Bill Belichick Compares Josh Allen’s Rise to Tom Brady in 2003

Both QBs raised their level of performance by their third NFL season.

Bill Belichick may be facing Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen for the final time as New England Patriots coach in Week 17 if he moves on in the coming offseason, as many predict.

During his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Belichick was asked about the major progression Allen made towards becoming a superstar NFL QB in his third season. His passing yards increased from 3,089 to 4,544, while his touchdown passes nearly doubled, from 20 to 37. 

The coach made a curious comparison which some fans might not have expected. Allen breaking out as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at that point reminded Belichick of how Tom Brady reached a new level of performance by his third season with the Patriots in 2003. 

“It’s kind of like Brady,” said Belichick. “Once Brady got to a certain point there in ’03, that’s pretty much what he was the rest of his career. Wasn’t like that in ’02, wasn’t like that in ’01, certainly wasn’t like that in 2000.”

Bill Belichick compares the leap Josh Allen made in his third season to Tom Brady in 2003 pic.twitter.com/19e6IvZjv1

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“But once he got to a certain point there about the midseason of the ’03 season, and then in the playoffs and from then on, his level of performance and play and consistency was at the very top of the league,” Belichick added.

At first glance, Allen and Brady might not appear to have similar careers. Allen was a first-round pick and started 11 games as a rookie, while Brady was famously selected in the sixth round and didn’t see the field until Drew Bledsoe was injured. 

As Belichick pointed out, the two quarterbacks also play quite differently. Allen is a bit more ambitious in his decision-making, while Brady was more careful with his throws. The Bills QB is also dangerous as a runner, rushing for 600 yards or more in three of his first five seasons. Brady, by comparison, was very much a pocket passer. 

Perhaps most importantly, Brady had already won a Super Bowl championship and was on his way to another by his third season. Yet Belichick was making a very favorable comparison, which speaks loudly to how much he admires Allen.