Asante Samuel: Bill Belichick 'Absolutely Not' NFL's Best-Ever HC, Credits Tom Brady

Asante Samuel has never been shy regarding his feelings about longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Samuel, who played for the Patriots from 2003-07, helping the franchise capture two Super Bowl titles in that span, told Bryant McFadden of CBS Sports that Belichick is "absolutely not" the best coach in NFL history.

"Absolutely not," Samuel said. "Are you crazy?"

When asked why he believes Belichick isn't the greatest coach of all time, Samuel pointed to his record without seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

"Well, look at his record without Tom. You got to win without Tom," Samuel said. "One thing I learned about being great. You got to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everybody know it. Tom know it. But he ain't gonna admit it because he want to be politically correct."

Samuel does have a point.

Since Brady departed New England after the 2019 season, Belichick has led the Patriots to a 25-25 record and just one postseason appearance, which came during the 2021 campaign when they were blown out by the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round.

Additionally, when Belichick was head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95 without Brady at his disposal, he went 36-44 and made the playoffs just once.

Brady, meanwhile, went 32-18 from 2020-22 and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to three straight postseason appearances, including a Super Bowl title during the 2020 campaign.