Ted Johnson Makes His Bid for the Belichick Hater Hall of Fame by Giving Bill '10%' of the Credit for the Patriots Success

Cj Gunther. Shutterstock Images.

“How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." - King Lear, Act I, Scene 4

Of all the great philosophical debates of our times, none has had the legs of "How much of it was Brady and how much of it was Belichick?" In terms of killing sports talk air time and filling the phone lines, it makes "Lebron or MJ?" and "Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?" look like Family Feud Money Round questions. It's a perennial, even five full seasons after the two GOATs split up like they were Hall and Oates. The instant cure for a slow news day. 

And so it was no surprise when it came up on WEEI's afternoon show, given that new co-host Ted Johnson has been in the New England media a long time. And that his broadcast career has been based on several key points:

--He's knowledgeable about football.

--He played in the NFL a long time.

--He played for Bill Belichick a long time.

--His resentment for Belichick burns with the white hot intensity of a million air fryers. 

Look, I'm not saying that's all Johnson has been doing on the Boston airwaves for the past 20 years. But his disdain for his old coach is definitely the major asset he's been bringing to the studio desk. More than any other member of the Patriots Three Ring Club - by far - he's been critical of the man who built the empire. Having him come on a show and not badmouth Belichick would be like going to see Train and having them not do "Drops of Jupiter." Johnson's just playing the hits people come to hear. 

But even by the standards of a former linebacker holding onto old grudges like they're Marshawn Lynch on 3rd & 1, this is a WILD take:

"You want me to chop it up? I go, 60[%] Brady. Are you ready? You're not gonna like this. I go 30% Others, 10% Bill."

Some takes a so hot, one Keanu is not enough:

I will gladly - OK, grudgingly - concede that the people who gave Brady most of the credit all that time have had a great five years. He went to Tampa and transformed the worst franchise in the NFL into a champion. Belichick went 4-13, got fired, spent a year doing the Manningcast, and is now posting pictures of himself with 18 year old offensive line recruits at a basketball school. I get it. Even though a lot of those very same people played the "It's all about Belichick" card whenever the argument was Brady vs. Manning or Brady vs. Rodgers. Regardless, they get to point at the post 2019 scoreboard and say, "See? Told ya!" Winners get to write the history.

But 10% is utterly preposterous. Even if, like Johnson, you're predisposed to not give coaches much credit anyway. This isn't Barry Switzer in 1995 we're talking about. Some figurehead who was just along for the ride and trying to stay out of the way of the team Jimmy Johnson built. This is Bill fecking Belichick. Put some respect on his name.

Every decision of The Dynasty of which Johnson was a part had Bill's fingerprints on it. Every roster move. Draft pick. Coaching hire. Front office hire. Game plan. In-game adjustment. Judgement call. Clock management decision. Timeout called. Challenge flag thrown. For two dozen seasons. All the while he was losing his top assistants and personnel staffers every couple of seasons as other franchises and college programs tried to replicate his success. And dozens, scores, maybe even hundreds of his best players were getting lured away in free agency for the same reason. And the one constant throughout all of it was his teams kept winning.

Was Brady 60% of the reason those defenses were consistently at or near the top of the league? Or the Special Teams among the best? Does he get most of the credit for the game plans that put Denver Boots on the wheels of The Greatest Show on Turf, the Colts of 2003-04, and kept Sean McVay's Rams out of the end zone? Was it Brady who beat not one but both co-MVP QBs in the same AFC playoffs? Whose Special Teams scored two touchdowns to beat the heavily favored Steelers at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game while Brady was injured? Who went 11-5 with Matt Cassel?

Who got 1,000-yard rushing seasons out of the likes of Antowain Smith, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley, LeGarrette Blount and 1,600 out of a 30 year old Corey Dillon, who had gained a reputation as a coach-killing quitter in Cincinnati just the year before?

Who made the decision to take the intentional safety in Denver? Who said "We'll take the wind" and kicked it off to Manning in overtime? Who came up with the Ineligible Receiver formations that led to two 14-point comebacks to beat Baltimore in 2014? What other Head Coach's galaxy brain could've inspired a 20-part blog series counting down his Greatest Moments that still wasn't long enough?

Sorry. Harbor old beefs all you want, Ted Johnson. As a matter of fact, like the Irishman I am, I respect anyone who can hold an irrational grudge as long as you apparently have:

It takes a big man to not let something go and move on after 20-plus years. And I truly appreciate the effort it takes. Good hustle. But if nothing else, how about giving him the credit for drafting Brady, keeping four quarterbacks in his rookie season, then naming him the permanent starter when half of New England was screaming for Drew Bledsoe to get "his" QB1 job back? That alone ought to bring him up to 15-20%, at least.

The bottom line is that it's preposterous to spend 20 years talking like everything that's ever gone wrong in Foxboro is 90% the Head Coach's fault, and then only give him 10% of the credit for all that went right. Even for a disgruntled former employee.