Anyone else stoked for the matchup against Brady and the Bucs?

KontradictioN said:

You stop it by knocking Brady on his ass as often as you can. Even then, as we’ve seen many times over the course of two decades, it might not be enough.

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Exactly. That is why I am hoping to see some type of rush vs the Saints. We have not had much in 2 games and that will be a disaster vs Brady and his skill guys.

MAC10 said:

it'll be the biggest regular-season win in NE history.

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Outcome either way won't matter a lot in the standings or for the legacies of Brady and Bill. But the hype will definitely be off the charts. This is the dream matchup that's been years in the making and one we'll probably never see again. It will be as emotional as a game gets. I think it will also tell us a lot about our new QB, good and bad. This is the measuring stick right here.

As far as biggest win though - would a Pats win over Brady's Bucs really be bigger than week 17 in 2007 over the Giants? That one made history, this one not really.

Heh. Pretty clear that nobody really gives a **** about the Saints game (even though we all plan to watch it on Sunday) and people are already on to this game. Coach Bill would be very disappointed in us.

MAC10 said:

I hope that a 2001 repeat happens, but I don't know if NE is ready yet this year to contend for the SB. I think next year it could happen. I would love to see Belichick vs Brady in the super bowl by the time TB retires. If we can beat Tampa in a few weeks, it'll be the biggest regular-season win in NE history. But I don't see that happening, and it's like you said, it's too early in the season. I think the NFL set this match up in early October so Brady can beat Brees' yards record in Foxboro.

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It's tough to say, but don't forget, there really aren't any teams in the conference that are unbeatable and that's going to be what matters, provided they can get into the mix. Honestly, go back and look at last year. I never thought they would have been in the Chiefs game but they could have beaten Kansas City on the road with a competent quarterback, which was a reminder that this team can surprise anyone on a given Sunday and that any match-up in the AFC could still go either way. They're decent enough defensively even without Gilmore (although I obviously do feel they need him), and I'd like to think they'll be much better by December.

But I agree, I don't know if they can win enough games this year. However, Jones certainly looks like he has what it takes and so far, it's similar to what we saw out of Cassel to a certain extent. They were conservative with him initially and he got better as the year went on and I was disappointed that we didn't get to see how he might have performed in the postseason. I think Jones is a better player, but I'm hoping for the same growth as the year goes on.

The only issue is, Cassel obviously had better receivers and the lack of talent there still concerns me. Although, the tight ends have been fairly productive and when they've been drawing coverage, Jones has done a good job of scanning the field and finding else someone open. The problem is going to be if/when they get farther behind...I don't know if they have the personnel to score 30+ right now against a good defense. But time will tell.

Either way, it all comes down to how they're playing later in the year. If they start figuring things out and get into a groove and somehow make their way into the postseason, I definitely feel like anything can happen. We've seen it over the years that it's the team playing their best football in January that ends up making a run. And the fact it feels like they might have finally found "their guy" after quite a bit of trial and error over the last 20-years is definitely a good feeling

KontradictioN said:

Heh. Pretty clear that nobody really gives a **** about the Saints game (even though we all plan to watch it on Sunday) and people are already on to this game. Coach Bill would be very disappointed in us.

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LOL, this thread is definitely a week early and I'm guessing that's why it was closed. So the only issue is we'll probably end up rehashing everything by the time the actual game comes around and not have much new to discuss. Unless of course, Jones goes out and throws 3-4 TDs this weekend and has a big game. That might liven it up a bit

gobesmug said:

Why do you care if Bill is ripped apart?

Eventually he will no longer be apart of this organization then a separate Bill section will need to be added so anytime his name is brought up that entire thread can be moved over to that section.

After all, that's what "real" Pats fans do, correct? Talking about past legends is taboo

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I can't speak for everyone but I know for me, it's not even about Bill vs Tom it's about rooting for the Patriots. If Bill left and Tom stayed I would then be considered in the "Tom camp" side of this debate. As it stands, it's Belichick who is still working for the Pats, so any negative press about Bill is a shot at the team I root for. I don't have personal feelings for these guys lol, I don't even know them.

It'll be the first game since 1971 that I'm not looking forward to but I'll still watch. Like others here, I'll always be grateful for what Tom Brady did for the Patriots. Why Tom left the Patriots has been discussed ad-nauseam but he plays for the other team now.

It's difficult to come up with an analogy that explains my feelings about this game. But what I do know is that if the Bucs come into Gillette and smoke the Patriots, I'm going to feel pretty shtty about it.

OTOH, I have to remember that this is only a game and not to take it too seriously. Yeah right. . .

Easier said than done but make Brady as uncomfortable as possible in the pocket and like Kon said "knock him on his ass" a few times. Otherwise we could be in for a very long night.

Another angle to consider is the Bucs have to play the Rams on the road this weekend and then have to travel up to Foxboro to play us. Hoping that a physical game vs the Rams plus travel will play a factor in our favor.

amfootball said:

Exactly. That is why I am hoping to see some type of rush vs the Saints. We have not had much in 2 games and that will be a disaster vs Brady and his skill guys.

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I'm guessing you weren't watching the first two Pat games...Uche has three sacks by himself while the team has 6 through 2 games...that's a good total, plus there has been a lot of qb hits and pressures as well.

MAC10 said:

I think we're going to have to rely on Mac's arm.

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6.2 YPA and opening the game 8/8 for 28 yards or whatever it was won't cut it against the Bucs. This is a step way up in weight class not just against Brady and their offense, but their defense too. Mac has to push the ball down the field and get chunk plays. The Bucs may be vulnerable to that.

PatsFanInVa said:

The real Nostradamus, Century 1, Quatrain 35
The young lion will overcome the older one,1
in a field of combat2 in single fight:
He will pierce his eyes in their golden cage;3
two wounds in one, then he dies a cruel death.4

1 These can only be references to Jones and Brady, respectively
2 I.e., the gridiron
3 "He" here is Belichick. A QB's eyes can be used to represent his understanding of the field, for example, in references to his "vision.": To pierce Brady's eyes is to confuse him with unfamiliar defensive innovations. By "their golden cage" Nostradamus clearly means the Bucs' pewter helmet.
4. Encoded in "two wounds in one" are the numerals 1 and 2, meaning, of course,12, the number of the beast. He might as well just come out and say Brady loses at Foxborough.

Bonus: Internet style made-up quatrain to post on BBS to see if it gets copied and pasted:

Century XXI, Quatrain 21
The twenty-first century, the twenty-first year;
By the borough of the fox, where the root is one;
Clan Macjones will shudder the stones of the lighthouse;
The old king slinks defeated back to the florid Bay

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You're making me nostalgic for my I-Ching game predictions

amfootball said:

Exactly. That is why I am hoping to see some type of rush vs the Saints. We have not had much in 2 games and that will be a disaster vs Brady and his skill guys.

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ashley1992 said:

I'm guessing you weren't watching the first two Pat games...Uche has three sacks by himself while the team has 6 through 2 games...that's a good total, plus there has been a lot of qb hits and pressures as well.

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sb1 said:

Mac has to push the ball down the field and get chunk plays. The Bucs may be vulnerable to that.

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Yeah, I agree. The Bucs pass D is not great - they've given up 54 points in 2 games mainly through the air. However, I just don't know if Mac is ready to throw the ball 50+ times to take advantage.

Boomer B said:

Looking forward to it. Should be a great atmosphere and I hope Brady gets the biggest ovation ever given at a sports game.

In terms of the game, the Pats gotta find ways to turn field goals into TDs because the Bucs will get their points. I think we gotta get 2+ turnovers to have a chance.

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The thing about the Buccaneers is that they still put up 30+ points even when they turn the ball over 3 or 4 times.

Mac will have to open it up if the Patriots want to have a shot at winning. I just don't see them having success running the ball and those linebackers and safeties are like missiles going after screens and short stuff.

condon84 said:

I can't speak for everyone but I know for me, it's not even about Bill vs Tom it's about rooting for the Patriots. If Bill left and Tom stayed I would then be considered in the "Tom camp" side of this debate. As it stands, it's Belichick who is still working for the Pats, so any negative press about Bill is a shot at the team I root for. I don't have personal feelings for these guys lol, I don't even know them.

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If you don't want the Pats to get embarrassed, that I fully understand. I'm hoping for a good game that comes down the last drive.

If Gilmore was playing I would actually favor the Pats to win this game.

I don't think this will be a blowout like some expect. Brady might be fired up but Bill will be as well.

As much as Bill preaches about 1 game at a time, there is no way he doesn't place a greater personal effort into this game.

The Pats have the ability to pressure, and a really good secondary.

I predict 17-14 Bucs, but could easily see the Pats pulling it off

honestly, just another game here......

will be interesting to see how TB handles coming off a loss

gobesmug said:

If you don't want the Pats to get embarrassed, that I fully understand. I'm hoping for a good game that comes down the last drive.

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I want the Pats to win and I think they have a chance to win. Brady and that offense look great but what they do best is also the strength of our defense. If the Pats convert in the RZ it will be a close game.

Nope. All I can think of is how Bill destroyed this franchise and was the cause of Brady/Gronk permanently severing all ties with the organization. The GOAT has a shared legacy with the freaking Bucs.

gobesmug said:

If Gilmore was playing I would actually favor the Pats to win this game.

I don't think this will be a blowout like some expect. Brady might be fired up but Bill will be as well.

As much as Bill preaches about 1 game at a time, there is no way he doesn't place a greater personal effort into this game.

The Pats have the ability to pressure, and a really good secondary.

I predict 17-14 Bucs, but could easily see the Pats pulling it off

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Gilmore would help a ton, but I don't see the current dbs minus him containing Evans/Godwin/Brown/Gronk. Their offense is incredibly potent, our only shot is getting multiple turnovers like the cowboys -- and they still scored 31.

The keys to victory are multiple turnovers from Tampa, without turning it over ourselves, near perfect red zone efficiency with lopsided TOP; also, a minimum of 24-27 points. We won't hold them to 17 points without all of those factors, and Tampa has had the best run defense the last 3 years so Harris isn't rushing for 100 yards.

This isn't a particularly good match up, IMO, and no Gilmore makes it even more difficult.