FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, there will be no Chapter 21.
With Brady's decision to leave the New England Patriots after 20 seasons, let's reflect on one of the greatest quarterback/head coach combinations in NFL history. Their accomplishments are well documented -- nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships.
Here are some memories shared by those who knew them best, and one Hall of Fame opponent.
Can't tell Brady-Belichick story without Kraft
Lawyer Milloy, former Patriots safety (1996-2002): "I was there at the beginning, and here's Brady, who loves football as much as Bill does, wants to put the time in to win the way Bill does. That's what Bill got in Tommy, and vice versa. To be honest, it was kind of hard to see at the beginning how that marriage would pan out.
"Obviously, we took advantage of a young guy ready for his opportunity, but at that point, we didn't know why [he was ready]. I think you also have to include [owner Robert] Kraft in the equation. So now you have three true businessmen who understood they could accomplish everything they want. It starts with the Belichick philosophy of 'Do your job,' but there are times when he had to swallow his pride a little bit. All of them, when there were differences, they sacrificed some of their individuality for the greater good of the team. Over 20 years, it can't be all peaches and cream."
QB-only meetings
Brian Hoyer, Colts quarterback who had two separate stints with the Patriots (2009-11; 2017-18): "My experience with them was when we would do our meetings on Tuesdays to go over the opposing team's DBs, and that would be just me, and Bill, and Tom. And then on Saturday, we would kind of do a recap of the week and Bill would show plays from practice, plays from the games the week before that. The first time around, I remember being in the room, looking across, and being like 'Holy s---, I'm sitting in a room with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, learning football from these guys.' It's a surreal experience. I just wanted to sit there and not say anything unless spoken to, and take as much in as I could.
"To see those two talk about things, looking back now, it was over my head. It was two guys, the best of all time at what they do, and it was a privilege to see them working together. The things that get brought up in those meetings, most people don't have the time to think about. There's so much knowledge there.
"When I came back [to the Patriots six years later], I had more experience, so there were more conversations about different offenses I had been in, or conversations about facing certain defenses. It was nice to feel I could add something, and a reminder that here are two of the best of all time always trying to learn and figure out what they can get out of a situation. I remember thinking, 'If it wasn't for those two guys, would I have made it for 11 years?' I don't know if my career gets off the ground if it wasn't for those two."
'Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san'
Donte' Stallworth, former Patriots wide receiver (2007, 2012): "After first being on the outside looking in, and then being there for two seasons, I think the best way I could describe the relationship is 'Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san.' Obviously, over time, Brady earned his right and obviously he's his own sensei ... getting more leeway to be able to do things at the line of scrimmage, change plays pre-snap and all that. But Bill understands how to get the best out of every player, especially with Tommy.
"Both guys are such students of the game, and that's what reminds [me] of the relationship between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san, in that both were students of their craft. They lived it and breathed it. It's who they are as people. In the team meetings, Brady was always writing down everything Belichick said -- every single day. If Brady wants to, he is going to have a helluva book to write on that when he's done playing, because Belichick is like the godfather of football, with the best grasp on what type of trends are being set in the league. In that sense, it was two pieces that fit perfectly together."
A yearly mindset: Two computers
Rob Ninkovich, two-time Patriots Super Bowl champion and current ESPN football analyst: "There was a play in OTAs or minicamp where I intercepted Tom; I was just standing there and he threw me the ball. Bill later did his 'lowlights of practice' [film review] and that was one of them. It was a backhand to both of us a little bit -- 'Look, good play here Rob, but literally Tom you threw it right to him.' He's not sparing anybody -- even Tom. Nobody was protected.
"That was just one example how they've been able to be great for such a long time, because there are no free passes. It's no, 'Last year was good, so it's OK.' The whole thing is always starting over again -- Bill is a perfectionist and always getting guys to be their best, and Tom was able to take it -- and that to me is the key to the run they've had. Some players as decorated as Tom might be like, 'Why are you bashing me in front of the team?' But you see the interaction between them and it's 100% football. It's always, 'How can I be better?' or, 'How can we be better as a team?' It's like two computers next to each other."
Tempers flare between Damien Woody and Stephen A. Smith when debating whether Bill Belichick could win a Super Bowl without Tom Brady.
Melding of offensive, defensive minds
Kurt Warner, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and current NFL Network analyst: "One thing I've always appreciated watching them, and competing against them, is that I never really played for a defensive head coach; so the idea that in all their years together, what you could count on is that if the offense dipped, the defense would be there because you had the best defensive coach, and if the defense dipped, you always had offense and [the] best quarterback.
"It's that give and take, and the understanding each one had for the other. That, to me, is the beauty of the whole thing when I looked in from the outside and just how nice that had to be for them -- to have the best ever on the other side. I remember being amazed to learn how much Bill was involved offensively. I never had a defensive coordinator, or coach, sit down with me and go through film. So they worked together, and developed together, unlike any quarterback/coach I've seen or heard about. It fascinates me."
Setting the tone
Kevin Faulk, former Patriots running back (1999-2011) inducted into the team's Hall of Fame: "One of the things that always stood out to me, and I would wonder if it was something they had talked about beforehand, was from the first team meeting when we would get together in the spring as a team. Part of that was going over the last year, Bill would recap the season, and in doing so he would really go off on Tom. Things like, 'The quarterback play has to step up from last year. I can get someone from Foxborough High School to quarterback this way.'
"It was so unique, and what it did was let the team know .. that the quarterback could get it, too. It didn't happen every year, but it took me a couple years to figure it out that it was something he wanted the team to understand -- he was going to be on the quarterback, too. So no one should think they could get away with anything, either. And Tom would respond like he always would. He's a competitor, understood what he was doing, and it fueled him that much more."
Always even keel
Matthew Slater, eight-time Patriots Pro Bowl special-teamer: "I've been very fortunate to sit in a lot of captains' meetings with the two of them, and hear them talk football and our football team and the direction it's headed, and different obstacles over the years. No matter what the challenge has been, they've always remained steady -- no matter if it's going well, or hasn't been going well. Always focused. Always competitive.
"So the thing that sticks out to me over the course of a dozen years is their ability to remain so level, regardless of what's going on, what is being said about our team, or what the record is. They always bring it back to center, and to X's and O's, hard work and putting the team first. Those are phrases you hear thrown around, but I think they really live that day in and day out. That's really impressive to me because as human beings, when you experience success, it's hard for it not to change you. It's definitely going to change a lot of things around you, but in their case to be able to see that consistency modeled in the last nine years as a captain, the way they approach the game, it's the experience of a lifetime."