Tom Brady returns to New England with the Buccaneers to face Bill Belichick, ...

After two decades, six Super Bowl titles, and 266 combined regular and post-season wins with the Patriots, Tom Brady is in an unfamiliar position of facing his longtime former coach Bill Belichick and doing so as visiting player at New England's Gillette Stadium.

'I know that home locker room,' Brady, the quarterback for the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the reigning Super Bowl MVP, told reporters earlier this week. 'I know that home tunnel. I know which way the wind blows. I know everything about that.

'So, in some ways it'll be unique. I've never had that experience. New England will be the first time for me being on the other sideline.'

The battle between the 2-1 Bucs and 1-2 Patriots isn't insignificant. Tampa Bay, a Super Bowl contender, is coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, while New England is looking to gain momentum behind rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

But naturally, the eyes of the football-loving world are fixated on Belichick and Brady, arguably the most successful coach-player relationship in NFL history, but one that came to an abrupt end in March of 2020, when the quarterback signed a two-year, $50 million deal with the Bucs.

Their relationship has intrigued football fans for more than two decades now.

The two have been complimentary towards each other in public, with Belichick saying in 2018 that there's no quarterback he'd rather have, and Brady telling Boston radio station WEEI in 2019 that he gets along well with his 'great mentor.' Brady has even called Belichick 'the best coach in the history of the NFL' in 2018.

That same year, however, reports surfaced of infighting between the two over disagreements between Brady's trainer and business partner, Alex Guerrero, and the Patriots medical staff. Guerrero was ultimately banned from the sideline, but he and Brady jointly own a training center that sits near the Patriots stadium and practice facility in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

One ESPN report claimed Brady bristled as Belichick developed his presumed successor, Jimmy Garoppolo, only to have Kraft pressure the decorated coach into trading the young quarterback to San Francisco in October of 2017.

According to Seth Wickersham's new book, It's Better To Be Feared, Brady left the Patriots, in part, because he was upset that the team and Belichick refused to commit to him through the 2022 season. He previously stated he wanted to play in the NFL until he's 45.

Also, Brady reportedly had grown tired of having his input rejected in New England, and thought Tampa Bay would be more agreeable to hearing his ideas.

Ultimately, Brady decided he stood a better chance with the Bucs and head coach Bruce Arians, who has a more player-friendly reputation than Belichick. The two sides eventually agreed on a two-year, $50 million deal. 

'Tom Brady had been curious if there was another way of winning, and while nobody was arguing that Bruce Arians was a better coach than Bill Belichick, or even close, the seamlessness of Brady's proficiency and performance was making his former coach's methodologies look antiquated, even silly,' reads one passage, quoted by ESPN.

'It was better to be feared — but was it necessary?'

Brady had sought a face-to-face meeting with Belichick before his departure, but his longtime coach opted for a phone call because he wasn't available and simply spoke to the quarterback by phone, according to the book.

On Wednesday, Belichick was nothing but complimentary when talking to reporters about Brady.

'Nothing Tom does surprises me,' Belichick said. 'He's a great player, works hard, takes care of himself. He's talked about playing until 50. If anybody can do it, he probably can.

'Tom's had an unbelievable career. There's not enough superlatives and adjectives to compliment him on everything that he's achieved and continues to achieve. It's unbelievably impressive.'

And those public statements are nothing new.

Belichick previously called Brady 'the best player the league had ever seen,' but the book also claims that the quarterback had complained to friends about their deteriorating relationship.

Sunday's reunion takes place with Brady needing only 68 yards to tie retired New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees's all-time passing record of 80,358 yards. It would add to his long list of NFL records that already includes most TD passes (591), most wins as a starting quarterback (232), most Super Bowl titles (seven), and most conference championships (10).

Unfortunately for the Bucs, Brady was the only former Patriots legend suiting up for Tampa on Sunday. Brady's longtime teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, suffered multiple broken ribs and punctured lungs during the Bucs' Week 3 loss to the LA Rams.