Die-hard fans of the New England Patriots loved every minute of Super Bowl LIX, and it had nothing to do with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The commentary leading up to that game was insufferable. With the Kansas City Chiefs on the doorstep of NFL history, vying for a Super Bowl three-peat, most of the talk centered on the greatest dynasties of all time. The consensus? Kansas City would take the top spot with a win over Philadelphia, and Patrick Mahomes would surpass Tom Brady as the GOAT before his 30th birthday.
Two weeks of that nonsense led to a delicious four quarters of football on Super Bowl Sunday for Patriots fans. The Eagles embarrassed the Chiefs. At one point, the score was 34-0 Philadelphia late in the third quarter.
Thankfully, the dynasty talk was put to bed that night. Even with the brilliance of Mahomes, Reid and the Chiefs over the years, there’s no comparing a QB-coach duo to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, at least not yet.
One NFL analyst dared to go there, however, on the morning of Thursday’s season kick-off game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
ESPN analyst dares to compare Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni to Brady-Belichick (and makes a fair point)
It’s fair to call Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts of the Eagles underrated, but comparing them to the greatest coach-QB duo of all-time is taking it way too far.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky surprisingly made that claim during Thursday morning’s episode of Get Up. It was a bold enough take to get a laugh (and pen drop) from Adam Schefter.
"Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are the modern day Bill Belichick and Tom Brady."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 4, 2025
—@danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/nFFz9n1LRk
Here’s the full quote that’s sure to send fans of the Patriots (and Chiefs) into orbit:
“Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are the modern day Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Just total alignment. I remember Belichick and Brady constantly saying stuff and being like, ‘There’s no way you actually think that or feel that way, or operate like that.’ Jalen’s just robotic, and maniacal and very focused. Not out in the public, like Tom was when he was playing. And Sirianni — there’s no way that he doesn’t know, but he says it and you’re like, ‘Maybe he didn’t really know.’ Like, the same way that coach Belichick would say stuff and we’d be like, ‘There’s no way that you think that way.’ It just feels like their alignment and the way that they’re so hyper-focused in blocking out the noise — it’s very Belichick/Brady-like.”
Let’s start with the obvious: Even with two Super Bowl appearances in three years, there’s no comparing Philadelphia’s dynasty resume to that of the Patriots or Chiefs. The Eagles have a long way to go to enter that conversation.
But Orlovsky isn’t comparing resumes here. Here’s comparing personalities. And when you view his take through that lens, it actually makes sense.
What made Brady great was his relentless nature. He was a football psycho. Nothing mattered but winning the next game, or the next Super Bowl. He was never satisfied. Hurts is a completely different player with his own style, but he does share some of those traits.
Hurts refused to try on his Super Bowl ring during Philadelphia’s team ceremony this summer, telling reporters afterward that he had moved on to 2025 at that point. That’s football psycho behavior. Brady famously gifted his first ring to his father, figuring he’d keep the next one for himself. That mindset of winning over everything is rare, and Hurts definitely has it.
It’s hard to compare any coach’s personality to Belichick, who is truly one of a kind. Sirianni does have a similar approach. He refuses to discuss player injuries and constantly preaches a team-first, ignore-the-noise type of team culture. When asked about the unveiling of his team’s championship banner prior to Thursday’s opener with Dallas, Sirianni downplayed it and told reporters, “We won’t be out for that.” Of course the Eagles will, but the overall message reeks of when Belichick used to say, “The circus is in town,” on Patriots banner nights.
Orlovsky isn’t comparing dynasties here. His comments shouldn’t annoy Patriots fans as much as those two weeks before Super Bowl LIX did. The Eagles obviously have ground to cover, and it will be interesting to see if the old "Patriot Way” can help them get there.