Bill Belichick and Tom Brady pioneered the greatest dynasty in NFL history by following a set of hard and fast rules.

You don’t just stumble your way into winning six Lombardi Trophies over the course of an 18-year span.

Brady and Belichick became the greatest head coach quarterback duo of all time during their time together(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

There are rules you have in place that you must follow in order to be successful at the highest level.

Rules that are to be followed no matter the circumstance.

One rule in particular was one Belichick ensured remained in place. It was a cardinal rule in his words and there would be hell to pay if anyone fell foul.

On the Let’s Go podcast, Bill Belichick told host Jim Gray, the long-time New England Patriots coach revealed what that rule was.

“Tom [Brady] and I’ve talked about this a million times,” Belichick said. “Nobody was better at it than he was. Second-and-short, second-and-one, second-and-two, you call the play and the cardinal rule was ‘we will never lose yardage.’

“So if that play doesn’t work, I’m thinking third and one or first and ten. We can’t be second and one, lose five yards and now be third and six. That play is not even in my mind. I can’t even think about that.” 

Sounds simple enough right?

No negative plays on second-and-short. It simply wasn’t acceptable. Not for Belichick. Not for Brady. Not for the New England Patriots.

“Look, things happen, Belichick continued. You lost your artists on plays and all that, not on second and one.

“You don’t lose yards on second-and-one. It’s third-and-one or it’s 1st-and-10. Tom never put me in that situation.

Belichick and Brady, two of the greatest of all-time, held each other to the highest standardGetty

“You can ask Tom about that one. Ask him, ‘What’s the cardinal sin on second-and -short?’”

What would the consequence be if the cardinal rule was ever broken? 

“Everybody on the team knew it,” Belichick said.

“Every running back knew it, too. If you lose yards on second-and-short, there’s going to be hell to pay, you do not lose yards on second-and-short.” 

No, the Patriots weren’t 100 percent compliant on this steadfast rule during Belichick and Brady’s time together.

Believe it or not, there were plays on second-and-short that resulted in loss yardage. It’s hard to be perfect over the course of an almost two-decade long stretch of dominance.

But more often than not, they were successful in avoiding the negative plays on second-and-short, and that can make a huge difference, especially over the course of a game, or season, or even years.

That is why Belichick and Brady are the greatest head coach and quarterback tandem of all time.

They did the little things right.

This ‘cardinal rule’ might not seem like a huge deal, but it all adds up.

It is a small microcosm of how the Patriots operated as a whole during the 2000’s and 2010’s.

A two-decade run that added up to six Super Bowl titles.

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