Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s work together for 20 years earned the New England Patriots six Super Bowl wins. During this time, they plotted and planned to build the Patriots dynasty right from the training ground. And one can not dispute that some of those plans were unconventional, to say the least. We can not forget one such move in 2001 that Belichick made with Tom Brady, can we? After all, that was probably what made Brady what he is today.

Back then, it was almost unthinkable to bench Drew Bledsoe for Brady, a sixth-round draft pick in 2000 who was a first-time starter. Bledsoe had been the Patriots’ starter since 1993 and had made three Pro Bowls by that time. But Belichick being Belichick was in for Brady. That team went on to win a Super Bowl, beginning the run of arguably the greatest quarterback ever started. If you marvel at this, then also know that there were times when they strategized against each other!

Yes, you heard it right! How? Well, Bill Belichick himself revealed the answer to this in his recent appearance at ManningCast on ESPN. During his discussion with the Manning brothers, the 72-year-old was asked about a rumored practice drill involving tennis rackets. Belichick confirmed it but turned it into an interesting story about his approach to coaching.

Bill Belichick recalled, “I would give those equipment guys a hundred bucks if they batted down one of your balls in 7-on-7.” This tactic was meant to sharpen players like Tom Brady against pressure. As per the former HC, “They would try to bat them down. They wouldn’t stand there like your guys did and move their rackets out of the way when you throw it. I’d pay him to knock Brady’s passes down.” But here’s the twist!

Tom Brady had his own counter-strategy. Belichick said, “Now the problem was Brady would pay them more. He’d pay them 200 bucks if he went through the whole practice and didn’t knock one down.” Yes! TB12 paid them more to let him complete every pass without interruption. Belichick also humorously pointed out, “Brady was making more than I was.” Guess we know who came out on top in this little game then.

While Belichick and Brady enjoyed massive success together, toward the end of their tenure, there was some friction. In “The Dynasty,” the documentary, Brady was heard saying, “Me and coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together. But I wasn’t going to sign another contract [in New England] even if I wanted to play until [I was] 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign up for more of it.”

Notable Patriots players such as Rob Gronkowski, Matthew Slater, and Wes Welker reportedly explained the difficulties of playing for Belichick and how “brutal” Brady was treated by the end. In fact, Robert Kraft also reportedly shared what Brady told him about Belichick’s treatment.

“Tom and I had a number of discussions about how Bill treated him. Tommy is very sensitive. He was always looking for Bill’s approval, almost in a father-son kind of way. And that’s not Bill’s style ever to give that,” the Patriots owner said, as transcribed by The Athletic. In the wake of this, though the legendary QB finally left the franchise, there still seems to be mutual respect between the two.

Well, Bill Belichick losing the game against Tom Brady in practice wasn’t the only time the QB got the better of his coach. Brady was also at his A-game during his roasting show.

Bill Belichick and his girlfriend need time to heal!

“The Roast of Tom Brady,” which aired on Netflix in May, caught the attention of many NFL fans. Many clips even went viral, and one of the most liked ones was Tom Brady’s roasting Bill Belichick and their playful banter of course. During that show, Belichick poked fun at his favorite target Brady about his soccer team at Birmingham City. He said, “Not so easy running a team, is it, Tom? So, a little coaching advice. Stick to American football. You’re really good at that.” Then after a couple of more hits, it was time for Patriots legend Brady to make a comeback. And he did well!

But before Tom Brady, his friend Rob Gronkowski took a playful avenge on the coach. He said, “Coach, you used to talk about Foxborough High School when we s–cked. But now I know why you were so obsessed with Foxborough High School: you were scouting your new girlfriend,” Jordon Hudson. Delighting on the opportunity, Brady also didn’t shy away from mocking Bill Belichick’s newfound romance.

He said, “Everybody asks me which ring is my favorite, I used to say ‘the next one. But now that I am retired, my favorite Ring is the camera that caught Coach Belichick slinking out of that poor girl’s house a few months ago. Hey, you still got it. Respect baby.” Ouch! That’s hilarious and a playful hurt to the coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend, who is still healing after six months of the roasting incident.

This is evident from her recent post on Instagram, where she shared a picture of her wearing rings, with former Patriots director of football Berj Najarian. In that post, she wrote a caption, celebrating six months of the show – “Happy 6 Month Roast-iversary. Hopefully, y’all’s burn wounds healed over … I know Bill & I are still applying bacitracin daily.”

Wow! That’s a great way to tell Brady and the world about their healing process, as well as, giving a nod to the NFL and roasting legend, Tom Brady.