It’s the top meeting everyone has been waiting for since the NFL released its schedule in May. In the red corner, the best quarterback in history, the handsome Tom Brady; in the blue corner, the best head coach in history, the “sympathetic” Bill Belichick.
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Two men who rewrote NFL history side by side and who have been part of each of the six New England Patriots championship editions. It’s important to point out that no other Patriots player has won the Super Bowl more than three times with them. In other words, there was the team of the early 2000s (champion in 2001, 2003 and 2004), then that of the 2010s (champion in 2014, 2016 and 2018).
In short, the Patriots dynasty was essentially a two-man business. And for the first time since their somewhat nebulous divorce, Belichick and Brady will meet again on Sunday evening at Gillette Stadium, which has been the scene of so many victories and significant moments.
Brady will make his comeback with one more big ring in his safe. Raise your hand, those who really believed Brady would continue to excel when he threw his pick six at the end of the playoff game against Tennessee just under two years ago. It was that night, Jan.4, 2020, that the Titans ended the Patriots’ incredible dominance.
It was believed that it was because the Pats did not have enough talented players to surround him well that Brady had chosen to leave Foxboro. This was admittedly a factor in the equation, but in the book It’s Better to Be Feared, which will be released on October 12, Seth Wickersham says it would be first and foremost because the Patriots no longer wanted to commit to him long-term that Brady chose to do his boxes.
Like many people, Belichick believed his quarterback was in decline. And like many people, he was forced to change his mind.
“He has already talked about the possibility of playing until the age of 50. If anyone can do it, it’s him, ”Belichick told ESPN earlier this week.
By winning his seventh championship in his very first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady proved he doesn’t need Belichick to win a Super Bowl. He just needed a talented enough team to do it. If you think Belichick rejoiced in winning his old quarterback, think again. He’s surely even more motivated to make him look bad on Sunday.
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As luck would have it, Brady only needs 68 yards to get ahead of Drew Brees for the most career number (the NFL knows how to do its math). Barring any unforeseen events, he will therefore become the most prolific passer in the history of the NFL in front of those who adored him for 20 years. Monster ovation to be expected.
Will Brady stay ice? Will he struggle to repress his emotions?
Belichick will probably applaud for ten seconds before resuming his walk along the sidelines, his gaze fixed on the ground, headphones on his head, impassive. He will think about the next game, as he thinks about the next opponent after a win or a loss.
PHOTO VINCENT CARCHIETTA, USA TODAY SPORTS
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
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The odds for the good bill are certainly not on the rise these days. His team are 1-2 and lack punch. In front of the cameras, he continues to mumble inaudible responses with his burial face.
Wickersham’s book would also not be very flattering for Belichick, who deigned to offer an answer about it a few days ago.
“There seems to be a lot of second, third and fourth hand commentary in this book. But I won’t say more. I’m going to focus on our next game trying to prepare myself well for the Bucs. ”
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The Patriots spent a lot of money to improve, but failed to attract top talent last winter. Good players, yes, but none of them seem able to change the look of a team significantly on their own.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised. Now that Brady is playing elsewhere, do you really think the top players will be rushing to sign a contract to join Belichick and a team where joy hardly exists? Unless you were born in Boston or receive a disproportionate offer …
In any case, Brady has never seemed happier. After a stormy start with Bruce Arians, everything has been fine since the middle of last season. His relationship with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich looks particularly good.
Basically, Brady has left an organization run like the Red Army once was for a club in Florida that is run by Arians, a coach who stresses the importance of spending quality family time. Nasty contrast.
The fact that the Bucs have a “packed” team is of course no harm. We’re not going to list all their star players yet, but Brady is over the moon with all that talent. And it will be extremely interesting to see the game plan that Belichick will have concocted to face this armada.
Logically, the Buccaneers should win, but who would be surprised to see the Pats win thanks in large part to the tips of Belichick and his assistants, Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia?
No, it wouldn’t be so amazing to see the Pats’ defense figure out how to make Brady look bad, whether with blitzes or unpredictable strategies. If anyone can take a look at Brady, it’s Belichick. As a strategist, North American professional sport has never seen better than the man with the cut sleeves.
Who will want to win more, the Patriots for their head coach or the Buccaneers for their quarterback? That will tell us a lot.
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In the middle of it all, there will be Mac Jones. The young quarterback who has the impossible mission of making the New England fans forget Brady.
PHOTO DAVID BUTLER II, USA TODAY SPORTS
Mac Jones, New England Patriots quarterback
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The Patriots have a good young quarterback in their hands. Still, club owner Robert Kraft must be wondering if he made the right choice when he saw Brady’s commercials on his TV on Sunday night …
Brady said there is a possibility he will play one or two more seasons at the end of his current contract, which will end after the 2022 season. If the Patriots had chosen to bail out the team around him there is a year and a half, they certainly could have won a seventh title. They would thus have outstripped the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins.
What is certain is that there would be more people dressed in the colors of the Patriots in the streets of Montreal now. We hardly see any more whereas we crossed them every 30 seconds two years ago… “It’s not the same anymore”, explained my girlfriend Marie-Claude, who is (was?) A fan. of the Patriots.
Which brings us to the question that many people have been asking themselves for the past 18 months: Patriots fan or Brady fan?
If Belichick manages to neutralize and defeat Brady, who has probably been working on his game plan since last January, the sense of belonging of Patriots fans could return. Otherwise, there is plenty of choice with 31 other teams. Marie-Claude, she loves the Chargers more and more.
Miguel Bujold’s predictions
Washington c. Atlanta : Washington
Houston c. Buffalo : Buffalo
Detroit c. Chicago : Chicago
Caroline c. Dallas : Dallas
Indianapolis c. Miami : Miami
Cleveland c. Minnesota : Cleveland
NY Giants v. New Orleans: New Orleans
Tennessee v. NY Jets: Tennessee
Kansas City c. Philadelphie : Kansas City
Arizona c. Rams de L. A.: Rams de L. A.
Seattle c. San Francisco : Seattle
Baltimore c. Denver : Denver
Pittsburgh c. Green Bay : Green Bay
Tampa Bay v. New England: Tampa Bay
Las Vegas c. L. A. Chargers: L. A. Chargers
Last week: 11-4
Season Total: 27-18
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Three matches not to be missed
Arizona v. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
PHOTO ROSS D. FRANKLIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
JJ Watt of the Arizona Cardinals
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There are two intradivisional meetings in the West of the Nationale, Sunday, and these matches will be extremely important this season given the strength of this section. For now, the Rams and Cardinals share first in the division, as well as in the conference with the Panthers, still undefeated. The Cards already have 6 players with at least 10 catches and 113 passing yards, which can be explained in two ways: their depth in attack is excellent and Kyler Murray continues to progress as a quarterback as he uses all of them. the weapons around him. The Rams tertiary will therefore undergo a second good test in a row after doing very well against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last Sunday. The defense of the Cardinals, it has collected only four sacks if we exclude the game of five directed by Chandler Jones in raising the curtain, and JJ Watt is still looking for his first with his new team.
Tampa Bay v. New England, Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
PHOTO ERIC HARTLINE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Damien Harris (37) and Nelson Agholor (13), of the New England Patriots
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The atmosphere will be electrifying at Gillette Stadium, we can only hope that the long-awaited match will live up to expectations. On paper, the confrontation is uneven and the bettors are obviously of this opinion. ESPN reported on Thursday that only 2% of point spread bets were placed on the Patriots in the Ceasars Sportsbook, which is tiny. In order to be able to cause a surprise, the Patriots will likely have to win the turnaround battle, get a great performance from running back Damien Harris and pull off a “surprise” game or two, either on offense or on special teams. Antonio Brown (COVID-19) will return to the game after missing his last game and Richard Sherman could play his first game with the Bucs.
Las Vegas v. Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, 8:15 p.m.
PHOTO ED ZURGA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Asante Samuel Jr. (26), Los Angeles Chargers
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The Chargers’ first choice in April, Asante Samuel Jr. has already managed two interceptions, he who is a cornerback like his father was. Asante Samuel played 11 seasons in the NFL, including the first 5 with the Patriots. He finished his career with 51 interceptions, 6 touchdowns and won the Super Bowl on two occasions with the Pats (2003 and 2004). Safety backs Nasir Adderley and Derwin James Jr. lead the Chargers with 22 and 20 tackles. The young Chargers tertiary is talented, but will be put to the test by an aerial game that is surprisingly the most productive in the NFL right now. Henry Ruggs III, Darren Waller, Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow all have over 200 yards already and Derek Carr leads the league with 1,203 passing yards (an average of 401 per game). Part of the reason, however, is that the Raiders played two overtime. Carr said this week that home games for the Chargers are a lot like home games for the Raiders. There should therefore be a good mood if the Chargers’ supporters have a little pride … A meeting that will pit division rivals and young teams on the rise.
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