The partnership of quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick resulted in the dynamic duo, leading the New England Patriots to an NFL record six Super Bowl championships, stamping them as the most dominant team of the 21st Century.
However, that doesn't mean they always worked in harmony. An exclusive clip from the eighth episode of the 10-part documentary, provided to CBS Sports from Apple TV+, reveals Belichick went out of his way to treat every player the same way, even his legendary quarterback.
"Wide open, I don't see it, and I'm getting sacked. And should we have it? Yeah. Do we have it? No," Belichick said in a film session shown in which Brady misses an open receiver and takes a sack on the same play.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, whose 156 receiving touchdowns are the second-most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice's 197, recalled the moment in which Belichick lit into Brady in front of the entire team.
"I remember one time Bill tore Brady's head completely off, decapitated Brady," Moss said. "He said, 'You guys are telling me that my Hall of Fame quarterback cannot complete a five-yard out?"
Ten-time Pro Bowl special teamer Matthew Slater, who played all 16 of his NFL seasons under Belichick in New England from 2008-2023, also remembered the incident and sitting in the film room in shock.
"'I mean the quarterback play here is awful, this stinks,'" Belichick said via Slater. "I'm sitting there, and I'm sure my mouth was wide open because I'm like 'Man, that's Tom Brady. This guy has won four Super Bowls.' But I think that speaks to Bill right? To him, nobody is bigger than the team. He is going to coach everybody the same because he feels like that's going to give the team the best chance to have success. Honestly, he's not worried about hurting anybody's feeling. He really doesn't care."
Belichick operated with a one track mindset: his way or the highway.
"'If you're offended, get out. I'll find somebody else,'" Slater said of his head coach's outlook on interacting with players.
Eventually, that attitude rubbed Brady the wrong way, as he opted to become a free agent after his 20th season alongside Belichick in 2019. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ended up winning a seventh championship without the domineering head coach. Despite their end of career differences, Brady posted a heartfelt Instagram message to Belichick after New England and his longtime head coach parted ways.
"I'm incredibly grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL," Brady wrote.
"He was a great leader for the organization, and for all of the players who played for him. We accomplished some amazing things over a long period of time, many of which will be hard to replicate. He worked every day to help us achieve the ultimate goal, in the ultimate team sport. And, although we were successful, some of the greatest lessons I learned were in the moments where we faced the most challenging adversities. He set the tone for the organization to never falter in the face of adversity, and to do what we could do, and what was in our control, which was to go out and DO OUR JOB.
"I could never have been the player I was without you Coach Belichick. I am forever grateful. And I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose next."
Episode eight about the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots premieres Friday on Apple TV+.
