The New England Patriots have established the most consistent football operation in league history over the past 15 years. Since 2001, the Patriots have won the AFC East 13 times, the AFC Conference six times, and the Super Bowl four times. Every Patriots fan has been faced with the infamous question of who is more responsible for the team’s success … Tom Brady or Bill Belichick?

Let’s make the case for Brady.

Without Brady, Belichick’s head coaching record is a pedestrian, some might even say below-average, 53-62. His record with Brady? 199-73.

Brady has always been a winner. Despite only starting one year in high school, Brady was recruited and earned the starting job over highly-touted Drew Henson at Michigan, where he would end his college career with an Orange Bowl win.

Brady overcame adversity once again in the NFL after being drafted in the sixth round. Once he got his opportunity in 2001, he never looked back and has been the Patriots’ starter since.

Did Tom Brady need Bill Belichick in order to be successful? No, Brady would have shined wherever he went. However, did the Patriots need Tom Brady to be successful? With Belichick coaching the team, probably not.

Let’s make the case for Belichick.

Yes, Belichick’s five-year stint in Cleveland during the early 90’s was largely unsuccessful. The Browns missed the playoffs four-of-five years, capped with a heartbreaking relocation to Baltimore.

It’s easy to look at the win-loss record during Belichick’s Cleveland tenure and brush off the success he did, in fact, have. Prior to hiring Belichick in 1991, the Browns went 3-13 in 1990, and were still trying to recover after the resignation of Marty Schottenheimer in 1988.

Belichick took on a slowly-dying franchise and molded it into a contender in just four years. In 1994, the Browns qualified for the postseason as a wild card team, beat the Patriots (coached by Belichick’s long-time mentor Bill Parcells), and eventually fell to Pittsburgh in the divisional round.

The Browns were widely regarded as a contender the following year and jumped out to a 3-1 start. As the rumor mill began turning regarding the eventual relocation, the Browns’ wheels began falling off, as Cleveland finished the remainder of the year with a 2-10 record, ending the Belichick era.

What happened from there? The Baltimore Ravens, constructed largely of personnel put in place by Belichick, went on to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 2000.

Belichick, of course, would eventually be hired by Robert Kraft and New England in the same year … and the rest is history.

Belichick has absolutely reaped the benefits of having an all-time great quarterback like Brady, no doubt. But let’s also remember the supporting cast around Brady during the glory years.

In the first three Super Bowls, defense was New England’s calling card. Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour and company formed one of the league’s best groups.

Although Parcells brought in many of those players, it was Belichick that constructed the system to maximize their potential. Belichick also built a tough offensive line, along with solid playmakers behind Brady.

Once that generation of players moved on, the Patriots’ defense dipped into normalcy, and even struggled in some years. During that era, the Patriots appeared in only one Super Bowl (2011) and lost to the Giants.

Things changed in 2014, as the Patriots welcomed All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, along with Brandon Browner. As we all know, the Pats ended their 10-year title drought and returned to the top of the league.

Not only has Belichick built an impenetrable foundation when it comes to players, he has also built one of the league’s most impressive coaching trees.

Coaches who learned under Belichick include: Romeo Crennel, Al Groh, Nick Saban, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels, Charlie Weis, and Bill O’Brien. Not to mention Belichick also worked with executives such as Ozzie Newsome, Mike Tannenbaum, Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli.

Since Belichick’s head coaching debut in 1991, he has touched countless players, coaches, executives, and has solidified his position as arguably the NFL’s greatest mind. Not only has Belichick proven to be an all-time great coach, he also has proven to be a top-notch general manager.

At the end of the day, neither Belichick or Brady would be as successful as they have been without the other. However, the system that Belichick has built in New England has proven to be sustainable, reliable, but most of all … successful.

Not to beat a dead horse, but we all know what happened in 2008 when Brady went down with an ACL tear. Matt Cassel, now a journeyman backup, was thrust into the starting role and led the Patriots to an 11-5 record and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

Even this year, the Patriots put Jimmy Garoppolo on the field and are at 2-0.

Simply put, the Patriots need Belichick, but they do not need Brady.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282- 1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.