate is SO MUCH FUN!

I am an avid football fan, and not a fair weather fan either-I root for my home team-The AZ Cardinals. I have always spent Sundays watching football, and I have played in fantasy football leagues, and even RAN more than one Fantasy football league. And, I love the OFF season too and follow Black Monday, Coaching hires, Free Agency, the Draft, training camp, pre-season…

You get the picture!

Sunday is the only day of the week when I don’t have a book in my hand.

So, even though the Patriots are not my team-I needed a football fix-and this book delivered!

Also by the author, Gary Myers-Brady vs. Manning.
Maybe I should read that one next…🤔

Expected Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Sometimes I can really get into a book about some icons, even if I’m not particularly into that icon. Spending the 2000s in New England means I heard a whole lot about Tom Brady and Bill Belichick… I don’t care about the Patriots or football, but the premise of the book intrigued me. Unfortunately, it didn’t land for this non-fan; the story felt repetitive and slow. I’m sure, as evidenced by other reviews, this will be exciting for the right audience. So I’d recommend for Pats’ fans, NFL fans, but probably not for others who are neither.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a big football fan, but Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are legends so when I was offered to read Brady vs. Belichick. I wanted to read it. After reading the book I can understand, with all their accomplishments, why it is hard to decided who was better. The story sticks to the football, and it is an inside look at the two men. The book has facts, stories about them, and some of them the emotions came through. For me, the book, showed me who they were at the beginning and how they became a legend. It was amazing to see how the transformation.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this eARC!

Growing up in New England I have been a diehard Patriots fan since I can remember. I remember the game Bledsoe went out and Tom Brady went in. The beginning of the great debate of “was is Belichick or Brady”
I wanted to love this book, and I did find some it amazing. There’s some stories I’ve never heard. But I had it for a couple of weeks and I found it hard to pick up. I DNFed it at 66%. Even though I know the story of Brady, I found the writing really hard to follow. It might be just me but it jumped around to much for me to fully enjoy.

Really great book that gives great insight to one of the most powerful football dynasties. I felt it delivered better than the documentary. It didn't make anyone look bad, it held a really positive and light attitude and called out things based solely on facts. I prefer this over what I watched on Netflix truthfully, so I really appreciate the ARC. I would recommend this to any football fan, and especially a Patriots fan. And this is all coming from someone who detests this team because they always kill our chances at a shot for a good record and titles because they're in our division. This is exactly what any fan, or Brady fan, should have on their shelves. Well researched, thought out, and written.

Some new insights into the relationship and teammates. The authors political leanings were apparent which did noting to further the football debate. That part could have been left out and the book would have been better for it.

I received an ARC of this fine book through NetGalley.

While this book’s title suggests it will be a full-length debate about whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick was more important to the New England Patriots football dynasty, it is actually a quite comprehensive review of each’s professional accomplishments. If one is expecting any kind of expose of either man’s personal life, don’t look here.

The author covers Belichick’s career before New England, when he built up his credentials as a defensive wizard, but was also saddled with being the head coach of the hapless Cleveland Browns for five years. Brady’s career at the University of Michigan gets light coverage, but his winning a 7th Super Bowl with Tampa Bay is highlighted and often used as proof the Brady was more important to the Patriots than Belichick. Brady was able to win without Belichick, but Belichick struggled mightily after Brady’s exit from New England.

I enjoyed the book. It does get a little dry. Lots of facts, lots of details from the biggest games. But the stories the author got from players and coaches who worked with or played for or against New England greatly enhanced this book’s quality.

First and foremost I received an arc from NetGalley. Thank you!

Brady vs Belichick is perfect for any fans of the Patriots. It’s filled with nostalgia and some great behind the scenes moments that I had no idea happened. The writing style is excellent and very easy to follow. Grad a copy and take a trip down memory lane.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. It was tremendous -like drinking from a fire hose in terms of the wealth and depth and insight into Tom Brady the GOAT and Bill Belicheck, his amazing coach. The author breaks it down and gives an amazing amount of insight into players I have followed through their careers. This could be a Ken Burns documentary it’s that good.how each of them interacted with so many people in their careers makes this book amazing. Only one criticism is that I had expected more about Rob Gronkowski. I am guessing not much there. A great read, nevertheless.

I’ve liked Mr. Myers’ football perspectives over the years and just led at the chance to read this when NetGalley offered it. Great access, great storytelling. If you’re a fan, you’ll love this. If you’re a fan of the game (but neither Brady nor Belichick) you should like this. Insights, backstories, front stories - we get the triumphs, the painful losses. Mr. Myers weighs the histories and comes to a conclusion (that I like and agree with, armchair opiner that I am.) He says in his Introduction,
“The politically correct crowd who split it down the middle are concerned more about not pissing off either icon than setting the record straight.
I won't do that.”

Shares some quotes from their colleagues, like Jimmy Garoppolo: “As a young guy in this league, you think you're competitive, but until you start going against some of the greats like that [Brady], you don't even know what competitive is.” (I like how Myers put this: “Brady made it tough for Garoppolo to get on the field. Brady was actually getting better with age, a real-life Benjamin Button.”)

And Rex Ryan, “Ryan believes the Tampa years settle the argument. ‘I think Brady answered every question when he took Tampa to a Super Bowl at 100 years old,’ he said.
‘He [Brady] was so damn good. The other thing is he was the best teammate in the history of the game. He always took way less money than he could have. There was plenty for other guys as well.’"

Lots more than that of course. Bottom line, recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for an advanced ARC of Brady vs Belichick. Myers did a fantastic job of building up the story to answer questions everybody has been searching for. I personality loved all the interviews with people near Tom and Bill who shine a light on a decade long partnership. Overall I'll recommend this book to any sports fan.

A lot of fun reading about one of the most famous player/coach combinations in any sport ever. Myers gets into so much detail, the interviews with people near Brady and Belichick shine the light on a decades old partnership.

Brady vs Belichick, who contributed more to the New England Patriots historical twenty year run beginning in the early 2000’s?  This is a debate that has been raging on since the two parted ways in 2020.  Some people say thanks to the strong coaching and personnel brought to the table by head coach Bill Belichick, it allowed Brady to grow into his role.  Others say that without the strong and steady play of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick is just a good to great coach, not one of the greatest of all time. That is the focus of this captivating book written by Gary Myers, who penned other fascinating reads such as Once a Giant and Brady vs Manning.
 
Myers does a fantastic job of building this story up to the answer everyone has been searching for, Brady or Belichick?  His intro detailing the stories of how we arrived at the legendary pairing of Brady and Belichick.  He touches on Bill’s coaching career before the Patriots and Tom’s college career at Michigan, leading into the draft where he was taken with 199thpick in the 2000 NFL draft. He speaks on the very circumstances that allowed Brady to get the opportunity to prove himself as a starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. 
 
Gary Myers gives you just enough information to begin to form your own opinions about who really was responsible for the dynasty of the New England Patriots using interviews from former teammates, coaches, and opponents.  He does such a great job at allowing the story to flow in a manner that leaves you wanting to keep going throughout the book.  The manner with which he supplies you with unbiased facts and stories keep the story neutral for both sides throughout the entire story. 
 
I highly recommend this book to any sports fans.  It is a captivating book that is a great read solo or even lends itself to as a conversation piece amongst friends or classmates in a discussion setting.  I won’t spoil how it ends, but I will say, it will keep you motivated to finish it in a timely manner, as once you start, it is tough to put down.  Special thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest and fair opinion.