WEBVTT

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- [DJ] Was Ernie Adams the brains

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behind the New England Patriots dynasty?

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You're heading towards
a shadowy intersection

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of sports and secrets.

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You've just crossed over
into Conspiracy Thursday.

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Bill Belichick and New England Patriots

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have been hemorrhaging talent
and accumulating losses

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at an unheard of rate since
the last Super Bowl of 2019.

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Longtime offensive line
coach, Dante Scarnecchia,

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protege, Josh McDaniels, both
Brians, the Bo and Flores,

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have all departed from the past staff

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since their last Super Bowl season.

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Not to mention they lost
the future Hall of Famer

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in Thomas Edward Patrick Brady.

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Safe to say it's been tough
sledding for Belichick,

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but did he also lose the real brains

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behind the Patriots operation?

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What we do know is that
for nearly 40 years,

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Ernie Adams and Belichick
were as inseparable

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as sweaty skin and hot leather.

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Belichick got his breakthrough job

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with the New York Giants in 1979,

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thanks to a recommendation
that Adams actually gave

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to the then-Giants coach, Ray Perkins.

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Together, Belichick and
Adams essentially became

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the NFL's Charlie and Raymond Babbitt,

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that blackjack scene in "Rainman"

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in which Dustin Hoffman
and Raymond counts cards,

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while Tom Cruise's
Charlie reaped the rewards

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might be an the metaphor

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for the Ernie Adams-Belichick dynamic.

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Tom Brady once said that Adams knows more

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about professional football
than anyone I've ever met.

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That's high praise coming
from someone who also spent

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20 years with Belichick as his boss.

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Browns owner, Art Modell,
once offered $10,000

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to anyone who could tell
him what Ernie Adams does.

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At the time, Adams was
assigned to coaching tight ends

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and runningbacks in Cleveland,

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but after Adams and Belichick
reconnected in New England,

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his job entered a new
stratosphere of classified.

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Belichick created a football
research director job

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for Adams in New England,

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where he assisted the
coaching staff on game day,

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broke down game tape,

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and worked on cloak and dagger projects.

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Reportedly, Adams even
had a direct audio line

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to Belichick's headset during games,

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and was a key figure in Spygate.

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Belichick's aura has faded

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since Brady relocated to Tampa Bay,

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but since Adams' retirement in early 2021,

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the Patriots have been
on even shakier ground.

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Belichick might be losing
a step in the modern NFL,

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or is Adams the actual
brains of the operation?

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Thanks for watching and
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