Can the winning continue in New England?

It’s an age-old question in sports…does the player make the coach, or the coach make the player? Would Auerbach have been as successful without Russell? How about Coach Wooden without Lew Alcindor and Walton – or Lombardi without Bart Starr and Paul Hornung?

That’s the question being asked today in New England, as the Brady-less Patriots take the field for the first time in 129 games without the MVP and all-world quarterback.

In case you’ve been in a coma the past few days, Tom Brady is out for the season with a knee injury that occurred in the first quarter of week-1 in the NFL. Since his insertion into the Patriots lineup, after a Bledsoe injury in 2001, Brady started 128 consecutive games – and won 81 percent of them. During that time, the Pats won 3-Super Bowls and played in 5 AFC Championship games. And, outside New England, the Pats became the most hated team in the NFL. Winning will do that.

As Brady’s career blossomed, the ongoing question was – did the Belichick “system” make Brady, or did Brady’s greatness make Belichick? We’ll soon find out.

While a huge fan of both Auerbach and Wooden, I think both men would admit that you can’t win without great players. Sure, with hard work, a coach can get lucky one year. However, to be an ongoing champion, a coach needs players. Great coaches are really good coaches with great players.

The Patriots have multiple great players, so winning should continue, albeit not at an 81 percent clip. However, make no mistake about it. The true greatness of the Patriots lay in Brady. Without him there will be no championship. Without him all the Belichick-haters will become vultures awaiting prey.

Belichick has been a great coach since 2001. He may return to being a good coach in 2008.