To Twin every time they stepped on the field, Tom Brady and Co had to train relentlessly. The path of unparalleled success was never snug under former head coach Bill Belichick’s strict coaching regime. 

“High-performing environments are hard. And they're hard because there's a degree of being uncomfortable every day,” Brady revealed on the Stick to Football podcast. “Bill Belichick made Monday through Saturday uncomfortable. Every day was hard so that Sunday everyone won.”

Brady then added that the most important person in the organization is the head coach, but on game day, it is the “winning quarterback.” For twenty years, the New England Patriots were an unshakeable dynasty architected by Brady and Belichick. 

The QB-coach duo won six Super Bowl titles out of their nine appearance in the grand finale. They were one of the best teams to ever play in the NFL until it came crashing down. 

Brady left the Patriots and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after an irrevocable fallout with Belichick. 

In the June 22 episode of the podcast, he spoke about Belichick’s desire to remain in control. The 48-year-old said they could not come to a common ground over their differences, but would choose Belichick all over again. 

“That’s probably a great quality for a coach, but it's also a little bit of a destructive quality for a coach, too,” he said.  “I think he definitely wanted to be more in control because, when you’re successful as a coach, a lot of people will tell you how great you are. And he was great…There were some things I didn't like about the way he did, but that's life.”

Brady is clear about striking the right balance between pushing players and maintaining the space to grow on their own. This conversation unfolded not because he is a former athlete but also because he is a mentor to a young quarterback.

Tom Brady opens up about mentoring Fernando Mendoza 

Tom Brady was fresh out of the Michigan Wolverines when the New England Patriots picked the 199th overall pick in 2000. He later revealed that being a sixth-round pick relieved a lot of the pressure off of him. 

Regardless of his draft, Brady built an untouchable career. Now responsible for the mentoring of 2026’s first overall pick, Fernando Mendoza. 

“A lot of pressure and a lot of mentoring,” he laughed.

Brady said one of his favorite quarterbacks, Peyton Manning, dealt with the similar expectation Mendoza has to meet, and he is more than happy to help him.

“Fernando, who we chose, he’s got that same expectation,” Brady said of the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner. “Now fortunately he has me there to help mentor him…He was the best quarterback this year. It was very natural for us to select him. But once you're selected, it doesn't matter. Now you have to develop him ."

Brady is the minority stakeholder of the Las Vegas Raiders. He is determined to develop Mendoza in the right circumstances so the Raiders can be in a better position than 2025’s 4-13 record. 

What are your thoughts on Brady’s take?

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar