JUST LIKE BOGEY AND BACALL:

One and the same: Belichick, Brady enjoy rare bond (Karen Guregian, 1/18/07, Boston Herald)

Maybe there is a duo out there in another sport that can lay claim to being the best coach-player combination, such as Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan. It just doesn't seem possible to vault anyone to the head of the class when you consider what the Patriots have in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

The relationship between the genius coach and the clutch quarterback is at the foundation of the success of the Patriots. It's in the special Tuesday meetings they've shared the past years during off days. It's in the tremendous amount of respect they have for one another.

It's in the competitive bond they share.

Yesterday, we got a glimpse of that, as Brady spoke about the relationship, and how he and Belichick are so much in tune with football.

"It's very good with coach Belichick. I think I've said before, we have the same goals," Brady said. "We meet at the beginning of every week and just get a feel for what he saw in the previous game and what he sees in the upcoming opponent. We do the same (on Tuesdays). Sometimes it's all football. Sometimes we talk about other stuff. We've been doing that for four years. So it's a great relationship."

It's a relationship that's produced three Super Bowl wins, a 12-1 postseason record and an 82-25 record overall.