Was Rex Ryan right about Bill Belichick not attracting the best players?

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Rex Ryan’s animosity towards Bill Belichick has long been rooted and primarily in Ryan’s inability to beat the Patriots head coach in the AFC East for most of a decade. But was the former Jets and Bills coach and current ESPN analyst correct that the players did not go to New England because of Belichick but rather because they wanted to play with Tom Brady? Ryan certainly added ammo to that arsenal today.

Hours after Matt Stafford was traded to the Rams for Jared Goff and a series of picks, it was learned that the New England Patriots were the only The Stafford team would not accept a trade. There are several reasons why this may have been the case, from the Patriots ‘lackluster talent on offense to the fact that former Lions coach Matt Patricia has joined the Pats’ coaching staff. But the fact that Stafford singled out the Patriots certainly helps the argument Ryan made about Belichick last week.

For many years it seemed like Belichick was a magnet talented players were drawn to. He made the most of Randy Moss and Wes Welker and Corey Dillon after trades. Aqib Talib launched his exceptional career in New England, Kyle Van Noy turned out to be a rough diamond to them and Stephon Gilmore became a star there. Many other underrated talent started or rebooted thanks to Belichick and it seemed like he was the man who could change any career.

However, over the past couple of years, Belichick’s reputation as an uncompromising coach, My Way or the Highway, has seemingly frightened players. Between bad preliminary rulings, misplaced trades, and an inability to sign someone notable into free will, the Patriots’ offensive skill positions have suddenly gone starved of top talent. This was evident last season as Cam Newton struggled to consistently accomplish anything by air and likely played a role in Stafford not wanting to play for the Patriots in 2021 and beyond while he was trying to win a Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady drew star talent to Tampa Bay, where Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, Rob Gronkowski and others signed cheap deals for the chance to play alongside Brady. It worked for them as they are in the Super Bowl with a chance to add a great ring to their jewelry collections.

For Ryan, this comes on top of the grudge he has had against Belichick since the latter was kicking Ryan in the ass up and down on Broadway as the Jets coach and then across the lake. Erie with the Bills. Now Ryan can say with even more confidence that it wasn’t me who lost to Belichick, it was me who lost to Brady. This should help her sleep even more soundly at night.