Imagine being a coach. The game’s on, the crowd’s roaring, and every second counts. But one of the hardest decisions? Nah, it’s not about calling the next play—it’s deciding who gets to take a breather and who stays in the action. And then you throw in an injury? Now you’re really walking a fine line. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady? They’re 100% on the same page when it comes to this.

So, the other day, both coach and QB were chatting on the Let’s Go podcast with Jim Gray. And when the topic shifted to the whole resting player debate, Brady didn’t hold back. He’s like, “If you’re a player and you don’t want to play, man, what is wrong with you.” And he’s not joking. He’s lived through that mentality with Belichick for years. The whole idea of sitting out isn’t really in Brady’s DNA, and it shows.

That response? Well, it came when the coach dove into that resting the player’s subject. The former New England Patriots head coach is now taking charge of coaching the University of North Carolina. When asked about the same scenario, Belichick said, “I think the problem becomes when you have 22 starters out there, and you cherry-pick 3 or 4 guys and say, well, you don’t need to play…” 

Honestly, he makes a good point. It’s not just about the guy who needs rest—it’s about the message you send to your team.“What are you saying to the other, you know, 17-18 game guys,” Belichick adds. “Well, we don’t really care what happens to you. You guys go out there, and you know, something happens that happens. We don’t really care. And I think that’s a tough spot as a coach to put your team in.” 

Now Brady? He’s been there, done that, and lived through the Belichick grind. He’s all in on that mindset. “I mean this is your chance to go play football. This is what you love to do,” Brady said, and you can almost hear the passion in his voice. “I mean coach would have to yank me out of practice. He would take me out and I’d look at him like he was crazy. Like, no, this, like this is what I love.”

Brady wrapped it up quickly. “So, don’t ever think you’re going to, you know, take away a weekend of football.” And honestly, considering the way Brady was invested in his game, it’s tough for him to think about sitting out, right? And guess who is on par with the whole ‘commitment’ thing Brady talked about? None other than Pat Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes is all set for the Christmas game

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ fans surely have some bitter memories of the Christmas Day game. Let’s rewind a year, shall we? The Chiefs were taking on the Las Vegas Raiders, and you already know what happened later. The Raiders snagged a 20-14 victory over the Chiefs, though Mahomes and Co. eventually won the Super Bowl a month and a half later. But that one stung, and it seems the QB has a hard time letting go of the bitter loss. 

Fast forward to now, and the Chiefs are back with yet another Christmas game. And this time, they’re going head-to-head with the AFC North champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And guess what? The QB is all fired up ahead of the game. But when asked about the game, he had a little twist in his response. “It was exciting, until I realized it was on Wednesday,” Mahomes said when he found out that the Chiefs were playing on Christmas.

Honestly, it appears that the excitement is part of the Chiefs are back for redemption and Mahomes is all in, pumped for another shot at a holiday win. Well, the game is on a Wednesday, and guess what? Even Patrick Mahomes has to adjust to the mid-week madness.